How to Change the Brake Rotors on a 2001 Ford Taurus

Ford Motor Company introduced the Taurus in 1986. The 2001 Ford Taurus was equipped with three different engines, a 3.0-liter V-6 DOHC engine, a 3.0-liter EFI engine and a 3.0-liter Flex Fuel engine. The front brakes on the 2001 Taurus were disc brakes, and the rears were drum brakes. Replace the rotors on the 2001 Taurus when the brake rotors are too thin to assist in stopping the vehicle properly.

Instructions

1

Park the Taurus on a level surface. Raise the hood of the Taurus. Find the brake fluid reservoir in the driver's side rear area of the engine compartment. Remove fluid from the brake fluid reservoir with a turkey baster or a small bottle siphon until the fluid level is about 1/4-inch below the "Full" mark.

2

Loosen the wheel lug nuts with a tire iron. Raise the front of the Taurus with a jack. Place jack stands beneath the front of the vehicle, under the subframe rails. Find these rails on either side of the bottom of the engine. Lower the vehicle onto the jack stands. Remove the wheel lug nuts, and then the wheels completely from the front of the car.

3

Remove the caliper bolts from a single caliper, using a ratchet and socket. Use a small pry bar to help pull the caliper free from the caliper bracket, if needed. Hang the caliper from the front-strut coil spring with a metal clothes hanger or thin metal rod. Do not let the caliper hang by the rubber hose attached to it. Remove the brake pads from the caliper-mounting bracket.

4

Set one of the pads against the caliper piston found on the inside rear of the caliper. Attach a large C-clamp against the rear of the caliper and the brake pad. Compress the brake caliper, using the C-clamp as a lever.

5

Remove the caliper-mounting bracket from the rear of the steering knuckle assembly, using a breaker bar and a socket. Set the caliper bracket to the side, and remove the brake rotor by hand. Use a hammer to tap the old rotor gently from the wheel hub if necessary.

6

Install the new rotor onto the wheel hub assembly. Put the caliper bracket back onto the steering knuckle, and tighten the bolts between 65- and 87 foot-pounds of torque, with a torque wrench and socket.

7

Install new brake pads onto the caliper bracket. There are two types of pads in a set. Two of the pads have a metal "L" protruding from the back of the pad. This "L" is a wear indicator. Place one pad with the wear indicator behind the rotor. Place one pad without a wear indicator in front of the rotor. Lightly lubricate the backs of each brake pad with a thin film of caliper grease.

8

Remove the two metal slide tubes from the rear of the hanging caliper. The slide tubes are the threaded tubes, which the caliper bolts screw into. Lubricate each tube thoroughly with caliper grease, and then install the tubes back into the caliper. Remove the caliper from the metal hanger, and place the caliper back onto the brake assembly. Do not twist the rubber brake hose attached to the caliper. Insert and tighten the caliper bolts to 26-foot-pounds, using a torque wrench and socket.

9

Repeat Steps 3 through 9 to complete the second side of the Taurus. Double-check the torque on both calipers and caliper brackets when finished with the rotor replacement.

10

Install the wheels on the car and tighten the lug nuts with a tire iron. Raise the front of the Taurus using the jack, and remove the jack stands. Lower the vehicle to the ground, and immediately tighten the wheel lug nuts on both front wheels between 85- and 104-foot pounds, using the torque wrench and socket.

11

Enter the driver's side of the Taurus. Pump the brake pedal slowly, no less than ten times. The pedal should "stiffen" or be more difficult to push downward with each pump.

12

Check the fluid level in the brake fluid reservoir. Add D.O.T. III or greater brake fluid to the reservoir, until the fluid reaches the "Full" mark, if necessary. Replace the brake-fluid reservoir cap, and ensure it secures properly. Close the hood when finished adding fluid.