[alarmist]

...Don't trust the dealer.

Best advice ever posted.

 

[reaperman]

Do yourselves a favor and replace the o-rings when you pull the axel. I didn't because they looked fine. I was wrong. On one side and it started leaking diff fluid. I had to pull the axel again replace the o-ring, the bolts and put new pads on that side because they were soaked with diff fluid. All for a 5 dollar o-ring.

 

[3.2transit350xlt]

My worst Dealership experience was at a Ford dealer in San Jose CA. I brought my Ford Probe GT in for a brake job and after driving it home I had time to look at the work they did.
To my horrific surprise one of the rear brake caliper bolts had not even been installed and the caliper was rotated up to the 12 O'clock position just sitting halfway over the Rotor!!!!
I got it back to the dealer in one piece somehow and gave the Service Manager a hard time to say the least.
I could have had a complete wheel lockup and roll the car!!!

I have always done my own brake jobs ever since that happened!!!!

BTW, some if those brake job video for the Transit are garbage advise. One guy was using an impact wrench to install the rear Hub/Axle bolts instead of the correct torque procedure.
Most of them just gloss over the details that can make or break a brake job.

Does anyone know the correct torque spec on the rear hub/axle bolts?

 

[zzzeebe]

bert;1017496]Does anyone know the correct torque spec on the rear hub/axle bolts?

This thread seems like it must be in the top 10 running for the most hijacked thread ever, even for this forum. If you dig hard enough, the spec is in the thread - most clearly in the service manual picture which you’ll find after your eyes start to cross for about the second time [emoji23]. But I believe it is 22lbs plus a 90 degree turn.

Most important detail is bracket bolts are 85ftlbs, not 203 as originally stated.

Now that this detail is back at the end of this 104 post thread, we should immediately start posting about fish or bears or something [emoji23].



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[woodman]

You are going to need a caliper/puck resetting tool set. Parts stores rent the tool (set) but it is going to be Right hand only and the Transits rear brakes are handed Left and Right! The kit is about $45 or so and Amazon delivered mine in 22hours. Woodman.

 

[asdrew]

You are going to need a caliper/puck resetting tool set. Parts stores rent the tool (set) but it is going to be Right hand only and the Transits rear brakes are handed Left and Right! The kit is about $45 or so and Amazon delivered mine in 22hours.

thanks for pointing out this essential step. Fortunately when I realized this with the van apart I was able to run to my friend's shop and grab one to use for free in 30 minutes, lol

 

[joefromga]

Did my rear brakes this week. All of the posts were very helpful and I also watched a video done by a Mexican mechanic that was helpful even though he didn't torque or use new bolts.
I found I didn't need to remove the dust covers and with an impact ujoint I could get to all the bolts.
Resetting the pistons was the hardest and seemed harder than it should be but otherwise it was easy and popping the axles was nothing. I have the RH and LH toolkit. It worked better going slowly.

I could do this job again in 30-40 minutes both sides easy. With a lift it would be even faster.

So nice to have smooth, quiet non-rubbbing brakes with the Power Stop slotted drilled rotors.

A lot of noise went away for those experiencing noise problems.

 

[Sprinter_Owner]

Most full floating axles do require pulling of the axle. Been doing it all my life on 3/4 ton and up trucks and vans.

Replying to the OP, just realized this thread is 4 or 5 years old.

 

[vwtoys]

How thick are the new pads? I have about 5mm pad left on the rears. Van is at 17k miles. Pondering if I should do it if I have a 2k mile trip in a few months. Would it get to 25k?

 

[Sprinter_Owner]

How thick are the new pads? I have about 5mm pad left on the rears. Van is at 17k miles. Pondering if I should do it if I have a 2k mile trip in a few months. Would it get to 25k?

They are getting thin, but 2K should be no problem, you might get another 5k out of the pads, depending on loads and hilly mountainous terrain.

 

[Cfarb72]

Why would you say that?

Why would he say what..? Do you mean why would he say he but the dealer is the worst place to go for service.? Well that I can answer because 9 out of 10 dealers are nothing but rip offs and the only reason to go to a dealer is to buy a new car for warranty work or for recalls it's just the way it is and you know it.! That's why I call them Stealerships..!!

 

[Cfarb72]

I have my rear brake pads and rotors and will change them sometime this week. Or should I wait until the brake wear light comes on? The dealer did an inspection when I took my van in for the driveshaft warranty replacement, and said I had 1mm left on the rear pads, 6mm on the front. I ordered a rear kit of ceramic pads and drilled/slotted rotors for $90. Youtube video(s) showing Transit rotor/pad replacement look really easy. Not as easy as the Sprinter, because you have to pull the shaft on the Transit. But other than that, pretty much the same. Oh, and I'll have to buy the little caliper piston tool for $10.

Dealer wanted $850 to replace rear pads and rotors. Parts at $90 and labor time at 2 beers in my driveway sounds more reasonable. And I won't have to worry about loose bolts or damaged body.

(for The Grand Tour; my "free" warranty replacement of the giubo resulted in erasure of the lock signal from my key fob and door keypad, and the breaking of the fuel filler door hinge. I won't know if they messed up the giubo bolts or forgot to put in the pilot bushing for another few hundred miles)

Yeah good luck with those $90 eBay parts.. And by the way drilled and slotted rotors and specially on a heavy duty van are going to give you no benefit whatsoever.! Do us all a favor and report back and 10 or 15,000 miles when you are POS eBay parts are metal to metal..??!!

 

[joefromga]

After putting in the power stop kit about a month ago I was driving the other night and stopping at a light I hear a grinding sound from what sounded like the right rear brake. Like the sound a completely worn pad sounds like when it hits the metal. But I checked today and I can't see anything out of place.

