2005 FEH FWD 58,000 miles

Hello everyone, I decided to post here as I've been reading on these forums for quite some time now. People here are smart so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right directions or atleast, clear things up for me.

Last October, a mechanic had mentioned to me that I needed new brake pads and rotors for my vehicle. I decided to park the vehicle in my parents garage (seeing how they don’t use it), throw the front wheels on jack stands and check for myself. Lo and behold, the brake pads were very worn down and I decided that I would replace the pads and rotors as well.

I work a lot in NYC and my primary means of transportation is subway so I didn't attend to the vehicle in a very long time. Yah, I'm an idiot. Truth be told, working 12 hour nights and living in NYC makes it hard to go to Long Island.

Fast forward to today, months later, after I’ve bought all the parts needed for such a repair including a slew of mechanic tool sets and the service manuals, I realize that the vehicle has no battery life. No lights turn on and when I go to start, there is no crank and obviously, no start. Is my battery completely dead?

I decided to buy a battery starter and I’m charging it as I type this. I seriously hope that I can atleast get the car running, I’m really not too sure what to do if I can’t, if anyone can provide any insight, that would be great.

To add insult to injury, my rear driver side tire is completely flat. What a day.

 

Your 12V battery may take a charge but it will probably need to be replaced. I've found that once a battery gets discharged that much, it usually won't come back as strong as it was. Hopefully your high voltage battery still has enough life left in it to start the vehicle. I recently had a dead battery in my '05 and because the 12v battery doesn't start the car, they are very easy to jump start - in fact, all I had to do was attach the charger to the battery and it would start fine. As long as all the dash lights come on, you should have enough juice to start (again, provided your high voltage battery hasn't drained).

As for the brake job - piece of cake on the fronts. Just make sure you take out the two fuses (#24 & #31) from the battery junction box. I also disconnected the battery just to be safe. This is to ensure that the braking system doesn't try to charge while you have it apart.

I did fronts and rears on both of mine and didn't have any problems with any of them.

Good luck.

 

I had my stock 2005 Ford OEM battery replaced in 09 due to a bad cell. I initially tried to replace this with a non-Ford OEM battery but had trouble with the fit. The Ford OEM (Motorcraft) fits perfectly.

 

Hey guys, just want to say thank you so much for taking the time to reply.

I'm super happy to report that after hooking up the vehicle to the jump starter (that I let charge overnight once I bought it), the SUV took the hook and the power kicked back on. First the brake pressurizing, then the dash lights and finally, I turned the ignition and BAM, back on. Took the jump starter off after a few minutes and left the vehicle running for about 15 minutes.

I seriously cannot wait to change the brake pads/rotors next weekend, if I can get around to bleeding the brakes, even better.

Wanted to ask a couple of questions beforehand as I believe that "the devil is in the details" and this my first time doing this:

The manual specifically states that I should put the car in Neutral before disconnecting the battery and taking out the fuses. Does this mean the car is to be left with the key in the ACCESSORY position with gear in Neutral while I do the job? Or should it just be the key in the OFF position?

Thanks again everyone!

 

There should be no reason to bleed your brakes. If I were you, I wouldn't open the hydraulic system at all under any circumstances. From what I have read, you need a special system to bleed the brakes. When I did my brakes. I opened the brake fluid reservoir while I used a c-clamp and block of wood to slowly retract the caliper piston.

As for Park/Neutral, I didn't see this in the manual I have. I think I left it in neutral so I could turn the front wheels but since I disconnected the battery and took the fuses out, I don't think it matters what position the selector is in.

Good luck.

 

You can Google the topic is you care to but a little known fact is that brake fluid doesn't last forever. It absorbs moisture like a super sponge! Water boils at a lower temperature, turns to steam under heavy braking and steam compresses which isn't good when your trying to stop. It also makes for sluggish fluid in cold weather.

In the UK they test the brake fluid boiling point as part of their emissions /safety testings procedure.

Although Ford's Dot3 brake fluid is one of the best on the market it still doesn't last forever.

Depending on the vehicle, bleeding the brakes can be a PITA. I did invest in a pressure bleeding kit which is needed for one person brake bleeding. Using a vacuum pump is a PITA. The worst issue is rusted bleeder valves.

 

Hmm... I see.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I was always under the impression that one should NEVER let brake fluid go BACK into the master cylinder when pushing the caliper piston back in.

Would using a pair of vise grips on the brake lines (making sure to not impair them ofcourse), opening the bleeder valve, attaching a hose from said valve to a closed container (coke bottle filled with a little brake fluid so no air goes back INTO the hose) and THEN pushing the caliper piston back in be advisable?

Thanks wptski for the info, would you still have invested in the kit if you had another person helping you out?

 

I watched a video where the guy did open open a bleeder while pushing the piston(s) back. In the past I just pushed them back without opening the bleeder valve. If the valves are rusted, it can be a job in itself.

If I had help, I probably wouldn't have purchased the kit but after you use one, it so easy. No opening/closing with a two person method, just pump it up and open the bleeder valve once.

I might add that I got the pressure bleeder to use on a '78 Corvette which has a four piston caliper and nothing was easy. I got an adapter to fit the old cast iron master cylinder.

Later I got an adapter for a '90 Buick which has the newer style plastic reservoir. Those bleeder were rusted, took a week of soaking in penetrating oil, etc. to get loose. Even with the pressure, one wouldn't flow but I got it started by using a hand vacuum pump first. I flushed/replaced the OEM fluid on that one.

I have another adapter ready to fit my '09 Escape also when the time comes.

 

I have two of these cars, an '05 and an '06. I have done brakes on all four wheels on both of them. I did them all using the c-clamp method with a block of wood on the piston to avoid marring it. I have also done dozens of other cars using the same method. I have never had a problem.

The brake systems on these cars are completely different from other non-hybrid cars, especially 70's Corvettes and '90 Buicks . They have a very expensive ($4000+) hydraulic control unit that manages the brakes along with the regenerative charging system. I personally would not screw with it. I recommend you do the same.

Good luck.

 

Point taken and dually noted. Thank you.

Tomorrow I will replace the brake pads and rotors on all four wheels; very excited.