2005-2007 Ford Focus Front Brake Rotors Replacement

Geschrieben von: David Hodson

Kommentare: 13

2005-2007 Ford Focus Front Brake Rotors Replacement

Schwierigkeitsgrad

Moderate

Schritte

Zeitaufwand

1 - 2 Stunden

Einleitung

The steps in this guide are used to replace the brake rotors on all Focus models in the 2005-2007 generation, except for the ST model, which has slightly different brakes. Caution should be exercised when working with brake and suspension components, and proper safety goggles should be worn at all times.

Whenever working on your car's brakes and suspension, work on one side at a time. Keep the other side completely assembled so that you can reference it at any time.

This guide includes steps to replace the brake pads, in addition to the rotors. It is strongly suggested that brake rotors are not replaced by themselves. Never drive a car if the brakes on one side only are changed, because the car will "pull" to one side.

Werkzeuge

Schritt 1

Put the car in park (automatic) or neutral (manual).
Apply the parking brake.
Place chocks behind the rear wheels.

Schritt 2

Use a 19 mm lug wrench to loosen each lug nut a half turn.

Schritt 3

Use a hydraulic jack on the car's frame to jack the car.
A small notch shows where to place the jack.
It is only necessary to jack the car until the wheel no longer touches the ground.

Schritt 4

Place a jack stand on the frame and remove the jack.
Never work on or underneath a car that is only supported by a jack. The car may fall, causing serious injury, or even death.

Schritt 5

Use a lug wrench to completely remove the four lug nuts.
Remove the wheel.

Schritt 6

The brake fluid reservoir is located towards the back of the engine compartment.
Unscrew the cap and remove it.
Be careful when handling brake fluid. Wash hands immediately if they come in contact with it. Do not let the fluid touch any painted parts; it will strip the paint.

Schritt 7

Use a turkey baster to remove 2-3 ounces of brake fluid from the reservoir.
Never let the fluid level drop below the minimum mark. This will let air into your lines, which will require bleeding to remove.
Properly dispose of old brake fluid. Do not reuse it.

Schritt 8

Use a flat head screwdriver or brake spoon to remove the outer pad retaining clip.
The clip has a lot of spring energy. Hold onto it with a pair of pliers when removing it to keep it from flying off and injuring someone.

Schritt 9

Use a flat head screwdriver to remove the black plastic guide bolt dust caps.

Schritt 10

Use a 7 mm Allen wrench to remove the two caliper guide bolts.

Schritt 11

Remove the clip that holds the brake line to the strut with a pair of vise grips.
Pull the brake line towards you and out of the bracket.

Schritt 12

Pull the caliper off of the rotor.
Place the caliper on top of a box or bucket so the brake line doesn't stretch or kink.

Schritt 13

Pull the outer brake pad from the mounting bracket.

Schritt 14

Remove the inner brake pad from the caliper.
The pad is held in place by three metal clips. It may take some force and wiggling to free the pad.

Schritt 15

This step is only necessary if you are replacing the guide bolt bushings.
Use a flat head screwdriver to push the bushing through its hole in the caliper.
Remove the bushing from the caliper.

Schritt 16

Remove the two 15 mm mounting bracket bolts.
Lift the mounting bracket off the rotor.

Initially this guide had the torque spec listed at 133 lbft... that is NOT the case... The service manual states 133 Nm, which is actually 98 lbft... I found out AFTER I snapped one of the 4 caliper bracket bolts and stripped another one... Good guide otherwise

ggg -

Thank u , informative guide, this will certainly help me.

jmhinge - 25/10/15

Schritt 17

Remove the brake rotor by pulling it straight off the lugs.
If the rotor is to be reused, it is a good idea to take it to a shop to check that it is not out of round and to have it turned.

Schritt 18

Install the new rotor over the wheel lugs.

Schritt 19

Reinstall the mounting bracket.
Grease the mounting bracket bolts and install them.
Mounting bracket bolts should be tightened to 98 ft-lbs.

I believe the correct torque spec is actually 98 ft * lbs, 133 N * m:

http://www.justanswer.com/ford/6xtve-for...

Ben Li - 13/04/17

Schritt 20

Clean the rotor, caliper, and all other hardware with an aerosol brake cleaner.
Never use compressed air to clean brake components. Brakes contain asbestos, and blowing the particles into the air could cause serious respiratory problems if inhaled.

Schritt 21

Coat the steel backing plates of the new brake pads with an anti-squeal coating.

Schritt 22

Place the new outer pad on the mounting bracket.
Small particles are a common cause of brake noise. Make sure pad and rotor surfaces are clean of all dirt and debris before installing.

