Hi,

I have an 02 Montero with 37K on it. Wife drives all the time to and from work and we use it for family comutes. I have used to tow my bike to and from track few times, sometimes one bike others 3 bikes. Local dealer just told me that I have only2 and 3 mm left on front and back. Which does not sounds right, but then again I guess towing takes its toll.

So the question is: Is it possible to replace front and rear by myself? Keep in mind I do all my bike maintenance myself. Do I need any special tools? What brake pads are recomended? Do I need to resurface the rotors? and what are the torque settings are?

Thank you.

Alex.

 

I have an '01,....I replaced the pads myself a couple of years ago by myself. (I'm an accountant and this was my first break pad change.) Go slow. I did not resurface the rotors,.....someone told me to lightly scuff up their surface with some light sandpaper, which I did. (Other friends recommeded to get them resurfaced.)
The front pads lasted about 2 years,...and then I got a vibration,..had them checked by a mechanic and he had to replace the front pads and rotors. (Someone else told me the front brakes do most of the work when stopping, so it was not surprising.) The same mechanic inspected the rear brakes at that time and said they were fine and didn't need anything. (they're still on there,...that was about a year and a half ago).

Good luck!

 

Brakes were out quickly on these Monteros whatever year especially if you tow. Pads are easy to swap out and the rotors can be reused if they aren't scored. If they need to be cut you may as well replace them since there isn't much you can take off before they reach the wear limits. I have a '97 SR and I've been thru countless sets of pads, rotors, piston seals, and a caliper.

 

Last time my car saw the dealer he told me my pads were worn out too. When I pulled the wheel to check there was over 50% life left in the pad.[:'(]

The pads are easy to change. You do not need any special tools. If there are no grooves in the rotors I would just put on new pads. Don't get cheap pads or they will squeek. I would strongly suggest that you flush out the old brake fluid. You will be amazed at how brown and gunky the old fluid is. Flushing the fluid regularly will help make your calipers and master cylinder last a long time. I like to use Valvoline Synpower brake fluid, it is a couple bucks more but it is DOT 4.

One last tip. When compressing the brake caliper piston you do not want to push the fluid back up to the system, because you might get some crud into the ABS module. Therefore, when compressing the piston, loosen the bleed screw to let the fluid flow out of the bleed screw.

Here is my procedure.

1. Remove the old fluid from the master cylinder resevior with a turkey baster. Top up master cylinder with fluid.
2. Remove the right rear wheel and bleed/flush the brakes with the old pads on. Top up master cylinder with fluid(important).
3. Remove the caliper, open the bleed screw and compress the piston, close the bleed screw.
4. Install new pad and caliper
5. Bleed again. Top up master cylinder with fluid.
6. Repeat on remaining 4 wheels RR, LR, RF, LF.

 

What Winshawn says is correct, But I cannot figure out how debris gets into the brakelines except for bad piston boots. (also something to take a look at while you're there, you will be amazed at how fast they dryrot)

 

The 02 in a completely different beast than the Generation 2 that most of the guys are referring to. Your truck has a Hydraulic Brake Booster type system in which the rear brakes are controlled by a computer and an accumilator. In MOST cases, your pads will wear evenly front to back due to this design. Since your rotors can slide right off once the caliper is removed (unlike the Gen II), you actually have a choice of resurfacing your rotors without much additional labor on your behalf. (Midas or any other brake shop will resurface rotors for DIY'ers for a nominal fee). You only need to resurface them if they're showing visible grooves (try scraping them with your finger nails) or if.... A) the steering wheel is shaking and the brake pedal vibrates when braking and/or B) if the rear of the vehicle vibrates when braking (even without brake pedal vibration).
As mentioned previously- do NOT push the piston back without cracking the bleeder screw 1st. The fluid closest to the caliper goes through extreme heating and cooling cycles and can get pretty dark and foul compared to the fluid higher up in the hydraulic system. You don't want to push this fluid back up into the system.

Good Luck!

Joel, CA

 

Do the front disks come off on the Gen III too?