2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Brakes Locking up

[KRoaden]

It seems that when I really hit the brakes they lock up and release and does it again all most like pulsating. I know that the back shoes are worn and need replaced. Anyone had any experince like this!!????

 

[lschultz]

Nothing like yours but when mine sets for a few days(sometimes only 1 day)and I step on them they grab. But after I use them several times they are back to normal. Where I'm at I think its the humidity/moisture in the air. I notice it when I back out of the garage or where ever I had my truck parked. If you got a lot of miles on them maybe its time to replace them.

 

[Extreme1]

Originally posted by KRoaden

... they lock up and release and does it again all most like pulsating...

ABS? Your truck at least has in the back.

 

[dan_gilson]

I have answers this a number of ways a in a

couple of other posts. You could be dealing with a number of different problems. The easiest thing to start with is to make sure that your brakes are clean and in working order. Get yourself a can of brake cleaner. Blowing them out with compressed air (if you have it) helps before you hit them with the cleaner. The fronts are pretty easy. Just spray both sides of the rotors and remember to get some between the pads and the rotors. The rears you need to pull the drums. If that works you are set.



Check all the seals while you are at it. The front on a 4x4 weep a little. On a 2x4 then should be dry. The rears should also be dry.



Check the front pads and make sure that they are wore approximately the same on each side.



Pull each front slide pin (one at a time) and check for wear. You can use either anti-seeze or there is a special hi-temp silicon grease and lub them before re-installing. If they are heavily scored think about replacing the calibre or getting a pin kit. From what I have been told, the calibres are about shot after 60K miles.



Put a dial indicator on the rotors and check the runout. Mine were about . 007" which supposely were within spec but pulsed badly. Dodge wanted to pull them but my tire and brake shop said no. You can do better lathing them on the truck which they did for about 1/4 the cost and they came out <. 001" runout. My tire guy said that the best you can do off the truck is . 005".



Adjust the star wheel in the drums until the shoes just touch. If they only touch part of the time the drum is out of round. Have it checked and turned if necessary if this is the case.



Check the rear slaves for signs of leakage: either wet of excessive dust. Check the front boots on the calibres for leakage.



When was the last time you had the brakes blead? You should do it at least every 30K miles or 2 years or more often if you put high heat loads like heavy towing. Use a good brand of brake fluid. My preference is Motul600. It costs more (e. g. $15 instead of $5) but it boils a lot higher. The only disadvantage to it is you have to bleed more often. Say once a year or every 15K miles. It tends to suck in moisture faster. Even still when wet it boils a lot higher the normal brake fluid.



Hopefully this will be enough to get you started. It is getting too late and I am starting to get sleepy.

 

[KRoaden]

Guys,



Thanks for all the insight. I'm going to tear into it this coming week. I'm off for vacation. I'll keep you posted!!!



Kenzie

 

[Rogue Ram]

????

Anyone with further input on this? After my truck sits until it gets cold (engine, etc. ), usually during wet or cold weather, I start the truck, let it warm for a minute or two, then when I take off and just use the brakes as normal, they completely lock up. Edit: Oops... thanks turbo... its the rear brakes, both sides... ... ... .



Any ideas????



Rogue

 

[turbo torque]

I did'nt get if it was front, rear or all. First place I'd look is rear axle seals. Check to see if there's any gear lube on the backing plate. (look inside rear wheels) These seals seem to fail alot. Gear lub will really gum up brakes and make them grabby.

 

[grtescpa]

Brake grab

I had the same problem on my 97. I spoke to a brake expert on the TDR. (Sam's brakes). He told me the linnings today are made with less abestos. They swell when they are wet are will grab until the moisture is burned off. They pulsate because your ABS thinks the tires are trying to skid. There is nothing more you can do about it other than buying a brand of rear shoes with more asbestos. He gave me a few brand names but I forgot what they were. Contact Sam about it. Not sure but I think He has his own web site. For now I have been putting up with the morning lockup. I will be converting my entire brake system over to rear disk and new front rotors with the(kelvin ? kelvar?) linnings. I have had enough of the Dodge junk brake system.

 

[Rogue Ram]

Hmmmmm

THAT makes sense... . they only seem to lock when cold or really damp & cold out, then after about two blocks of using them, they seem to work fine.



Might just be BOTH of us are gonna switch over the new system!



Thanks,



R

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Try backing off the adjusters on the rear 5 or 10 clicks and see if the problem goes away. Pull the inspection plug and use a screwdriver to push the adjust arm away, then rotate the star wheel downwards. Do it the same amount on both sides.

 

[sam peterson]

Rouge Ram---I'd bet money that yours is just moisture sensitive lining. Probably will require a shoe replacement. Linings don't include asbestos anymore and thats when the gabbing problems started.



K Roden---Sounds to me like you anti-lock is working just like it is suppose to. If it stops straight and is OK under normal driving conditions thats as good as it gets.





Sam

 

[Rogue Ram]

Sam, sending you a PM and an email... ... .....



Rogue

 

[jrobinson2]

I dont have much moisture or condensation out here but still have "first drive in the morning lockup" mine seams much worse when the rear brakes are out of adjustment. I thought detroit figured out self adjusting brakes by the mid 60s but I guess Dodge forgot something along the way



Jared

 

[dan_gilson]

An observation and suggestion.

As Sam pointed out, typically grabby brakes are caused by moisture on the pads themselves. It can also be caused by other things too.



On my 30K service Dodge way over greased my front end. Some of the excess managed to get on one of the rotors. This was a couple of weeks after the service. They really grabbed the first stop. Made some noise too. By the time I figured out what was wrong the front rotor was warped.



So, you might quickly try a $3 can of brake clean and see if things improve. If they do and it comes back start looking for what is getting onto or into the rotors or drums.

 

[msimmons]

Re: Brake grab

Originally posted by grtescpa

I had the same problem on my 97. I spoke to a brake expert on the TDR. (Sam's brakes). He told me the linnings today are made with less abestos. They swell when they are wet are will grab until the moisture is burned off. They pulsate because your ABS thinks the tires are trying to skid. There is nothing more you can do about it other than buying a brand of rear shoes with more asbestos. He gave me a few brand names but I forgot what they were. Contact Sam about it. Not sure but I think He has his own web site. For now I have been putting up with the morning lockup. I will be converting my entire brake system over to rear disk and new front rotors with the(kelvin ? kelvar?) linnings. I have had enough of the Dodge junk brake system.

The lockup you all are experiencing is not uncommon among all manufacturers brakes, not just Dodge. It is caused by "trace corrosion" that occurs overnight when exposed to a damp or high humidity environment. The trace corrosion causes the brake drums to have a little extra "tooth" which causes the brakes to be grabby. This coupled with the self-energizing design of drum brakes causes this to occur. Once the drums have this "trace corrosion" burnished off the problem disappears.



Mike

 

[sam peterson]

Mike is absolutely right. It is not just a dodge problem. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it) correcting this problem is a big part of my business. Brakes being out of adjustment would make the problem worse because of the self energizing action. ----Sam