Ats/Taurus calipers install and brake bleeding help

5.0 Hatch

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I'm about to do the ats/Taurus brake upgrade and a little unsure of the best way to go about it. Do I just replace each caliper and then bleed after I'm done with all four? Or bleed after each one is swapped out? Is there a better way to bleed them other than the two person method?
 

DSG2003Mach1

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I’d do them all just make sure to check fluid level in the master cylinder as you go.

I’d order a one man bleeder bottle on Amazon. 30-40 bucks for one with a magnet to hold it in place, one way check valve etc.
 

JAJ

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I'm about to do the ats/Taurus brake upgrade and a little unsure of the best way to go about it. Do I just replace each caliper and then bleed after I'm done with all four? Or bleed after each one is swapped out? Is there a better way to bleed them other than the two person method?
One suggestion - before you start unhooking things, crack one of the bleeders and push the brake pedal about half-way down and block it there with a stick or something. I use a piece of wood against the front of the driver's seat.

What this does is block the connection between the brake fluid reservoir and the master cylinder. The brake fluid can't drain drain out through the caliper fittings while you're working. Less mess and no risk of air in the MC or ABS.

With that done, you can swap all four corners and finish with a single bleed operation.
 

03' White Snake

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I added speed bleeders to my calipers, Makes it a one man job and very simple to bleed the brakes. Always had a firm pedal using them.

Crack the bleeder, put a tube on the fitting into a bottle, step on the pedal a few times, then close the bleeder and move onto the next one. Obv. keep an eye on the MC so it does not go dry.

http://www.speedbleeder.com/

Remember you need 2 sets per ATS caliper as there are 2 bleeders on each one.
 

03HP

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I’d recommend saving some money/time and keeping the factory rear calipers. The math (SN-95 Mustang Brake Bias Calculator) says ATS front + Cobra rears has a more optimal (and much closer to factory) bias on our cars than ATS + Taurus rears.
Approx front bias:
OEM 03 Cobra: 72.6%
ATS front/Cobra rear: 72.7%
ATS front/Taurus rear: 67.7%

In general, 70%+ front bias is best on our nose heavy Terminators.



I also have SpeedBleeders on my Cobra. Not necessary at all, but definitely convenient.
 
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DSG2003Mach1

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I added speed bleeders to my calipers, Makes it a one man job and very simple to bleed the brakes. Always had a firm pedal using them.

Crack the bleeder, put a tube on the fitting into a bottle, step on the pedal a few times, then close the bleeder and move onto the next one. Obv. keep an eye on the MC so it does not go dry.

http://www.speedbleeder.com/

Remember you need 2 sets per ATS caliper as there are 2 bleeders on each one.

Those work great as well, ended up buying the bleeder bottle instead so I didn’t have to keep buying those
 

5.0 Hatch

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Maybe I'll understand it better once I start but it sounds intimidating. I've replaced my engine and trans by myself but have never done any brake work other than pads
 

bird_dog0347

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One more thing, when I disconnect the caliper, will the fluid drain out the line?
Some yes, make sure you have something to catch it or clean it up with, and remember it's corrosive to paint so be very quick to clean it off any painted surface you want to remain painted. And not just wipe, CLEAN.
 

DSG2003Mach1

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One more thing, when I disconnect the caliper, will the fluid drain out the line?
yep, when swapping calipers I like to try and have the new ready so I can just move the line from the old one to the new one for minimal fluid loss, mainly bc I dont wanna deal with the mess
 

03' White Snake

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FYI, the banjo bolt is different size thread on ATS than stock cobra. So make sure you have the new bolt and new washers ready before undoing your stock ones. Do it quick and you will have minimal fluid loss. Then wipe up with a wet rag the fluid.
 

5.0 Hatch

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FYI, the banjo bolt is different size thread on ATS than stock cobra. So make sure you have the new bolt and new washers ready before undoing your stock ones. Do it quick and you will have minimal fluid loss. Then wipe up with a wet rag the fluid.
Thanks for the heads up on that.
 

Blkkbgt

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I’d recommend saving some money/time and keeping the factory rear calipers. The math (SN-95 Mustang Brake Bias Calculator) says ATS front + Cobra rears has a more optimal (and much closer to factory) bias on our cars than ATS + Taurus rears.
Approx front bias:
OEM 03 Cobra: 72.6%
ATS front/Cobra rear: 72.7%
ATS front/Taurus rear: 67.7%

In general, 70%+ front bias is best on our nose heavy Terminators.



I also have SpeedBleeders on my Cobra. Not necessary at all, but definitely convenient.
Let's also not forget the issue people have had with them including myself.

@5.0 Hatch here is the thread for the ATS swap and what I found rebuilding my Taurus calipers.


I decided to rebuild mine after hearing about locked up and leaking calipers which you can find in previous pages. You can also go to the last page and see what I found with the new seals I got for my old calipers.
 
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03HP

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Let's also not forget the issue people have had with them including myself.

@5.0 Hatch here is the thread for the ATS swap and what I found rebuilding my Taurus calipers.


I decided to rebuild mine after hearing about locked up and leaking calipers which you can find in previous pages. You can also go to the last page and see what I found with the new seals I got for my old calipers.
Yes, those quality issues with the Taurus calipers are why I added the red warning to the top of the calculator page!

Even assuming they’re working properly, they are a braking performance downgrade for the vast majority of people who install them. I guess people assume bigger piston = bigger stop? Ford engineers knew what they were doing and the ATS calipers provide a very similar front bias to OEM. There’s good reason why the engineers decided to use that 38mm rear caliper over the 43mm one.

Unless you’ve done the math for your big brake upgrade and your front bias is getting to 75%+, leave the rear brakes (especially calipers) alone.
 

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