How to Replace the Brake Rotors on a 1999 Ford Windstar
- 1). Open the driver's door on your Windstar and apply the van's emergency brake. Double-check that the ignition is off and that you removed the key.
- 2). Loosen the lug nuts on the passenger's side front tire of the van with a lug wrench. Do not completely loosen them; a quarter to half turn counterclockwise is sufficient.
- 3). Line up your hydraulic jack beneath the van so that its jacking arm sits under the frame rail behind the tire. Raise your Windstar until the bottom of the tire visibly measures 9 to 11 inches from the ground. Position a jack stand under the frame rail to the left of the hydraulic jack for added support of the van.
- 4). Remove all of the lug nuts and slide the tire off the wheel studs carefully. Do not let the tire drag across the threads of the wheel studs because you can easily damage them.
- 5). Observe the brake caliper and the three main components that make it work. The brake caliper has an outer brake pad, inner brake pad and the brake caliper's piston. Both of your Windstar's brake pads sit within the metal bracket that you see surrounding the entire assembly. The brake caliper mounts over top of the brake pads. The caliper uses the round metal piston that you see pushing against the inner brake pad like a vise to squeeze both brake pads against the rotor. To replace the rotor you have to force the piston back down into the chamber from which it protrudes.
- 6). Place an 8-inch C-clamp around the body of your Windstar's brake caliper. Begin winding the C-clamp shut until the screw portion of it contacts the surface of your van's outer brake pad. Continue winding the C-clamp shut while observing the piston on the brake caliper. Once you can see that the piston appears level within its chamber, loosen and remove the C-clamp.
- 7). Remove the two bolts from the brake pad bracket with a socket wrench. Do not remove the brake caliper's bolts from the bracket. Turn your 5-gallon bucket upside down. Set the bucket next to the bracket and brake caliper within the wheel well. Lift the bracket-caliper assembly off the Windstar's rotor and set it down on the bucket.
- 8). Locate the push-nut mounted on one of the wheel studs. It's called a push-nut but looks like a metal locking washer. Remove the push-nut with a pair of needle-nosed pliers. Do not discard it because you need it for the new rotor.
- 9). Pull the rotor straight off your Windstar's wheel studs in an outward motion. Install your new rotor in its place and reinstall the push-nut by hand. Lift the bracket and caliper off the bucket, then lower the assembly back down over your van's new rotor.
- 10
Install and tighten the bracket's two bolts by hand to ensure proper threading. Set a 3/8-inch drive torque wrench to 87 ft-lbs and secure both bolts in place. Remount your van's tire and tighten each lug nut by hand. - 11
Tighten all of the tire's lug nuts with your lug wrench until snug. Remove the jack stand and lower your Windstar until the tire contacts the ground. Reset the torque wrench to 102 ft-lbs and continue securing the lug nuts in place. Lower your van completely and remove the hydraulic jack. Pump the brake pedal within the van until you feel the pedal stiffen. Repeat this entire process to replace your Windstar's driver side front rotor.