I was replacing the brake pads on my 2013 mustang gt. I bought generic ceramic pads from advance auto. (Upgrading from previously installed semi metallic ones). I used the same brand for front and rear.
The rear pads went fine without any hiccups. However when I removed the pads from the front and installed the new ones and attempted to put the caliper cover back on, the new pads were simply too thick for the cover to go back on. I am 100% sure I compressed the piston all the way down…And yes I replaced the mounting brackets and cleaned the area that the pad brackets sit on as well as used brake grease on the pad ends.
For the time being I put the old front pads back on the front (which were still probably 60-70% life left, the rear ones were maybe 10% left but I just wanted to replace all of them but I digress…) and the cover slid back on just fine. I just don’t know what to do. The pads were the same brand and a confirmed fit by VIN on the website I purchased from and the rear pads worked fine.
Yes, i removed both of those yellow pins and then hung the caliper by the metal part so there wasn’t any tension on the brake line. I’m thinking the part has to be the issue because I compressed the pistons all the way down so the new pad is simply too big.
Look at Testers picture… if your pistons are not that far into the caliper, you need to push them in further.
Buy two 6 inch C clamps. Use one on each piston a half turn one, then the other, repeat until fully retracted. If the pads are correct, the “cover” (caliper) should slip over.
If they won’t retract that far, you may have corrosion inside the calipers and they will need to be replaced.
Yep they’re definitely pressed in that much. I’m going to get OEM brake pads tomorrow and try again…
On another note when i was changing the back right caliper i noticed that there was a tiny bit of fluid that seeped out of the piston when i compressed it down
I dried it with a towel and more didn’t come out…Is that normal or does that mean somethings wrong with the caliper?
The back left caliper didn’t have any fluid on the piston.
As Tester said, if you see brake fluid on the outside of the caliper then replace both sides…
Was both inboard and outboard pads hitting the rotor or just the outboard pads??
If the outboard pads are hitting and there is a little space on the inboard pads to the rotor then you may have dirt/grim down in the caliper bracket slide pin holes not allowing the caliper slide pins to bottom out which would be keeping the caliper from floating enough to install over the rotor…
BTW the yellow things in the picture are the caliper bolts, they bolt to the caliper slide pins that are installed into the caliper bracket…
One test you could do is to temporarily remove the slide pins and see if the caliper with pads installed will go over the pads, if they do then the pins are bottoming out before going all the way in the bracket, if it doesn’t then the pads are to thick…
On another note when i was changing the back right caliper i noticed that there was a tiny bit of fluid that seeped out of the piston when i compressed it down
I dried it with a towel and more didn’t come out…then i put a newspaper under the wheel hub with the wheel off and pumped the brakes all the way down 20-30 times. When i checked the newspaper there wasn’t any drops of fluid despite seeing a few drops when i first compressed the piston.
Is that normal or does that mean somethings wrong with the caliper?
Also the problem was the caliper mounting brackets where the bolts go into were seized. I had to use a wrench and socket to compress them in more, then the caliper went back on with the new pads on no problem
Did you just press the slide pins in more or did you take them out completely and clean and lube and make 100% sure they are very easy and free moving before putting all back together…
If they are NOT FREE moving then your pads will drag and wear out prematurely… And you will be right back asking why your new front brakes worn out must faster then normal…
The caliper piston seal is what holds the fluid from leaking, the seal you can see is just the dust seal to keep the grit dirt and butter flies out from damaging the inner seals… So if you are seeing fluid then the fluid is seeping past the inner seal and that is a warning…
From what I see the 2013 GT has a three brake configuration options, nothing special, premium and performance. & on most configs, pad part number is different front vs rear. Suggest to revisit parts store and verify you have the correct part number for both sets of pads. If parts store just can’t figure it out, then go to a dealership, and give the dealership your car’s vin, let them look it up using their computer that way.
Good idea btw to open bleeder screw when retracting pistons, makes it easier, and prevents reverse flow into ABS unit.
