How To Replace Front Brakes 2001-07 Ford Escape
Created on: 2012-06-07
Check out this video to learn how you can replace the worn or squeaky front brakes on your 01-07 Ford Escape.
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step 1 :Removing the Wheel
- Pry off the center cap with a flat blade screwdriver
- Loosen the lug nuts with the vehicle on the ground
- Raise the vehicle with a floor jack
- Secure the vehicle on jack stands
- Remove the lug nuts
- Pull off the wheel
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step 2 :Inspecting the Brakes
- Check for gouges on both sides of the rotor
- Check the thickness of the brake pads
- Check the brake pad wear indicator
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step 3 :Removing the Brake Pads
- Pull the dust covers off the brake caliper bolts
- Remove the two T47 Torx bolts from the brake caliper
- Pry the brake pads into the caliper with a flat blade screwdriver to push in the pistons
- Pull the caliper aside
- Pull the inner brake pad out of the brake caliper
- Pull the outer brake pad off the caliper bracket
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step 4 :Removing the Brake Rotor
- Remove the two 18mm bolts from the brake caliper bracket
- Pull off the brake caliper bracket
- Pull the rotor off
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step 5 :Installing the New Brake Rotor
- Slide the rotor on
- Thread on one lug nut to hold the rotor in place
- Put the bracket back into place
- Start the two 18mm bolts by hand
- Tighten the 18mm bolts to 90 foot-pounds of torque
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step 6 :Installing the New Brake Pads
- Pry off the brake caliper clip with a flat blade screwdriver
- Put an old pad or a block of wood in the caliper
- Use a large C-clamp and the old pad to push the pistons back
- Install the new inner brake pad into the caliper
- Put the new outer brake pad in the caliper bracket
- Put the caliper on
- Push on the caliper clip
- Thread the two T47 Torx bolts
- Tighten the T47 bolts to 20 foot-pounds
- Put the dust covers onto the caliper bolts
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step 7 :Reattaching the Wheel
- Remove the placeholder lug nut
- Slide the wheel into place
- Start the lug nuts by hand
- Tighten the lug nuts preliminarily
- Lower the vehicle to the ground
- Tighten the lug nuts to 100 foot-pounds in a crossing or star pattern
- Reattach the center cap
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step 8 :Testing the Brakes
- Pump your brakes repeatedly until they feel firm
- Test your brakes at 5 miles per hour and then 10 miles per hour
- Road test the vehicle
Tools needed
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A Piece of Pipe (for leverage)
Large C-Clamp
Flat Blade Screwdriver
Torque Wrench
Jack Stands
18mm Socket
19mm Socket
Ratchet
Floor Jack
Block of Wood
1/2 Inch Breaker Bar
Brought to you by 1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet.
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 show you how to redo the front brakes on this 2002 Ford Escape. It's the same for any 2001 to '04. In the video, this vehicle actually has good brakes. So, we just take the brakes apart and put them back together to show you how to do it. The tools you'll need are a pad and rotor set from 1AAuto.com, jack and jackstands, and a lug wrench or 19mm socket with a ratchet. You'll need a breaker bar or pipe for some extra leverage for a couple of bolts, a large flat blade screwdriver, T47 Torx bit, a large C-clamp and a torque wrench.
Remove the cap with the screwdriver. If you don't have the benefit of air tools, you'll want to loosen your lug nuts when the wheel is still on the ground, and then raise and support the vehicle with the jack stand and remove the wheel and tire the rest of the way. The lug nuts are 19mm.
Now we can inspect the brakes here, as you can see. For one thing, take the back of your fingernail and run it up the face of the rotor and on the backside. It should be nice and smooth. You'll feel very small grooves but you don't want to feel any large grooves. You can see that the rotor's in pretty good shape. You can also see that this pad has plenty of life left, and if you look in here you can see that little slot right there. That's the wear indicator for the inside pad. That pad looks like it's basically got new brakes on it so we'll just kind of take this apart and put it back together to show you.
On the back of your brake caliper, there's little caps here. Pull them out. The caliper is held on by a couple bolts, there and there. A T47 Torx bit fits in here, which should be enough. They should not be that tight. They only hold things in place; they don't really take any of the braking pressure. I'll just fast forward here as I remove those two bolts. Once those bolts come out most of the way, they don't usually slide out too easily but you want to try to pull them out as much as you can. Take your screwdriver. Put it right in here and just kind of pry out. That forces the piston back into the caliper. It makes them a little bit loose. Then pull this clamp out. The bolts will come out some more. You can see the inner pad came in with it. You just pull that right out. Then the outer pad just comes right out like that. I'll take my caliper and put it over here. Make sure there's not too much stress on the hose.
To remove that caliper bracket, you'll need to remove these two bolts here. These two bolts are 18mm so I've got my ratchet. I'm going to use a piece of pipe. Put it right on my ratchet like that. Hold it right on the bolt and slowly lift up on the pipe. It gives you extra leverage. Break that free. I'm just going to fast forward as I break the upper one free and then remove the bolts and the caliper bracket itself.
Like I said, the brakes are in good shape so I'm just taking them apart and putting them back together to show you. Put that back on. I always like to put a lug nut on here. It just kind of helps keep things together so you can put it together easily. Fast forward as I put the caliper bracket back on, start the bolts. The bracket actually goes between the steering knuckle and the disc. Then, the bolts go on from the backside and thread in. Torque these to 90 foot-pounds.
To put new brake shoes in you'll need to force the piston back into the caliper. Usually what you do is, you put your old inner brake pad back into there. I'm going to reuse my old one since the brakes are fine on this. So, I'm going to use a block of wood. Put the block of wood on there with a large C-clamp. Tighten up the C-clamp and that forces the piston back into the caliper. I'm going to put my inner pad back in the caliper. Push these bolts back through so they don't interfere. Put my outer pad into the bracket there. Then, put my caliper down on. Take my caliper clip here. Put it back in. Fast forward here a little bit as I use that T47 Torx bit to just start those bolts in. You might have to work the caliper around a little bit to get it in place and just push those bolts in and start them in. Torque these to about twenty foot pounds. Reinstall the little dust covers.
Now you can remove that lug nut, put your wheel back on, start the lug nuts by hand, first. Then just preliminarily tighten them and you'll torque them with the vehicle back on the ground. Set your torque wrench to 100 foot-pounds. Torque the lug nuts in a star pattern. Put the cap back on.
There's one more step. Be sure that you pump your brakes a number of times. Get a nice firm pedal. Then before you road test your vehicle, do some stops from five and ten miles an hour just to make sure your brakes are still working properly.
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.
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