2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Breaks ITS TIME

[Mike252001]

Brakes ITS TIME

Hello to all



I have had this truck 4 months and have been going down the check list and brakes is the next thing to do. The lady i bought this truck from was not much for maintenance person. The first day i had the truck i need to get it inspected it did not pass for two reasons first a crack in the rear tail light the second was the emergence brake would not hold. i was in a pinch so i did what i always do take it to BRAKE CHECK i don't trust them to do the work but at-least i get to see what is wrong before i go home and do it my self.



They took the truck in and told me every thing was good BUT they recommend that the rotors needed to be turned the brake system to be flushed and new pads all the way around and that the tires need be rotated they would do it all for $1100 bucks.



The truck has 65000 miles on it and will needs some help.

I have done brake jobs before not on a Dodge is there any trick's that might help me to do the job and wile I'm there should i do anything else?

I plan on turning the the ROTORS replacing pads .



Your help is greatly appreciated

 

[PRyker]

break = brake

router = rotor

defiantly = definitely (unless it is truly defiant!!)



Sorry, I make a lot of spelling mistakes myself but your post was driving me crazy... Now, you could always edit the post and make my post look silly!



From what I understand if you are simply replacing pads and shoes then it is not much different. If you need to pull the rotors to be turned or replaced then get ready for some fun!



Someone else can probably provide more details.



Phil

 

[Mike252001]

got a head of my self thanks.

was focusing on the problem more than the spelling

 

[snowracer69]

your fronts are definitely not an issue. Pulling the rotors takes roughly 30 seconds longer than just swapping pads.



Do you have rear discs too? (ie, is your pickup really a 2001. 5?)



For new front rotors, I recommend Applied Rotor Technology, http://www.appliedrotortechnology.com/ Not the cheapest set you'll find, but man are they some good brakes! I have the first set ever done by them for a Dodge, Rhonda I believe has the second set. I don't think any others have them. Absolutely no brake fade, and even after a 115+MPH run and stomping on them they didn't show to be hot at all. I have 10,000 on mine now and drive hard and they still look brand new.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

FYI - the rotors on our trucks are supposed to be turned on the truck - NOT removed and turned.

 

[Mike252001]

FYI - the rotors on our trucks are supposed to be turned on the truck - NOT removed and turned.

the rotors on our trucks are supposed to be turned on the truck - NOT removed and turned.



Really did not know that?

mike

 

[Mike252001]

the truck does have disk brakes all way around

 

[AKAMAC]

The rotors are a separate unit from the hubs. The brake job is a simple pull and go. Go ahead and change the fluid when you do the pads. If you get all the old fluid out of the reservoir and put in new you can do it with a prolonged bleed.

 

[R-N-R]

FYI - the rotors on our trucks are supposed to be turned on the truck - NOT removed and turned.

Makes sense to me, how the heck do they do that? And where can you get it done?

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Here's the kind of tool they need - http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/KWI-108000550.html . As to who has it I couldn't tell you. I haven't turned my rotors yet - I just scuff them up with emery cloth. IMO unless you have a pulsing pedal issue then turning your rotors is unneccesary.

 

[RBallard]

One more comment, If you don't have one already buy a torque wrench. Keep your lugs torqued the same and you shouldn't have any problems with warped discs. 60k+ on my first ram, 70k+ on my second ram and currently 96k miles on my third ram, haven't warped a rotor yet. I started noticing the pulsing brakes on the Durango and realized I never checked the torque after the last vehicle inspection, I found them to be all over the place. Since I re-tightened the lugs, about 6k+ miles ago, the pulsing is gone.

 

[JSHAW]

I love my truck, but the second biggest problem with it after the transmission is the brakes, IMO they are the worst stock brake system I've ever had on a truck, and I own eight trucks right now. Anything aftermarket will probably be better. The brake job is straight forward, same as any other common brake system. I tow alot and by 25,000 miles my fronts where gone, rotors and all. I bought and installed a complete EGR brake system, front and back. They are better but for the money they still leave alot to be desired. I've also done brake jobs on other cummins and always took the rotors off to be done. Next time I'll look into leaving them on the truck, depending on cost. Sorry about the rant, but this brake system leaves alot to be desired.

 

[DKarvwnaris]

Here's the kind of tool they need - http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/KWI-108000550.html . As to who has it I couldn't tell you. I haven't turned my rotors yet - I just scuff them up with emery cloth. IMO unless you have a pulsing pedal issue then turning your rotors is unneccesary.

The on the truck lathes are the preferred method, but; most brake shops will turn the rotors whether they need it or not. Only thing it does is remove material causing them to wear out of limits faster. It can also cause warping due to the thinner material heating up faster. Before you do anything, che4ck the thickness of them yourself or ask the shop to show you before turning them, if they're honest, it won't be a problem to show you. The thickness specs are stamped on the rotor itself, do not exceed the wear limits, replace them.

If you rotors are less than 75% remaining thickness with signs of warpage or heat spots/cracks, I would look into a new set, (don't bother with the China ones, I had a set balanced, they were worse than the originals). If you can't see warpage on the rotors, try having them balanced, not just turned. This can cause vibration etc. sspecially in big dually rear drums. The drums on my old crew cab dually chevy were terribly unbalanced, it was a casting flaw. It can feel like a " "joint going out sometimes if you hit just the right speed to get them to hum.

If you have never had a brake drum or rotor balanced, try it, it will solve alot of problems of uneven wear as well.

 

[cpeters]

If your worried about the inspection just get it done on the southside of town then worry about your cracked lens. Unless your brakes are pulsing don't turn your rotors.

 

[R-N-R]

My rear rotors are glazed to a mirror finish. I can only imagine how that happened :-laf



Bombing lesson #102 - Tires and brakes are expensive!!

 

[DKarvwnaris]

My rear rotors are glazed to a mirror finish. I can only imagine how that happened :-laf



Bombing lesson #102 - Tires and brakes are expensive!!

When your tire and brake bills exceed your yearly fuel costs AND insurance, something should clue you there's a problem.

I'd invest in a seperating valve so you can divert your rear brakes if you want to burn the back wheels off. It works good for U turns as well.

My dad had decided he would put an end to me smoking my rear tires all the time and put a set of studded snow tires on the back of my f-100 in highschool, only thing it did was divot the asphalt and rip the tires to pieces. Being young and stupid, I didn't think about the boulevard cops ticketing me for damaging the street surface. Oops, Learned the hard way on that one. I didn't spin tires any more after that.

 

[R-N-R]

Yep, burning tires wore itself out after the first bombed summer, replacing tires and brakes a year later at 36k will lock in some self restraint.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Or you get a 2nd set of wheels for the back to mount your worn out tires on and a line lock so you don't use the rear brakes .

 

[R-N-R]

Mounted up a used pair that I purchased on the way to Scheid's in '03. I still have the tires but I have to find a pair of wheels. I also saved my worn factory tires. I would like to have a line lock before I get back on the track. I read your thread and found the product on Jeg's web site. I just don't spin the towing tires on the street... . much

 

[diesel DOG]

I have 65,000 on my truck and I am on my 4th set of pads. I never turned the rotors and wear on them is slight. The first two sets were OEM the second two are PFC from Autozone which lasted only about 15,000 but the replaced them for free so it isn't to bad if you do the work yourself. I have been just swapping pads and fluid each time with no problem. Don't bother cutting unless they are warped.