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Diagnosing brake issue

Nuzzy

Nuzzy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2006
Messages
8,070
Location
North Bend, WA
Thought about sticking this in tow rig but it isn't really tow rig specific...

I've been chasing a brake issue for a while now with my '00 Dodge 3500. Brakes haven't been what they used to and really started to act up recently. I changed the front pads prolly a year and a half ago so I had been thinking the issue might be related to the rears since I'd never been into them since I owned the truck (few years). Well I replaced the rear shoes a few weeks back and re adjusted which seemed to help some, but not cure the prob. Basically, it seemed to take way too much pedal pressure to come to a stop, but the truck wasn't pulling to one side or the other at all...

So I tear into the fronts today to check things out. Driver side seems to be wearing fine, still got pad left, and rotor looks good. But when I get to the passenger, the outside pad and rotor surface look just like the driver side, but the inside pad is totally worn through to the metal backing plate and is grooving the piss out of the rotor.

What could cause this? A sticking piston in the caliper? But if the outside pad looks like it's wearing normal, wouldn't that suggest the floating ability of the caliper is functioning correctly? And why the hell aren't I getting ANY pull to the left during braking and hard braking considering the right side is FUBAR...?

And should I even mess with this caliper or just trade it in on a remanned loaded caliper from the autoparts store?

help. :mad:
 
you caliper pins need to be lubed. When one of the pads wears premature its usually because the caliper isn't sliding back and forth like it should. Also you should resurface your rotors on every brake job. slapping new pads or shoes on doesn't get rid of pulsation which is caused by warped rotor's. I can almost promise your rotors are warped too, might only be 0.005 run out but thats enough to feel in the pedal.

But what you have going on is the guide pins need to be lubed. Also check you caliper pistons to see if they compress easily. If they stick at all replace the caliper.
 
If I just buy a caliper, that would have all new guide pins right?


**edit**

...reason I ask is I don't have time to be chasing problems with the piston. I'd rather just replace and be done with it even if not necessary rather than taking the chance...
 
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Nuzzy said:
If I just buy a caliper, that would have all new guide pins right?


**edit**

...reason I ask is I don't have time to be chasing problems with the piston. I'd rather just replace and be done with it even if not necessary rather than taking the chance...
Click to expand...

No I don't think they will. Either way you should lube them before installing. Sometimes when you buy loaded cal's they come with the caliper bracket (which might have new pins) and sometimes they don't. Napa usually has them with the bracket.
 
NAPA offers them with the bracket and you can get new slide pins which i would suggest, sounds like you had a psiton hang up because of the slide pin, the dodges need to have those slide pins lubed every now and again or this happens
 
Best lube to use on the slide pins...?

Will regular axle bearing type grease work? Or is there something more application specific...
 
JOOP said:
you caliper pins need to be lubed. When one of the pads wears premature its usually because the caliper isn't sliding back and forth like it should. Also you should resurface your rotors on every brake job. slapping new pads or shoes on doesn't get rid of pulsation which is caused by warped rotor's. I can almost promise your rotors are warped too, might only be 0.005 run out but thats enough to feel in the pedal.

But what you have going on is the guide pins need to be lubed. Also check you caliper pistons to see if they compress easily. If they stick at all replace the caliper.
Click to expand...

You hti it right on the head as to what i was going to say. While you are there check to see if you seals are cracked out around your caliper pistons.
 
See this alot on dual piston calipers. One of the pistons don't get pushed in square, and hangs up. I used to see this alot at Les Schwab. Most of the time it was better to buy a "loaded" caliper. And get the rotors turned too.
 
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cheesemaker said:
See this alot on dual piston calipers. One of the pistons don't get pushed in square, and hangs up. I used to see this alot at Les Schwab. Most of the time it was better to buy a "loaded" caliper. And get the rotors turned too.
Click to expand...

Ha. I used to work there too.#344 Thats were I saw many problems with all sorts of home jobs actually.
 
you should change both sides. pads on both sides also.

unloaded, and GOOD pads would prob be cheaper than loaded....
 
The old caliper was definitely FUBARed. The new one came with pins and lube so all was good. The rotor has some grooves and will be replaced but they didn't have it in stock and I had to get the truck back together tonight since I'll be back down in Phoenix tomorrow. Got new pads on the other side too just to keep everything the same.

Thanks y'all :cool:
 
Nuzzy said:
The old caliper was definitely FUBARed. The new one came with pins and lube so all was good. The rotor has some grooves and will be replaced but they didn't have it in stock and I had to get the truck back together tonight since I'll be back down in Phoenix tomorrow. Got new pads on the other side too just to keep everything the same.

Thanks y'all :cool:
Click to expand...

Where did you end up buying the stuff?
 
Bowtie! Yeah, store #222. Yeah, you get a good education on alot of stuff, including how the company likes to screw you! But I learned alot.
How long did you work there? I did 7 years, and my back to my ankles feels every year of that! It took a serious toll on my body.



Nuzzy you don't want to run those rotors if you have too!!! The pads will pick up the wear pattern and you will be back to where you started out. :mad: The pads and rotors have to wear in together. Or the pads will glaze over and will be ineffective, make sure to get the rotors turned.
 
I gotta agree with cheesemaker nuzzy. You're gonna ruin those new pads runnin' em on those grooved rotors like that. When I worked at Bucky's years ago we had quite a few people come in that couldn't figure out why the pads they just put on a couple weeks ago were gone and their brakes were grinding again!:rolleyes:

And also X2 on the anti-sieze!!:awesomework: I've used that **** for years on caliper pins and also metal to metal contact points on drum setups!:cool:
 
New rotor will go on the weekend after next. If the pads eat **** by then, I'll just have to replace them. Life sucks when I'm barely home :mad::mad::mad:
 

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