Schritt 23

This step is only necessary if the guide bolt bushings were removed.
Insert the new bushing from the inside of the caliper.
Use a flat head screwdriver to help feed the bushing through its hole.

Schritt 24

Compress the caliper piston with a C-clamp.
Continually check the fluid level in the brake fluid reservoir to make sure it doesn't exceed the maximum level.
Install the new inner pad by pressing it into the caliper and making sure the clips are secure.

Schritt 25

Place the caliper back on the rotor.

Schritt 26

Grease the two guide bolts and reinstall them.
Guide bolts should be torqued to 21 foot-pounds.
Reinstall the guide bolt dust caps.

Schritt 27

Place the brake line back in the bracket on the strut.
Secure the brake line with the retaining clip. Use the blunt end of a wrench to knock it completely into place.

Schritt 28

Reinstall the retainer clip by first inserting the ends into the two holes in the caliper, then use pliers to stretch the ends onto the mounting bracket.
It is always a good idea to use white lithium grease wherever you have metal-on-metal contact.

Schritt 29

Put the wheel back on the car and hand tighten the lug nuts.
Lower the car and completely tighten the lug nuts
Lug nuts should torqued to 94 foot-pounds.

Schritt 30

Place the cap back on the brake fluid reservoir.
Turn the key to the "on" position. Press the brake pedal a few times. It should go to the floor once, and then become firm.
Fill the brake fluid reservoir with new fluid, if needed.

That was very smooth & an easy to follow instructions thanks for sure .

FRANK RUSSO - 18/04/17

Tinte & Feder

David Hodson

Mitglied seit: 14/04/10

148365 Reputation

9 Kommentare

the information was good, pictures are good as well makes things easier and quicker to do the job

shaun -

The time indicated is way off. 4 hours to replace disk brakes??? He must have gotten tired and gone for a 3 hour nap. I regularly do a set of front disks in an hour or less.

1) Removing a few ounces of brake fluid is something I have never done - and I have never seen any mechanic do it.

2) Spraying the caliper guide bolts with penetrating oil will help free the bolts.

3) The article doesn't mention that the caliper piston will have to be compressed to fit over a new rotor. Use a large C-clamp for this task.

4) Turning a rotor is a bad idea. You end up with a thin rotor that will warp easily. A new rotor is cheaper than the cost for turning one.

Stan -

Stan, Your comments weren't necessary and they were rude. The intention of this blog is to educate not brag. Sounds like you are discouraging helpful blogs like this one because "you know it all". You used the word regular in your comment. This blog clearly isn't for experts. Chill!, and watch what happens with this generous man's excellent tutorial. The pictures are outstanding. David, you ought to be a technical writer. One like the one who probably wrote Stan's training manuals or Chiltons.

rene8491 - 19/10/14

Way to go,rene8491!!! Agree with you on all your points. And David, awesome job. I could do this myself just by following your tutorial. Thank you!

Daco - 06/11/16

That retaining clip was a bear!! Thanks for the info. I found this very helpful. However, please wear shoes if you do this!!

Thanks - John

John Clausen - 11/12/16

This is excellent, and exactly what I needed to give me the confidence to replace discs and pads myself. As for Stan the man’s comment above, why are you reading blogs like this if you regularly replace discs? And by the way, he does use a C-clamp to depress the rotor, so you obviously didn’t read the article properly did you…

scottharrower5 - 27/01/18

The blog was good. It might be of use to discuss types of pads to use if you choose to use non OEM. Some one could post a thread about good suppliers in different areas. I have my favorite parts houses to buy from. A good parts man is worth knowing.

Dale Davidson - 28/02/18

Good job David, well done! Saved me the “Learning Curve” on a First Time Job. Thank you!

j.anderson061985 - 06/09/18

May I suggest a small edit? First thing that got my attention was in the first line…. “Put the car in park (automatic) or neutral (manual).” The “Neutral “ direction is not correct The manual transmission should be fixed in second gear to help keep the car from moving while the car is being worked on. As to procedure, after the weight has been transferred to the axle jack stands, I like to leave the hydraulic jack in place slightly under load. If an emergency does happen for whatever reason, the jack is already in place to lift the vehicle. I also place the removed tire on the flat under the car as a secondary block under the car. Its extra little things thing I do to help prevent injury. I know someone who worked under a car just with a bottle jack, that failed, so I take extra steps. He was lucky in that he only suffered a broken shoulder. Could have been fatal. Anyways Thanks!

Mike Bates - 18/11/20