Murse-In-Airy
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Rod
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2021
- Threads
- 74
- Messages
- 3,403
- Reaction score
- 7,646
- Location
- Chaumont, NY
- Vehicles
- Mach-E ER AWD
- Occupation
- Nurse
- Thread starter
- #1
Well, not really an FE. But the defining characteristics of an FE are wheel trim that match the paint and those red brake calipers. My MME is black so the wheel trim already matches. But those red brake calipers do look nice. I can do that, right? I’m a handy guy with some good mechanical skills and a garage full of tools looking for a reason to be used. Well, it may not have gone totally as planned (my wife of 19 years is NOT surprised) but I’m happy with the results.
After educating myself on the different ways to paint brake calipers I decided against removing the calipers entirely. The tech manual for rebleeding the brakes says to plug in the diagnostic computer and follow the on screen prompts. I may have a lot of tools, but I am lacking the Ford diagnostic computer in the garage. I also didn’t like the idea of masking the car and spray painting the brakes within the wheel well. My history of masking and spraying isn’t the greatest. Acknowledging my faults is one of my better qualities as my wife will agree (and help me find them). So I decided on the paint and brush route but still wanted to move the calipers so as to not accidentally paint the rotors or pads. I obtained the Duplicolor Caliper Paint kit in Red and waited for a day off work.
My next task was to learn to get the car into brake service mode. The electronic parking brake is otherwise engaged and the calipers can’t be removed. After a little searching and phoning a friend, this was achieved. I put it in brake service mode, took it out of brake service mode to ensure I could, and put it back into service mode get to work. Jacked it up. Supported with stands, removed tires.
The calipers come off pretty easy, each with 2 bolts that are not hidden by a bunch of other stuff. The rear brakes each have a wire connector for the electronic parking brake and then they’re free. I hung them from caliper hangers and was getting ready to paint.
It was then that I realized I was going to have to manipulate the calipers a lot while coating them in wet paint. I got the brilliant idea to go ahead and pull the rotors and backing plates to get them out of the way. I was then able to remount the calipers to the brackets and have them held in place while I painted.
NOW ready to get started I did a little wire brushing to prep the surface and a lot of brake cleaner. My car has 400 miles of OPD so there wasn’t hardly anything to clean up. But I did some due diligence and then got down to business. First thing I noticed is that the Duplicolor brush on paint is THICK and not the kind with two C’s. On the large flat surface of the front calipers, brush strokes are quite apparent on close inspection. But who’s going to look that closely at my brakes anyway. I want a little splash of color as I pass people on the highway or pull up next to them at a stop light. I’m not trying to be a show car. So it will be fine. I carry on and complete the first coat.
So I add a second and even third coat, let it cure for a couple hours and add some Mustang decals I had obtained from Amazon. (Who doesn’t need more ponies?)
Reassembly went pretty well. Calipers off. Backing plates and rotors on. Calipers on. Wheels back on. Off the jack stands. AND THEN THERE IS A PROBLEM. Car won’t get out of Brake Service Mode. I’ve got the procedure in front of me. I’m going step by step and it remains in brake service mode. Car on. Press accelerator and hold. Pull up on parking brake button and hold. Push brake pedal for one second and release. Car off. Car back on. Release accelerator and parking brake. Put your left foot in, take your left foot out. Turn yourself about. Click your heels together three times and say words I can’t type in a family forum. I do this so many times the car gets angry with me and gives me a “stop safely” power train failure. Now it won’t “start” or shift out of park. Ughhhh. I have to walk away for a bit.
Luckily while I’m away the power train failure clears. I had to call a tech on the brake service mode. A very wonderful man named Louis Gaydosh who introduced himself to me over on the Mach-E Nation FB page. He’s a master Ford Tech who loves the MME and has taken the initiative to be certified in EVs. He took my call, remoted in to my car and told me I had a left brake motor not responding. With that knowledge it jarred my memory of plugging the wire connector back in when I replaced the right caliper, BUT MAYBE NOT THE LEFT . So back up on a Jack, pull the left rear tire, plug in the wire, Brake Service mode clears on first attempt (by this time the procedure is muscle memory). Tire back on, off the jacks and I’m finally done. My brakes are obviously not painted by a pro, but how many people will truly notice? AND I paid a total of $30 while getting to know my car better. I call it a win all the way around.
