My primary transportation recently started squealing when I applied pressure to the brakes. The unfortunate part about this is that I changed the front brakes of my car at the beginning of this summer. I guess I should have changed the rear brakes while I was at it.
Here is where I started ... a completely boring, I mean stock, Mustang rim and tire. Notice the bald tires:( I plan on replacing them next month with snow tires. I am realizing now that the weekend that I chose to change my rear brakes was the coldest weekend we have had this Fall. I would like to thank my wife again for the new hat.
The next step was to take off the tire. This picture shows the rear disc braking system. Rusty. At this point, I can see that I need to purchase new rotors.
Shown: Caliper from above.
Remove the two bolts that hold the caliper to the caliper bracket.
This picture shows the bolt removed during the last step. The rubber boot slides in and out to allow the caliper to clap down and release the rotor during braking. Remove the caliper and set it aside. Make sure that you take care of the piston and rubber brake hose or you can add a new caliper to the list of parts to buy.
The next step is to remove the caliper bracket. To do this, remove the two bolts shown in this picture and the bracket will fall right off. I needed plenty of penetrating oil and a 1/2" breaker bar to pop the bolts free.
Removing the old rotor is as easy as pulling off these retaining wheels. I used a pliers to bend the tabs in and they twisted off with ease.
This picture shows the axle without the rotor, caliper bracket, and caliper. The next step is to retract the piston into the caliper so that you can install the new brake pads.
I started with a C-clamp. Typically I use the clamp to press the piston back into the caliper. I snapped the head off of the C-clamp while applying only a small force. So much for $3 Harbor Freight C-clamp. I took a step back and headed to AutoZone to pick up new rotors. The guy behind the counter was very helpful and pointed me to the tool you see in this picture. As it turns out, Mustang rear caliper pistons turn in instead of press in like the fronts do. The tool has many patterns, none of which fit my piston so I modified it with a grinder.
The only way I was able to get the piston to turn in was to temporarily install the caliper and caliper bracket. I then used a clamp to hold the caliper from extending back as I pushed on the piston. This allowed me to apply the necessary torque to turn the piston in. If you crack the bleeder screw during this step, the caliper will release the execess pressure and the piston will screw in much easier. This task was difficult but I never had the thought that I was hurting the piston/caliper that I usually have when using the clamp method.
With the piston retracted, the next step is to clean and install the rotor. I should really buy some AutoZone stock. If you look closely, you can see the C-clamp that I broke:) (The head should not be pointed in that direction)
Here is a shot with the new rotor installed. I used a deep socket to re-install the retaining wheels. If you look in the background of this picture you can see how I "safely" jacked up my car. My jack stands are currently under my 88 Mustang so I used the floor jack to hold the car up and put ramps under the axle tubes for safety. I feel like I should be doing this in my driveway with cinder blocks.
Almost there. I reinstalled the caliper bracket and the new brake pads. I always add grease to the caliper piston, back of the brake pads, and where the pads contact the caliper bracket. Bolt on the caliper and you are ready to bleed the system.
In this picture you can see the new pads and rotor. I usually bleed the rear brakes to make sure that I did not introduce any air in the system while compressing the piston.
There you go. Reinstall the rear tires and take the car out for a test drive to make sure that you did not mess anything up. I touch and smell the brakes after the test drive to ensure that the caliper is not stuck. Everything was good to go so I parked the car for the night and headed inside to warm up.
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