Last weekend I ordered the Power Stop Extreme kit from Amazon to replace my OEM pads/rotors. I have 23k miles on my 2013 SCREW and routinely tow heavy 25' boats. I came back from a trip and thought my pedal felt a bit spongey and decided that instead of inspecting my pads/rotors that I would just replace them.
I ordered the kit from Amazon at a cost of ~$480. I have the HF low profile jack and some stands so I pulled my car onto a level surface and went to work.
PADS & ROTORS
The first snag I ran into was not having a breaker bar. My 1/2" socket did not provide much torque so I spent my day essentially destroying my back with this 8" long lever also known as my socket wrench.
I had no issues with the rotors sticking to the hub given the low mileage even with FL salt exposure and numeroussssssss trips to the boat ramp. A breaker bar would have again been useful in removing the knuckle bolts which hold the caliper mount.
I used a wire coat hanger to hang the caliper from the front shocks/springs. The Power Stop kit came with new rubber boots, pad guides and grease for the fronts. I had no issues with either side and all included hardware was provided.
I moved onto the backs and the process is roughly the same except that I did not need to hang the calipers...simply rested them on the suspension/frame. Again, Power Stop includes anti-squeal, brake clips and rubber boots. No issues with the rears @ 23k.
After I completed the install I left the truck overnight to go party. The next morning I took her out to grab some breakfast and did the bed-in process before hitting the supermarket. I noticed that the brake feel was the same and still felt spongey but the brake action was more than adequate. Being dissatisfied I knew my next endeavor would be a fluid flush.
I went to Advance Auto and bought their vacuum hand pump which is a total *************. In the end, I used a turkey baster to remove the old fluid from the pump and a ghetto rig one-man bleed system for the rest.
FLUSH PROCESS
I purchased 2 liters of Valvoline brake fluid from Advance Auto in addition to the POS vacuum bleeder. After failing to remove less then 4 oz of fluid from the master cylinder the vacuum pump seal failed and the device was useless. I suctioned the remaining amount (as much as I could) from the MC using a turkey baster and put it in a water bottle.
I needed a solution to bleed the brakes by myself so I used this video. I duplicated most efforts but instead used a 32 oz Gatorade bottle because it holds more fluid and has a wider base.
I removed one wheel at a time and worked in the following fashion: pass rear, driver rear, pass front and finally driver front. To flush I filled the Gatorade bottle with clean fluid to cover the tubing by about 1/2". I then topped off the MC and began pumping the pedal as you would in a two-man operation. I wanted to see the fluid going into the bottle to inspect for large bubbles so I used a cut section of 2x2 I had in the garage to lay on the ground while using the wood extension of my arm to pump. Once I saw clean fluid I slowed the pump process and periodically checked the MC for fluid level.
I repeated this process until I got the driver front. At this point I filled slightly about the MAX line on the MC and pumped the pedal as I did the three other times. After I saw clean fluid I pumped a bit more to ensure no air bubbles were present and closed the bleed screw. I re-checked the MC level and added a hair to bring it back into spec.
I drove the car around the block a few times and the pedal feel remained the same. This leads me to conclude that: I have been either driving my wife's car too much and have grown accustomed to her brake pedal feel, I have just forgotten normal F-150 pedal feel or that I still have air in the lines and just didn't get it all.
CLIFF NOTES
-Replaced pads, rotors and fluid @ 23k miles
-Did not have a breaker bar handy and paid for it with muscle movements
-Pedal feel still not where I want it to be after 2 liter fluid flush and brake change
-Truck still stops on a dime with max braking effort
-Power Stop kit comes with literally everything you need
I did this job by myself and did not want to have nasty brake dust/fluid/grease all over my shit so I did not document the process. If you guys have questions or inputs please let me know.
I ordered the kit from Amazon at a cost of ~$480. I have the HF low profile jack and some stands so I pulled my car onto a level surface and went to work.
PADS & ROTORS
The first snag I ran into was not having a breaker bar. My 1/2" socket did not provide much torque so I spent my day essentially destroying my back with this 8" long lever also known as my socket wrench.
I had no issues with the rotors sticking to the hub given the low mileage even with FL salt exposure and numeroussssssss trips to the boat ramp. A breaker bar would have again been useful in removing the knuckle bolts which hold the caliper mount.
I used a wire coat hanger to hang the caliper from the front shocks/springs. The Power Stop kit came with new rubber boots, pad guides and grease for the fronts. I had no issues with either side and all included hardware was provided.
I moved onto the backs and the process is roughly the same except that I did not need to hang the calipers...simply rested them on the suspension/frame. Again, Power Stop includes anti-squeal, brake clips and rubber boots. No issues with the rears @ 23k.
After I completed the install I left the truck overnight to go party. The next morning I took her out to grab some breakfast and did the bed-in process before hitting the supermarket. I noticed that the brake feel was the same and still felt spongey but the brake action was more than adequate. Being dissatisfied I knew my next endeavor would be a fluid flush.
I went to Advance Auto and bought their vacuum hand pump which is a total *************. In the end, I used a turkey baster to remove the old fluid from the pump and a ghetto rig one-man bleed system for the rest.
FLUSH PROCESS
I purchased 2 liters of Valvoline brake fluid from Advance Auto in addition to the POS vacuum bleeder. After failing to remove less then 4 oz of fluid from the master cylinder the vacuum pump seal failed and the device was useless. I suctioned the remaining amount (as much as I could) from the MC using a turkey baster and put it in a water bottle.
I needed a solution to bleed the brakes by myself so I used this video. I duplicated most efforts but instead used a 32 oz Gatorade bottle because it holds more fluid and has a wider base.
I removed one wheel at a time and worked in the following fashion: pass rear, driver rear, pass front and finally driver front. To flush I filled the Gatorade bottle with clean fluid to cover the tubing by about 1/2". I then topped off the MC and began pumping the pedal as you would in a two-man operation. I wanted to see the fluid going into the bottle to inspect for large bubbles so I used a cut section of 2x2 I had in the garage to lay on the ground while using the wood extension of my arm to pump. Once I saw clean fluid I slowed the pump process and periodically checked the MC for fluid level.
I repeated this process until I got the driver front. At this point I filled slightly about the MAX line on the MC and pumped the pedal as I did the three other times. After I saw clean fluid I pumped a bit more to ensure no air bubbles were present and closed the bleed screw. I re-checked the MC level and added a hair to bring it back into spec.
I drove the car around the block a few times and the pedal feel remained the same. This leads me to conclude that: I have been either driving my wife's car too much and have grown accustomed to her brake pedal feel, I have just forgotten normal F-150 pedal feel or that I still have air in the lines and just didn't get it all.
CLIFF NOTES
-Replaced pads, rotors and fluid @ 23k miles
-Did not have a breaker bar handy and paid for it with muscle movements
-Pedal feel still not where I want it to be after 2 liter fluid flush and brake change
-Truck still stops on a dime with max braking effort
-Power Stop kit comes with literally everything you need
I did this job by myself and did not want to have nasty brake dust/fluid/grease all over my shit so I did not document the process. If you guys have questions or inputs please let me know.
