Mod: 98+ Ranger Brake Rotor/Pads Replacement
Difficulty: 3/10 (Follow the pictures, simple to do)
Time: half hour per side first time


Tools Needed:
-Size 13 and 15 mm Wrenches. As long as possible for the 15 mm wrench.
-2 shiney new rotors
-2 new brake pads (I myself didn't replace pads)
-Impact gun for lugnuts
-Threadlocker
-Truckjack (I used a rolling type, not a bottle jack)
-BFCC (Big ****ing C-Clamp)
-Small piece of wood


How To:


-Use Impact gun to remove lug nuts from wheel then place wheel and nuts to side.

-Remove two bolts from top back side and bottom back side of brake caliper. They are relatively easy to remove with the 13 mm wrench.

-After removing two bolts from caliper, pull it off by pushing it out slowly front and bottom because it is fit tightly on. Take 2 feet of wire or rope and tie up the caliper to the upper control arm so the brake fluid line doesn't get damaged.

-Remove two brake pads, they slide into the metal perched in a C-shape around the rotor(easy to notice) and they come out very easily.

-Remove the C-shaped metal over the rotor by the two bolts located on the backside with the 15 mm wrench. Both of these bolts are VERY VERY tight. Don't get a hernia getting them out! It took me literally all the strength i could muster to get these out. They are threadlocked in also.


-Once you remove the C-shaped metal you can put that to the side. Then slide off the rotor and you have removed all the brake components. If the rotor is stuck on for some reason(as my right side was) then turn the rotor in little bits and strike the back side with a hammer to knock it loose.

-Put new rotor on and then put C-shaped metal back over the rotor. Bolt it in. You may have trouble lining up the bolts with the metal because the rotor doesnt sit flush to the hub without pressure pushing it in. Also, these bolts need to be threadlocked. When you pull them out you'll notice where the threadlocker was applied on them, apply in same place.

-Slide new brakepads into their slots on the C-shaped metal piece.


-Take the BFCC(Big ****in C clamp!) and place a piece of wood over the caliper pistons in the caliper(the part hanging by wire/rope). Tighten the C-clamp to push the wood, thereby pushing in the caliper pistons. This is so that the caliper will fit back over the new rotors/pads.

-Put the caliper into the C-shaped metal and put the two bolts in their holes with the 13 mm wrench. You'll notice the calipers have a funny lil "boot" that the bolts go through. PUsh that boot forward because it is rectangular shaped and when you bolt it in it will push against the side of the caliper, allowing the bolt to thread in.

-Put wheel on truck, thread bolts on. Tighten. New brakes!

 

I just did this tonight. The caliper bolts were 14mm instead of 13, kinda wierd. Everything else was exactly as described.

(Except I had to use a mallet and beat it to hell to get the old rotors off)

He is not kidding. I am now completely incapacitated. I have someone else covering my EMS duty tonight. I am in excrutiating pain even after 600m of ibuprofen. I pulled a muscle in my back REALLY REALLY bad thanks to those bolts. I'm not even sure if I'll be able to get out of bed for work tommorow.

 

Be sure that you get the large bolts back in that tight ... and threadlocked, too. The torque spec is 85 lb-ft. If you don't, you may get to experience what happens when one of those bolts backs out and the caliper gets free:

 

Use blue or green. The red stuff is too strong and can make life difficult at the next brake job. Be sure to torque the large caliper mounting bolts to 85 lb-ft. If you don't, no amount of any color Loctite will save you.