Front brakes on the 4th-gen Ram 1500 are one of the easier jobs on the truck. Every engine, from the 3.6 Pentastar to the 5.7 Hemi and the 3.0 EcoDiesel, uses the same basic single-piston sliding caliper on a bolt-on bracket, so the tool list does not change with the engine. Two hex-head guide-pin bolts release the caliper and two big 21 mm bolts release the bracket, and the rotor then slides straight off the hub with no retaining screw.
The two things people get wrong: skipping the hub face cleanup, which leaves rust scale under the new rotor and causes runout and a pulsing pedal within a few thousand miles, and forgetting that the reservoir can overflow when you push the piston back. Also treat the 130 ft-lb bracket bolts with respect; they are frequently seized in the knuckle and stripping the head of one turns a two-hour job into a bad afternoon.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 2.5 ton minimum, low-profile not required Lift the front of the truck at the frame rail or crossmember. | Required | shop |
| Jack stands 3 ton pair Support the truck under the frame while the wheels are off. | Safety | shop |
| Lug nut socket 22 mm 6-point, 1/2 in drive (deep, thin-wall for alloy wheels) Removes the front wheels; most DS Rams use 22 mm nuts. | Required | shop |
| Breaker bar 1/2 in drive, 24 in Loosens 130 ft-lb lug nuts and the caliper bracket bolts. | Required | shop |
| Hex bit socket 8 mm hex, 3/8 in drive (verify: some calipers use 7 mm hex or a 13 mm hex-head bolt) Removes the two caliper guide-pin bolts. | Required | shop |
| Socket set 21 mm 6-point, 1/2 in drive Removes the two caliper bracket-to-steering-knuckle bolts (very tight). | Required | shop |
| Ratchet 3/8 in and 1/2 in drive General fastener work on caliper and bracket bolts. | Required | shop |
| Combination wrench 18 mm or 19 mm open end Holds the guide pin from spinning if the rubber bushing has seized. | Recommended | shop |
| C-clamp or caliper piston compressor 6 in C-clamp, or brake pad spreader Pushes the single-piston caliper back into its bore for the new thicker pads. | Required | shop |
| Bungee cord or mechanic's wire Hangs the caliper from the coil spring so the flex hose is not stressed. | Required | shop |
| Dead blow or 3 lb hammer Dead blow, or 3 lb sledge with a block of wood Knocks the rusted rotor off the hub face. | Required | shop |
| Penetrating oil Soaks the rotor hat-to-hub joint and the bracket bolts before removal. | Consumables | shop |
| Wire brush and small file Cleans rust and scale off the hub mating face and the bracket pad abutments. | Required | shop |
| Brake cleaner Non-chlorinated, 2 cans Removes shipping oil from new rotors and cleans the hub and hardware. | Consumables | shop |
| Silicone brake grease High-temp synthetic caliper/guide-pin lube Lubricates guide pins, pad ears and the bracket abutment clips. | Consumables | shop |
| Anti-seize compound Nickel or copper based Thin coat on the hub face so the next rotor comes off easily; keep off friction surfaces. | Consumables | shop |
| Torque wrench 1/2 in drive, 30-150 ft-lb Sets bracket bolts and lug nuts to spec. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench 3/8 in drive, 10-80 ft-lb Accurate torque on the lower-value caliper guide-pin bolts. | Recommended | shop |
| Brake fluid DOT 3 or DOT 4, small bottle Top off the reservoir and check level after compressing the pistons. | Consumables | shop |
| Turkey baster or syringe Removes excess fluid from the reservoir if it overflows when pistons are pushed back. | Recommended | shop |
| Front brake pad set Match to rotor size: 2009-2011 (13.0 in) vs 2012-2018 (13.2 in); heavy-duty/police packages differ The wear item being replaced; includes abutment clips on most kits. | Parts | shop |
| Front rotors Pair, 2009-2011 approx 330 mm or 2012-2018 approx 336 mm, vented Replaced with the pads; verify diameter and thickness against your old rotor. | Parts | shop |
| Nitrile gloves and safety glasses Brake dust and cleaner spray protection. | Safety | shop |
| Wheel chocks Chock the rear wheels before lifting the front. | Safety | shop |
Tool sizes are the same for the 4.7 V8, 3.6 Pentastar, 5.7 Hemi and 3.0 EcoDiesel. What changes is part sizing: 2009-2011 trucks generally use a roughly 330 mm (13.0 in) front rotor and 2012-2018 trucks a roughly 336 mm (13.2 in) rotor, and heavy-duty/police or 2500-style packages differ again, so measure your old rotor. A few trucks use a 13 mm hex-head guide-pin bolt instead of an 8 mm internal hex.
| Caliper guide pin (slide) bolts | 26 ft-lb (35 Nm) |
| Caliper bracket (adapter) to steering knuckle bolts | 130 ft-lb (176 Nm) |
| Wheel lug nuts | 130 ft-lb (176 Nm) |
| Brake hose-to-caliper banjo bolt (only if disconnected) | verify in the service manual |
The 21 mm bracket bolts, 22 mm lug nuts and 130 ft-lb specs are consistent across the DS generation; the caliper guide-pin bolt head varies by production year and caliper supplier, so check whether yours takes an 8 mm hex, a 7 mm hex or a 13 mm hex-head before you start, and confirm rotor diameter against your truck's brake package.
The caliper guide-pin bolts take an 8 mm hex bit socket on most DS trucks (some use a 7 mm hex or a 13 mm hex-head bolt), and the two caliper bracket bolts that hold the bracket to the steering knuckle take a 21 mm socket on 1/2 in drive. Lug nuts are 22 mm.
130 ft-lb (176 Nm) for the bracket-to-knuckle bolts and about 26 ft-lb (35 Nm) for the caliper guide-pin bolts. Lug nuts are also 130 ft-lb; retorque them after about 50 miles.
No. The front calipers on this truck are straight-push single-piston units, so a 6 in C-clamp or a basic pad spreader works. Only the rears on some trims involve a screw-in piston, and even then the fronts are push-back.
Rust bonds the rotor hat to the hub face, especially in salt states. Soak the joint with penetrating oil, then strike the hat between the wheel studs with a dead blow hammer while rotating; if the rotor has two threaded jack holes, thread in bolts and tighten them evenly to press it off.