How to Remove the Rotor on a Ford Expedition
by Allen Moore
The Ford Expedition has some rather hefty brake rotors, which are necessary to stop a vehicle that weighs nearly three tons. When performing a brake job on an Expedition, removing the brake pads is a must, for either machining or replacement. When the time comes to remove the rotors, you may find yourself in need of a large dead blow hammer. If the rotors have not been removed for quite some time, they can bond with the axle hub, making their removal a bear of a job.
Step 1
Make sure the parking brake is engaged, put your safety glasses on and loosen the lug nuts with the lug wrench.
Step 2
Slide the jack underneath and jack the vehicle up until you can safely support it with the two jack stands. It is best to place the jack stands under the frame, if at all possible.
Step 3
Remove the lug nuts with the lug wrench and set them aside. Pull the wheel off and set it out of the way as well.
Step 4
Remove the caliper bolts with the socket set. If it has been awhile since the calipers have been removed, you may need to use a breaker bar to get the bolts out.
Step 5
Pull the brake caliper up and out of the way and let it sit on the control arm or the leaf spring. Never let the caliper hang from the brake line as this can cause the brake line to leak the next time it is pressurized, which will translate into brake failure when you are trying to stop.
Step 6
If the rotors do not slip off by hand, take a few swings at the rotor hat with the dead blow hammer and try again. Repeat until the rotor slips off.
If the hammer does not loosen the rotors, insert the ½-inch bolts in the caliper bracket holes. Place the nuts on the rotor side of the bolts and tighten the bolts down until they contact the back of the rotor. Tighten them as far as possible so they apply pressure to the back side of the rotor. Once they are tight, strike the rotor hat again with the dead blow hammer. If they still fail to come off, loosen the bolts, rotate the rotor 180 degrees and repeat until the rotor pops loose.
References
Tips
- If the rotor has a king nut in the center, which is the case with some older model Expeditions, you will need to remove the cotter pin from the king nut, then unscrew the king nut before the rotor will come off.
Things You'll Need
- Safety glasses
- Lug wrench
- Jack
- 2 Jack stands
- Socket set
- Breaker bar
- Dead blow hammer (optional)
- 2 four-inch long ½-inch bolts and nuts
Writer Bio
Allen Moore's career includes awards in poetry and creative fiction, published lyrics, fiction books and nonfiction articles as well as a master certification in automotive service from the Ford Motor Company. Moore is a contributing writer for RF365.com and various other websites, a ghostwriter for Rainbow Writing and has over a dozen works of fiction currently in print.
