I bought a front disc brake pad clip kit for my 1987 Ford Ranger, and it didn’t come with any installation instructions. I haven’t been able to find any instructions on the Internet. Can you advise me, or help me find them.
I would suggest you get a repair manual. Should about $30.
Thank you for your reply.
Go to a pull-it-yourself junkyard and practice on a similar vehicle. Take photos if you need to, or take notes if that helps. Front disc brakes are not a place to screw up a repair. You could cause a wreck.
Thank you for your reply.
I had an 86 Ranger, and I believe the front brake pads should already have clips to prevent rattling and movement of the pads. Is the rattle from one side and not the other? I assume you didn’t replace the pads yourself the last time. If the rattle is only on one side, it’s possible you have a worn or damaged, or even missing clip on this side. The other brake would have two clips as originally equipped.
You should very much buy the book, but my experience is that the photography is limited and often grainy, and the books do not include part diagrams to help you determine which part is being discussed in the text.
Your best bet is take apart the better of the two brakes, and take your time, noting the correct position of the clips and shoes. Take pictures if you need to. Then you can teach yourself how to do the other brake.
Front brake pads are generally very easy to replace, providing you remove the right bolts and/or pins to free the caliper. But you should be aware that each car manufacturer has their own different approach to caliper removal and brake pad installation. In other words, it should be easy if you know the exact approach required. If it is NOT going very well, then you missed something. By way of example, while most calipers are solid, single piece parts, some actually swing open and you would place the pads inside the caliper (fixed into place more or less by those anit-rattle clips).
In your case I think the pads are snapped into place (with clips) facing each side of the rotor into very obvious slots on a steel framework, and the fully compressed caliper is slid over the pads and rotor. You need a big C-clamp to compress the calipers. Use one of the old pads with the steel facing the cylinder when you are compressing the caliper, to prevent over-compression. You just want the cylinder flat against the housing of the caliper.
Hope any of this helps.
But buy the book first.