DIY Rear Brakes on a 1991 Ford Explorer

The rear brake pads on your Explorer wear down over time just as the front pads do. Damage to the pads unrelated to natural wear occurs often from excessive towing. The rear pads in a typical driving scenario act as a leveler. Their job is to help stop the truck levelly and evenly. Towing increases the rear-end weight to level and effectively causes rapid wear of the rear brake pads. With a few tools, you can replace the rear pads on your 1991 Ford Explorer right at home. The complete do-it-yourself repair should take 50 minutes to do.

Instructions

1

Park the 1991 Explorer on level ground and align the front tires in the straight forward position -- toward the radiator. Turn the engine off and remove the ignition key. Place a wheel block securely in front of the driver's side front tire.

2

Loosen the lug nuts on the Explorer's rear passenger side tire with a lug wrench. Raise the truck with your hydraulic jack on the right side of the tire using the frame as a lifting point. Place a jack stand of equal height on the side of the hydraulic jack to help support your Explorer.

3

Remove the lug nuts from their studs and pull the truck's tire from the vehicle. Temporarily store the lug nuts in a cup or within the vehicle to keep them free of dirt.

4

Observe the brake caliper before you remove it. The caliper secures in place by two bolts on the inner side of it. The Explorer's caliper also mounts over each of the rear brake pads. The outer brake pad mounts on the caliper by two spring clips. The inner brake pad has a metal clip attached to the bottom of it. At the rear of the inner brake pad, notice a round metal cylinder. This is the piston, the inner brake pad's clip pushes down into the piston.

5

Place your 8-inch C-clamp around the body of the Explorer's brake caliper. Begin winding the screw portion of the clamp closed until it touches the top of the outer brake pad. The piston that an inner brake pad mounts upon must be compressed all the way down or you won't be able to mount the new pads over the rotor.

6

Twist the C-clamp closed while you observe the inner brake pad. Once you see that the pad sits flat against the inner surface of the caliper take the C-clamp off.

7

Loosen the two brake caliper bolts with a socket wrench. Completely remove the bolts by hand and place a 5-gallon bucket next to your Explorer's caliper. Lift the caliper off the rotor and set it down on the bucket with the outer pad facing up.

8

Remove the inner brake from the piston. Grasp it on either side and pull it up out of the piston. Install the new inner brake pad by pushing its metal clip down into the piston. Remove the outer brake pad from your caliper. Push the pad outward off the caliper to release its metal clips. Install your new inner pad in the opposite manner.

9

Lift your Explorer's brake caliper from the bucket and place it down over the rotor into mounting position. Install and tighten both of your caliper's mounting bolts by hand. Tighten the caliper's bolts to 20 foot lbs. with a 3/8-inch drive torque wrench.

10

Mount the tire back onto the Explorer and tighten each of the lug nuts until they're snug with your lug wrench. Remove the jack stand and begin lowering the truck until the bottom of the tire meets the ground. Reset the torque wrench to 99 foot-lbs and completely secure the lug nuts.

11

Lower the Explorer down completely and remove the hydraulic jack. Pump the brake pedal slowly until it feels stiff beneath your foot. Remove the wheel block and place it in front of the passenger's side front tire. Repeat this entire process to remove and replace the brake pads on the driver's side rear tire.