96 Mustang, Brake Pad Replacement, How To Compress The Caliper Pistons, Front And Rear
Posted in Brake Discs & Pads | Asked on Sep 1, 2010
I’m in the middle of attempting to do a brake/rotor replacement on my 96 Mustang and can not get the caliper piston to compress. I started on the rear. I have never worked on a Ford but GM. On the GM and Mitsubishi I would simply put a flat head screw driver in between the pad and rotor and slowly work the piston back. This isn’t the case on my Mustang. The brakes were braking.
There are 2 Answers
Take it off and use a C-clamp to compress the caliper. I’ve found that the calipers on my Ford Explorer are hard to compress with a screwdriver.
Rear calipers are a screw-in design because of the parking brake. you have to get a special tool to screw them in using a 3/8″ ratchet. The front calipers you use a C-clamp to compress, as the previous person said. If they don’t go in easy, the calipers could be frozen and need rebuilt.
Here’s the tool needed
http://shop.oreillyauto.com/productdetail.aspx?MfrCode=PBI&MfrPartNumber=648410&CategoryCode=3479