How to Change the Brake Pads on a Ford 2001 F150

The 2001 Ford F-150 was built for power, fuel efficiency, cargo space and towing. It was a well-built truck that included brakes that are supposed to last for 300,000 miles. If your brakes have started to squeal, grab, or lose pressure, then it is time to replace them. If you don't want to take the hassle of taking the truck to a repair shop, a brake job can be handled at home for a fraction of the cost.

Instructions

1

Loosen the lugs. The lugs nuts hold the tire to the wheel. Do not remove them completely but loosen them one to two full rotations with the tire iron. Place the wheel chocks in front of the tires you are not removing.

2

Raise the truck. Place the jack beneath a supportive section of the underside of the truck and jack it up enough so there is room to place the jack stands beneath the same supportive spot. Repeat for both sides of the car.

3

Remove the tires. Completely remove each of the lug nuts from the tires. Remove the tires from the truck.

4

Remove the brake caliper mount. The brake caliper mount is the metal bracket that encases the brake pads and sits on the rotor. The mount can be removed by removing the two bolts that hold it onto the rotor using the socket set. Once the caliper is removed, tie it up to the underside of the truck. You do not want the mount to hang as it will put damaging pressure on the brake line.

5

Remove the brake pads from the mount by slipping them out.

6

Compress the brake caliper. The brake caliper is the circular piston situated in the center of the mount. There are two ways to compress the caliper. You can either compress it by hand or use the C-clamp to compress it.

7

Install the new brake pads. The new brake pads will slip into the slots that the old ones were in. The two pads are universal, but make sure that the brake material, the black material, is facing inwards towards the rotor.

8

Reattach the mount onto the rotor. Rebolt the mount onto the rotor. Reattach the tire. Snug each lug nut to finger tightness. Lower the vehicle with the jack and then tighten each lug with the tire iron.