coming to a stop........

[shendren]

i have noticed lately that my front end seems to jump up and down. and it pulls a little to the left when braking. could my rotors need to be turned already. i heard that the rotors need to be turned while on the truck. does midas do decent work? who would you take this too besides the dealer?



i keep trying to compare this dodge to the hondas i have owned and the maintenance it took to keep them going. i don't haul any heavy loads. i can't understand all of the crap that is underdesigned. (my steering shaft, shaking mirrors, dowel pin, timing, smoking light switch, rusting window seals, and the list goes on... ... ). does the tundra come with a diesel?



thanks. scott.

 

[redram]

Did your Honda have four wheel drive?



If you have a high mileage 4X4 (96 truck) and it has the stock original suspension components as well as used tires, these are just a few of the problems that could be causing what you describe.



Suggest that you first check air pressure in the front tires and make sure that they are set the same and within the suggested inflation range for the tires.



Second, closely inspect the tire tread for abnormal wear marks.



Third, crawl under your truck's front end and closely inspect the suspension components for abnormal wear marks.



Fourth, remove the front wheels and inspect the braking system and track bars.



Fifth, replace any worn or defective parts and take it to an alignment shop and have the front end checked.



Good luck.

 

[shendren]

tires and suspension are fine. could the rotors be warped??

 

[WestTN]

coming to a stop

If your truck is pulling, you may have a sticking caliper. If the front end shakes when you brake it may be warped rotors. Now, if the calipers ARE sticking, you will soon have both problems!

 

[shendren]

can midas reliaibly take care of this problem. thanks. scott.

 

[craftybigdog]

Yeah midas can but I bet they sure come up with alot more than is actually wrong with your truck take one of your front wheels off and spin it then apply the brakes and then release the brakes and try to spin it again can you well if not theres your answer time to rebuil the caliper or replace it also look at your pad wear is it even then draw your conclusion

 

[WCrovo]

NO WAY

Scott I would not get near Midas or any other repair shop in that category. T%hat would be like going to Aamco for a transmission rebuild

 

[illflem]

Unless your pads have worn way down and gouged up the rotors I doubt if they need to be turned. My experience with warped rotors is that the warp comes back after turning, better to just replace them. I bought new Bendex rotors from carparts.com( now JC Whitney) for $58 each, not much more than it costs to have them turned right. I don't think Midas is equipped to do them right, they should be done on the truck, you're usually stuck with the dealer. Don't forget our vintage Rams are notorious for the rear wheel brake self adjusters not working right. If one of your rears is out of adjustment you will get pull to one side. I include a rear brake adjustment at every oil change, 10 minute job. I was getting also frustrated with pulling until adjusting the rear brakes, replacing a worn out trackbar and getting a good alignment. Truck has stopped straight with no hands for almost 150k miles now. It can be done...

 

[shendren]

thanks Illflem and others.



is there a procedure for adjusting the rear brakes? my front pads have about 80% left on them so the dealer told me when i bought it 2 mo. ago and had them "service" a few things. also, after i buy the rotors, can i install them myself or do i have to take them somewhere? thanks for all of the help. you guys have saved me a lot of money.

 

[Alaskaskiff]

I did even a little better than $58 for my rotors from NAPA.

 

[redram]

Originally posted by illflem

Unless your pads have worn way down and gouged up the rotors I doubt if they need to be turned. My experience with warped rotors is that the warp comes back after turning, better to just replace them. I bought new Bendex rotors from carparts.com( now JC Whitney) for $58 each, not much more than it costs to have them turned right. I don't think Midas is equipped to do them right, they should be done on the truck, you're usually stuck with the dealer. Don't forget our vintage Rams are notorious for the rear wheel brake self adjusters not working right. If one of your rears is out of adjustment you will get pull to one side. I include a rear brake adjustment at every oil change, 10 minute job. I was getting also frustrated with pulling until adjusting the rear brakes, replacing a worn out trackbar and getting a good alignment. Truck has stopped straight with no hands for almost 150k miles now. It can be done...

Illfem's right on about the rear brake adjustment. I forgot to add that to the list of things to check. If the truck is pulling to the left, then the right rear is not doing any braking or the left rear is doing more than it's share.



How many miles are on this 96 Scott?

