Safety Glasses
Nitrile Gloves
Brake Pads
Rotors
Jack
Jack Stands
Ratchet and Sockets
Breaker Bar
Torque Wrench
Wheel Chocks
Caliper Hanger
Bleeder Tool
Brake Line Wrench
O'Reilly Brake Parts Cleaner
CRC Industries Caliper Grease
Caliper Compressor
Brake Fluid
Flathead Screwdriver
Step 1: Prepare Your Vehicle
Park on a level surface. If your model has a cap over the hubs, remove it and use a 21mm socket and breaker bar to loosen the lug nuts on the front wheels.
Step 2: Lift Your Vehicle
Use a jack to lift and support the front end of the truck. Chock the rear wheels.
Step 3: Remove Front Wheels
Remove the lug nuts completely from the front wheels and take off the wheel where you’ll be working first.
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Do It Right: Turn the steering wheel to give you better access to the caliper. |
Step 4: Remove Bolts
Remove the two caliper mounting bolts using a 13mm socket. Pull the caliper off and hang it with your caliper hanger, making sure to keep pressure off the brake line.
Step 5: Remove the Brake Pads
Take the old pads out of the mounting brackets and remove the four clips. Use your 21mm socket and breaker bar to loosen the two caliper bracket mounting bolts and remove them. Set your mounting bracket aside for now.
Step 6: Remove the Old Rotor
Remove the old rotor from the hub. If needed, it’s okay to use a hammer to break the old caliper loose. Use a wire brush to clean any rust off the face of the hub. Once clean, apply some of the 100% silicone grease to the hub before installing the new rotor.
Step 7: Wipe Down Friction Surfaces
Use brake cleaner on a shop towel to wipe down the friction surfaces of your new rotor.
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Do It Right: Brake cleaner will strip paint, so use it cautiously around painted areas. |
Step 8: Spray Your Bracket
Spray down your caliper mounting bracket thoroughly with brake cleaner. Don’t use a wire brush on it. You need to replace your caliper mounting bracket if there is any rust where the pads or brake hardware rides.
Step 9: Install The New Rotor
Install your new rotor on the hub and use a lug nut to keep it in place while you work.
Step 10: Grease Your Mounting Bracket Pins
Remove the guide pins from the mounting bracket. Wipe them down with a shop towel and apply fresh silicone grease. Then reinstall them. If they’re rusted or pitted, they should be replaced.
Step 11: Install Your New Brake Hardware
Install your new brake hardware into the bracket and use your silicone grease to lubricate where the pads will ride.
Step 12: Reinstall the Bracket
Reinstall the bracket, finger-tighten the bolts and torque them to 184 foot pounds. At this point, lubricate the back of the new pads and install them in the bracket.
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Do It Right: For this specific truck, one of your brake pads has ears where the caliper pistons will go. Be sure to install the brake pad with the ears on the inside of the rotor and the brake pad without ears on the outside. |
Step 13: Prepare Your Caliper Piston
Clean the exposed portion of your caliper piston with brake cleaner on a towel or rag. If the rubber boot is cracked or if there’s brake fluid leaking, the caliper needs to be replaced. Attach your bleeder tool and open the bleeder valve by turning it counterclockwise. Use a caliper piston tool or C-clamp to push the piston back into the caliper. Use an old pad between your caliper piston and piston tool. The caliper piston needs to be flush with the caliper housing. Be sure not to pinch the boot, and be sure not to push on the piston itself when you do this. When you’re done, the piston would be flush with the housing.
Step 14: Compress the Piston
Compress the piston. There will be old, discolored brake fluid and small particles of dirt discharged. Re-tighten the bleeder valve before detaching your bleeder tool and reinstall the bleeder valve cap. Remove the piston tool and used brake pad.
Step 15: Replace Caliper
Put the caliper back in place in the bracket and finger-tighten the bolts to hold it in place. Take the caliper hanger out of the wheel well. Torque these bolts 27 foot pounds. Check to make sure the pads are against the rotor and that the piston is flush with the caliper. If you used a lug nut to hold the rotor in place, you can remove it now. Put the wheel back in place and hand-tighten the lug nuts, making sure the wheel is seated flush against the hub.
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Do It Right: Brake pads and rotors should be changed in pairs, so repeat these steps on the other side. |
Step 16: Lower Your Vehicle
Remove the jack stands and lower your vehicle. Use a torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern to 150 foot pounds.
Step 17: Break In Your New Brake Hardware
Before you drive anywhere, be sure to pump your brake pedal several times until you feel the pressure return. It should feel the way it did before the brake job. Check your master cylinder and add fluid as needed. To help break in the new components, it’s a good idea to test drive your vehicle, slowing it 15-20 times from 50mph to 30mph with moderate brake pressure, allowing the brakes to cool between each slowdown. Avoid aggressive stops during this break-in process. It’s normal for your brakes to smell after doing this. However, if the odor persists past 500 miles or so, or if you have excessive dust on one wheel, you may have a stuck caliper.
