My plan for the day

Well, today I'm going to attempt to replace my brake pads right around. I've never done brakes before(just a youngin'), I have my trusty Hanes manual(never failed me yet), and a garage full of tools, and two full days. Is there anything that I should consider, watch out for, keep in mnd, etc, when doing this.

Thanx
Luke

Doing the pads on these cars is pretty easy (much easier than an explorer can we say bearings ). You may have to pry the back pad (the one not on the piston) off it can be a pain and it makes it much easier if you have a good sized (at least 4") c-clamp to compress the piston, otherwise you'll have real fun getting the caliper back over the rotor. All in all it's not hard so have fun with it.

The rear caliper pistons do not press in.....You have to rotate them clockwise (I think). There is a piston tool available from most autoparts places, or you can use a set of hefty needle nose pliers. (thats what I did, its a pain though). Just turn the piston until it "screws" in enough for the new (inside) pad to clear the rotor.

FYI, I don't think you can "C-clamp" the rear piston back in, it requires a special tool to spin it back in. Sometimes it can be spun with pliers.
Also, consider bleeding the brakes prior to doing the pads to get some of the gunk out which would otherwise be pushed back in with the thicker pads.
hope this helps, Steve

The bolts that hold the rear knuckles in place almost seem to be welded in place, and can be a pain to loosen. (And of course you have to get these off so you can have your rear rotors turned or replaced). If you do not have an impact wrench, then to make this job easier, do this. You will need a 6 sided 15MM open end wrench. and a sledge hammer. Put the wrench on the bolts and tap it with the sledge hammer. This will release the bolts. A regular hammer just doesn't seem to have enough mass to do this.
You can buy a square tool to screw the pistons back in, but it just doesn't quite fit. I used a drill to remove a little metal on the pistons themselves so that the square tool fit better.
While your doing this, you might as well flush the lines with new brake fluid if you haven't done it in a while.