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Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks!
In this video, we're going to show you how to service the rear brakes. This is a 2003 Mercury Mountaineer. It's pretty much the same for any 2002 to 2005 Mountaineer or Explorer that has rear disc brakes. We show you the passenger side but the driver side is the same procedure. Always replace your brakes in pairs. The items you'll need for this are new rear brake pads and rotor kit from 1AAuto.com, a 10mm and 19mm socket and ratchet, flat blade screwdriver, jack and jack stands, torque wrench, large c-clamp, and a wire brush.
Start off by prying off your hubcap. Then remove these 19mm lug nuts. If you don't have air-powered tools, you want to loosen them up while the vehicle's on the ground, raise the vehicle, and remove them the rest of the way. Now just pull the wheel free.
Then remove these two 10mm bolts back here on the back of your caliper. You can see we're using a wrench and then another wrench for some extra leverage. However, you can also use a socket and ratchet. We'll just fast-forward as Mike removes those two bolts. Once you remove both those bolts, just pull your caliper off and set it up here on your upper control arm. Using a flat blade screwdriver, you want to just pry on these two tabs on the outside of this brake pad while pushing down on the sides of the brake pad. It should pull free. Ours is a bit of a struggle since it looks like somebody actually used some gasket material to glue the brake pads in. Now pull this brake pad out of the piston, and then pull the rotor off.
On the left are the old brake pads and rotor; on the right are the new ones from 1A Auto. You can see they're identical and they'll fit exactly the same.
Take your new rotor and push it into place. Take your old brake pad and push it back into the piston, and then, using a large C-clamp, just want to open that up and put it onto the brake pad. Then just tighten up that large C-clamp and it will push the brake pad down, pushing the piston back into the caliper. Once the piston's all the way in, just loosen up and remove your large clamp and pull the brake pad free. Make sure that the slides on either side are loose and move back and forth. Ours move nicely, but they don't you'll want to force it out of the rubber boots, clean it all up, and grease it, and put it back in to get it to move smoothly. Then you put it back in and just make sure that the rubber boots are seated back down correctly.
Now take your brake pads and apply some brake grease to the tabs on either side of the pads. You want to start with the brake pad that goes into the piston. Just push it right in. Then take your other brake pad and apply the brake grease to the tabs on either end again, and you can apply some grease right here and then just slide the brake pad back down into place. Now, using a wire brush, clean up the brake pad slides on your caliper bracket. Then take your caliper and push it back into place. You just want to line up those tabs on the brake pads onto the slides on the bracket. You may need to give it a little force to get it on there all the way. Then we'll fast-forward as Mike replaces and tightens up those two 10mm bolts.
Now replace the wheel and then replace the lug nuts. Then we'll fast-forward as Mike tightens those up. You want to tighten them while the vehicle's in the air just preliminarily, then lower the vehicle and tighten them the rest of the way. Then you want to torque each of these to 100 foot-pounds in a crossing pattern. Then take your hubcap, line it up, and hit it back into place.
After doing any work on your brakes you want to just pump the brake pedal until it firms up. Then do a stopping test from 5 miles per hour, then 10 miles per hour.
We hope this video helps you out. Brought to you by www.1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet. Please feel free to call us toll-free, 888-844-3393. We're the company that's here for you on the Internet and in person.