The Ford Taurus is a simple vehicle. However, the brakes are no less important. A trained professional should mainly handle parts as important as the calipers. Only if you have a full working knowledge of your Taurus should you try to replace a caliper on your own.
Drain brake fluid from the master cylinder reservoir until it's no more than half full. Disconnect the cable from the negative battery terminal.
Raise the car up on a jack stand. Remove the wheel in front of the caliper you must get to.
Disconnect the brake hose by removing the hollow bolt connecting it to the caliper. Plug the brake hose with a piece of plastic. Discard the two copper sealing washers on the bolt.
Take off the retaining clip from the parking brake on the rear caliper. Disengage the parking brake cable end at the lever arm.
Remove the caliper locating pins. Lift the caliper off the rotor (front) or support bracket (rear) by using a rotating motion.
Make sure the new caliper's piston is fully in the piston bore. If not, retract it into the bore with an old brake pad or block of wood and a C-clamp.
Attach the disc brake pads to the new caliper. See that the brake pad insulators are properly attached to the brake pad plate.
Rotate the rear disc brake piston (for a rear caliper) and adjuster clockwise until it is fully seated. Use the rear caliper piston adjuster tool T87P-2588-A.
Apply a silicone dielectric compound to the inside of the slider pins and pin boots.
Position the front caliper assembly above the rotor and install it with a rotating motion. Position the rear caliper assembly on the support bracket through the slider pins and boots. Make sure all pads and the outer anti-rattle spring are properly positioned.
Lubricate the locating pins and the insulators (for a front caliper) on the inside with silicone grease. Remove the residue from the rear caliper's pin retainer threads and apply a drop of threadlock and sealer.
Install the locating pins to the front caliper and torque them to 26 foot pounds. Install the pin retainers to the rear caliper and torque to 24 foot pounds.
Unplug and install the brake hose to the caliper, using two new copper washers. Torque the hollow bolt to 35 foot pounds on the front calipers, 41 foot pounds on the rear.
Fill the master cylinder as needed and bleed the brake system. Install the wheel and tire assembly, and then torque the nuts to 85 to 104 foot pounds. Lower the car off the jack and reconnect the battery cable.
Pump the brake pedal repeatedly to position the brake pads. Road test the vehicle, making sure the brakes work properly.