Obligatory Before and After:
After educating myself on the different ways to paint brake calipers I decided against removing the calipers entirely. The tech manual for rebleeding the brakes says to plug in the diagnostic computer and follow the on screen prompts. I may have a lot of tools, but I am lacking the Ford diagnostic computer in the garage. I also didn’t like the idea of masking the car and spray painting the brakes within the wheel well. My history of masking and spraying isn’t the greatest. Acknowledging my faults is one of my better qualities as my wife will agree (and help me find them). So I decided on the paint and brush route but still wanted to move the calipers so as to not accidentally paint the rotors or pads. I obtained the Duplicolor Caliper Paint kit in Red and waited for a day off work.
My next task was to learn to get the car into brake service mode. The electronic parking brake is otherwise engaged and the calipers can’t be removed. After a little searching and phoning a friend, this was achieved. I put it in brake service mode, took it out of brake service mode to ensure I could, and put it back into service mode get to work. Jacked it up. Supported with stands, removed tires.
The calipers come off pretty easy, each with 2 bolts that are not hidden by a bunch of other stuff. The rear brakes each have a wire connector for the electronic parking brake and then they’re free. I hung them from caliper hangers and was getting ready to paint.
It was then that I realized I was going to have to manipulate the calipers a lot while coating them in wet paint. I got the brilliant idea to go ahead and pull the rotors and backing plates to get them out of the way. I was then able to remount the calipers to the brackets and have them held in place while I painted.
NOW ready to get started I did a little wire brushing to prep the surface and a lot of brake cleaner. My car has 400 miles of OPD so there wasn’t hardly anything to clean up. But I did some due diligence and then got down to business. First thing I noticed is that the Duplicolor brush on paint is THICK and not the kind with two C’s. On the large flat surface of the front calipers, brush strokes are quite apparent on close inspection. But who’s going to look that closely at my brakes anyway. I want a little splash of color as I pass people on the highway or pull up next to them at a stop light. I’m not trying to be a show car. So it will be fine. I carry on and complete the first coat.
So I add a second and even third coat, let it cure for a couple hours and add some Mustang decals I had obtained from Amazon. (Who doesn’t need more ponies?)
Reassembly went pretty well. Calipers off. Backing plates and rotors on. Calipers on. Wheels back on. Off the jack stands. AND THEN THERE IS A PROBLEM. Car won’t get out of Brake Service Mode. I’ve got the procedure in front of me. I’m going step by step and it remains in brake service mode. Car on. Press accelerator and hold. Pull up on parking brake button and hold. Push brake pedal for one second and release. Car off. Car back on. Release accelerator and parking brake. Put your left foot in, take your left foot out. Turn yourself about. Click your heels together three times and say words I can’t type in a family forum. I do this so many times the car gets angry with me and gives me a “stop safely” power train failure. Now it won’t “start” or shift out of park. Ughhhh. I have to walk away for a bit.
Luckily while I’m away the power train failure clears. I had to call a tech on the brake service mode. A very wonderful man named Louis Gaydosh who introduced himself to me over on the Mach-E Nation FB page. He’s a master Ford Tech who loves the MME and has taken the initiative to be certified in EVs. He took my call, remoted in to my car and told me I had a left brake motor not responding. With that knowledge it jarred my memory of plugging the wire connector back in when I replaced the right caliper, BUT MAYBE NOT THE LEFT . So back up on a Jack, pull the left rear tire, plug in the wire, Brake Service mode clears on first attempt (by this time the procedure is muscle memory). Tire back on, off the jacks and I’m finally done. My brakes are obviously not painted by a pro, but how many people will truly notice? AND I paid a total of $30 while getting to know my car better. I call it a win all the way around.
Obligatory Before and After:
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