Only makes sound when I touch the brake pedal. Not until then. I limped home slowly late at night and used gears to slow down. Luckily I had no stops.

I can hear the cross drill part of the rotor scrape by so I'm sure it's the brake.

Now I need help on what else to look for. Got a buddy coming by to crank and let the wheels spin while I look. This isn't a good sound.

I thought it was a disk pad cracked loose but they look OK.

Up until now they're have performed flawless.

Help or ideas is appreciated.

 

[joefromga]

I fixed it. The left rear caliper to bolt had come out. So when I touched the brake it would swing up a d rub the rotor then when I let off it would swing down a little bit and not make noise.
Got a new bolt from the parts store and used thread locker to hold it this time. The OEM bolts I replaced had the blue goo on them but this one apparently didn't hold.

 

[EddieZ]

Hey, I'm doing my rear pads, and I have a question. Need answer soon! ...so I can put it back together and feel confident about it.

The cd "manual" says the piston should be aligned so its notch (either of 2) points toward bump on housing. In my first photo, you can see the notch (dark) next to the compression tool's shiny disk. And, you can see the bump on the housing above. This is basically aligned as stated in the manual.

This means the notches go "up and down"... I'll call it. I can tell from the old pads, that they were aligned as prescribed. See photo. But, also, see the 2 nubs on the pad, which go "side to side." This is counter-intuitive. I would expect that the notches would make clearance for the nubs -- that they would be aligned the same way. This would give "proper" face-to-face contact. Instead, one of the nubs teeters on the piston face, and the other is off the piston. WHY?

I presume this odd alignment is responsible for the uneven wear on the inner pad, on both sides. See photo. One edge of the pad is down to 1mm, and the other end is at about 4mm.

 

[EddieZ]

Hey, I'm doing my rear pads, and I have a question. Need answer soon! ...so I can put it back together and feel confident about it.

The cd "manual" says the piston should be aligned so its notch (either of 2) points toward bump on housing. In my first photo, you can see the notch (dark) next to the compression tool's shiny disk. And, you can see the bump on the housing above. This is basically aligned as stated in the manual.

This means the notches go "up and down"... I'll call it. I can tell from the old pads, that they were aligned as prescribed. See photo. But, also, see the 2 nubs on the pad, which go "side to side." This is counter-intuitive. I would expect that the notches would make clearance for the nubs -- that they would be aligned the same way. This would give "proper" face-to-face contact. Instead, one of the nubs teeters on the piston face, and the other is off the piston. WHY?

I presume this odd alignment is responsible for the uneven wear on the inner pad, on both sides. See photo. One edge of the pad is down to 1mm, and the other end is at about 4mm.

OK, got an answer in another thread, along with this YouTube video:

The answer to my question is at the 6 minute mark. I now see that the local Ford tech had reversed the inner and outer pads (warranty brakes, along with the 2015 bracket reversal)... and, I was following his lead.

Crap, I had already bolted it back together and bedded the pads. Now, gotta redo stuff, tomorrow. Should have trusted my gut, that something wasn't right.

 

[Mobileempire]

I went to OK tire and got 2 new rear tires installed , tech said my rear brakes need done because
there metal to metal , they ain't making no scraping sound and as far as I can see my rotors don't
look damaged , I can't really see the pads yet , probably have to remove a wheel , odometer just hit
40,000 miles of interstate grandpa driving .

I was surprised that he wanted to change the rotors , pads wouldn't surprise me.
Watched a few videos and it seems really easy but everybody that does a video uses the same
bolts and o rings.
O rings OK if they look good but i'm about 99% sure using the old bolts is a bad idea.

 

[EddieZ]

Re: axle removal

...about 99% sure using the old bolts is a bad idea.

You've already seen this thread (you posted in it), where the first post shows what may happen when new bolts are not used: Warning about Brake Noise

And, reply #8 on that thread, I added a link to another incident with a similar photo, of the axle having come out while driving... Makes me 100% sure the bolts should be replaced!

 

[Mobileempire]

@lolwisper4321
Do I need to rub oil or jelly on the O ring before installing ?

 

[gggGary]

Wish I had (re)visited this thread before yesterday.
Had to go back in and reset (one) piston to align with the pad rivet, duh.
Luckily I had only done an around the block test before the bulb came on.

you only need to remove wheel and drop one caliper bolt to swing it down and rotate piston to correct orientation.
Just a refresher on basic points.
Saw I was near metal on a rear pad when rotating tires.
Wife is always hauling horses, pad was right there when I got parts and "a round tuit"

Wish I had measured rotors, they would have been fine to knock the rust off the edges last through another 60K, set of pads. original 18mm thick, wear limit 15mm, these were at 17mm after 60K
New bosch brand rotors fit well.
IF you live in the rust belt and rotor is a big fight to remove;
angle grinder a slot, a couple wacks on a chisel to finish splitting it, and rotor comes off easy peasy, no fight or BFH needed.

A chip dip container pushed into a paper towel over the open hub will keep crap out while working.
Use a fine file, lightly clean up the hub OD where the rotor goes, coat the surface with just a
little brake grease.
Oddly passenger side had plenty of pad life and the rotor came off almost TOO easy.
I think this at least partly a salt thing, the drivers side gets more salt sprayed in from passing vehicles , shrug
I did use new axle bolts and o-ring seal.
While you are in here; I highly recommend you clean up the ABS tone ring and pick up, mine were heavily coated with grease, brake dust, small wire brush, and paint thinner in a spritz bottle, blow out with shop air. Cheap preventive maintenance.