I would think most people with properly adjsuted brakes are getting 100K out of a set of rotors if some simple attention is paid to maintenance.



Good luck.

 

[shendren]

70k mi on my truck now.



is there a procedure for adjusting the rear brakes??



thanks.



scott.

 

[illflem]

Here's how I do it, there are other methods though. Jack both rear wheels off the ground trans in N, climb under and remove the oblong rubber cap that is in the bottom middle of the inside of the wheel. Under the cover you will see a starwheel, may need a flashlight. There are two caps, don't remember which is which, but there is nothing under one. Turn the front of the starwheel upwards( it only turns one way) while spinning the tire, go one click at a time till you just start to feel/hear a drag then stop. Do the other side. Be careful because one or both of your self adjusters may be working and they could be already adjusted, you don't want to over do it. I usually get about 10 clicks on one side none on the other. When the self adjusters work it is done by going in reverse and braking to a full stop.

 

[shendren]

finally got my service manual. it a purple book the size of a nyc phone book. found the section on replacing the rotors. how do i know if i have a unit bearing or a tapered bearing? without tearing it apart. cause the tapered bearing procedure includes a part about measuring wheel end play and i'm not sure i can do that. the unit bearing assembly looks a bit easier. until you get to the end and the disc brake rotor is pressed onto the unit with the wheel studs. does the rotor come with the unit bearing when you get it at napa/jc whitney?? thanks so much. scott... .

 

[illflem]

4W drives have unit bearings. Your new rotors won't come with the bearing. Just remove the bearing like the blue book says by pounding out the wheel studs with a copper hammer. Sometimes the studs are really stuck, when this happens I place the rotor on two 2x4s so the bearing is off the bench then place some aluminum plate over the studs and wail with a 14 lb sledge hammer, one good hit does it. You could also use a press. One thing the manual doesn't talk about is seating the studs in the new rotor. You can pull them in with the lug nuts but don't have the wheel on when you do it, it will damage the wheel. Use a bunch of washers and a upside down lug nut. Pull the studs in evenly, criss-crossing a little at a time, this is one of the moments when an air wrench pays for itself rapidly.

 

[KYOUNG]

brakes

I went to Midas once in Tulsa Ok to turn front rotors because a cheap Oreillys brake pad had fell off. An hour later they call me at work and tell me they can have truck fixed that day , but it is going to cost 650bucks because I needed calipers, rear wheel cylinders, rear axle seals , all brakes turned and new pads and shoes. I told them to fix front , but they refused saying they couldnt do half ajob . I told them to button it up and I would come and get it, what arip!

 

[Turbo Thom]

I kind of had the same thing here at a local shop when I had them just replace the front pads. I told them the just buff up the rotors. Well, while I was waiting I heard a hammering on the rear of my truck. The wheels were off and one hub on the ground. I blew up. Asking what that idoit was doing in the rear wheel area. I was informed they always check the rear whenever the front is done. I informed them they did not go into the rear till I say to,as I had not said to , put the wheel back on and to keep ther damn hands out of where they are not privileged to go. Believe it or not , when I go in there now, I am asked what I want done and am treated with the utmost respect. Sometimes when you stand up for yourself, and whe you know about your truck, you gain new respect from the business. Things I have learn on this site has helped me on fixing things on the truck and when I talk to other folks about trucks they think I really know what I'm talking about.



And I owe it all to y'all.



Thanks.



. . Preston. .

 

[CCBrady]

Scott,

As far as who does your mech. work for you, that is a by the shop and mechanic chance that you take. At one national chain shop you have a good mech. , go to the one in the next town and you get a monkey with a hammer. You take your chances!

I don't know if you have any thing to do with the military, but if you do check out the auto hobby shop on the base. I'm Ret. Navy and I use the one at NAS Whidbey IS. , Wa. , they have the on the vehicle brake turnning equipment and a brake machine and alot of other things to help work on my vehicles. Florida has several large bases down there and one of them might be able to help if you have access to them.

Good Luck,

Chris

 

[shendren]

thanks guys for all of the helpful comments. how do i know if i have 80 or 86mm pistons when buying my pads as i will probably change them when i get my new rotors. also, is there a seal in there somewhere that i need to change? thanks. scott