How to Remove the Brakes in the 2003 Ford Expedition

Removing the brake pads from a 2003 Ford Expedition is the first order of business in performing a brake job on this full-size SUV. Every time you bring the heavy Expedition to a halt, you wear a tiny portion of the brake pad's friction material away. Sooner or later, the pads won't have enough material left to stop the Ford without damaging the rotors. Ford Motor Company recommends replacing the pads when the friction material falls below a minimum thickness of 3mm. Anyone with basic auto-repair skills can remove the brakes from a 2003 Ford Expedition.

Instructions

1

Shove the wheel chocks against the front and back of the right-rear tire to ensure the Expedition doesn't roll. Turn the front lug nuts counterclockwise several times with the lug wrench to loosen them.

2

Elevate the front end of the Expedition with the floor jack. Support it on the jack stands, placed under the front frame. Take the lug nuts and front wheels off manually to expose the brakes.

3

Set the drain pan below the left-front brake rotor. Rinse the brake dust off of the rotor and caliper and into the drain pan with the brake cleaner.

4

Unbolt the brake caliper from the mount with your socket set. Lift the caliper out of the mount and then remove the pads from the caliper by hand.

5

Slide over to the right-front tire and repeat steps 1 through 4 on that side.