How much should a rear brake and rotor job be?

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This is on the 1999 Ford Expedition, though topic can be for all cars.

Pedal went spongy today (pressing all the way to the floor to stop,) and red BRAKE! light on soon after. I was on the way to mechanic when pedal went spongy (I turned around and bee-lined it there.)

Now, we wait.

The bill?
 
Sounds like what just happened to my 99 Taurus, a bad brake line succumbed to rust and all the fluid went bye bye. Either way it happened it's some sort of fluid leak, not necessarily anything to do with the brake hardware itself.
 
Most places charge like 100 to 150 bucks an axle for basic pads and hardware plus labor. Rotors will be roughly 70 a piece, so I'd say roughly 300 bucks or more.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
What makes you think it's the rear brakes?

Did you check your brake fluid? Maybe you've got a leak there somewhere.




Rotor scrape noise from passenger rear.
 
Originally Posted By: MalfunctionProne
Rotor scrape noise from passenger rear.

But a scraping rotor would not cause your BRAKE light to come on. It would also not cause a sudden spongy pedal feel. What might cause the BRAKE light to come on is a pad below wear limit (if you have pads with sensors) or loss of fluid/pressure in the brake system.

Don't get me wrong, it sounds like you may still need new brakes there, but that may not be what caused the sudden spongy pedal feel.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: MalfunctionProne
Rotor scrape noise from passenger rear.

But a scraping rotor would not cause your BRAKE light to come on. It would also not cause a sudden spongy pedal feel. What might cause the BRAKE light to come on is a pad below wear limit (if you have pads with sensors) or loss of fluid/pressure in the brake system.

Don't get me wrong, it sounds like you may still need new brakes there, but that may not be what caused the sudden spongy pedal feel.


May have spit out what's left of the pad. Seen that happen before. Once the pad is out, the piston can go a long way out and bring the MC low enough to light the low fluid light.

Those have the little mini drum in the rotor, I think.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: MalfunctionProne
Rotor scrape noise from passenger rear.

But a scraping rotor would not cause your BRAKE light to come on. It would also not cause a sudden spongy pedal feel. What might cause the BRAKE light to come on is a pad below wear limit (if you have pads with sensors) or loss of fluid/pressure in the brake system.

Don't get me wrong, it sounds like you may still need new brakes there, but that may not be what caused the sudden spongy pedal feel.


Correct on all points, QP!

I will post back the verdict.
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
May have spit out what's left of the pad. Seen that happen before. Once the pad is out, the piston can go a long way out and bring the MC low enough to light the low fluid light.

Good point.
 
/99 Expedition in the salt belt very well could be rusted out brake line causing the brake light to come on and spongy pedal. Brake line replaced should be around $150ish. $300 for pads and rotors.

I think your bill should be in the $450 range.
 
We were around $1,100 to have all four rotors, pads, and calipers (one was seized, another was sticking) done on our '02. All Motorcraft parts. Was done by my Chrysler dealer.

Never blown a brake line on ours, though my parents have on their '00. It was one of the rear lines.
 
Get copper/nickel brake line or you will be doing it again. Are the rears disc? They may have the parking brake inside the rotor. That should be checked also.

Depending upon brake pad wear you may need a caliper. Or two.

Was there brake fluid in the reservoir?

I am going with the rusted brake line. I have had a few sections done on each of my vehicles.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
Get copper/nickel brake line or you will be doing it again. Are the rears disc? They may have the parking brake inside the rotor. That should be checked also.

Depending upon brake pad wear you may need a caliper. Or two.

Was there brake fluid in the reservoir?

I am going with the rusted brake line. I have had a few sections done on each of my vehicles.


1. The rears are disc
2. The parking brake inside the rotor is mechanical (it uses a cable) so would not contribute to this pedal issue.
3. Agreed, he may be in need of rear calipers. If the fluid has not been changed they tend to get sticky (like mine did).
 
Did the scraping noise start at the same time as the soft pedal and brake warning? Sounds like there is likely more than one issue that will need more work than just a brake job.

Run over anything recently?
 
Back in the fall, I spent 20 bucks to do a brake job on the rear end of the ever faithful "Bluesmobile." I went to a "U-pull-it" yard and found a Taurus with two new sets of pads and two new drums.

Brought 'em home, popped 'em on and have been stopping with confidence ever since.

My brakes did the same as yours. No noise or grinding till I suddenly had no brakes one evening. Thought it was fluid but had plenty of fluid. Once I pulled the drums, the pads were totally gone and the drums were beyond repair - yet they never did grind.
 
And that's why I inspect my brake calipers and pads every time I rotate the tires, or swap from summer to winter rubber.

Plus, I live in Colorado, so less chance of rusted out brake lines.

BC.
 
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