2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission front brakes

[RAPID RICK]

Checked my front brakes last nite both of the outside pads are down to about 10% & the inside pads are about 90%,only got 33k this set of pads. Any ideas ?

Rick

 

[kbond]

Heavy truck. I have the same situation and I'm only at 23k. I have running some big muds so that probably expedites the situation.

 

[RAPID RICK]

The thing is the first OEM set lasted 63k & wore out the inside pads first. This set are Reybestos Super Stops & should of lasted longer than the OEM did.

Rick

 

[kbond]

Yeah that doesn't sound right. Possible bad pads? How do the rotors look? how about the back brakes wear? Had a buddy of mine (Chevy though) that found out the hard way that the rear shoes where not aggressive enough and was making the front brakes work overtime. After a more aggressive shoe was added to the rear, wear in the front was much more minimal.

 

[RAPID RICK]

Rotors are worn a little,could stand to be turned but they are smoothe. Rear shoes are OEM & still about 75%.

Rick

 

[jthomp2]

brake wear

I had a similar problem original brake pads lasted to 52k I was disappointed - got 90k on the last pickup's front brakes - I don't use them very often. Some specifics - I did pull a trailer occasionall w/ no brakes the 1st year on these pads. Also my left front inside pad wore right down until rivets of pad ate into Rotor. While outside pad had maybe 40% left! I replaced Rotors (from Dealer) outright to eliminate warping. Cost $170. 00 per Rotor. Did not need to change out right front but was concerned about the amount of heat they had been subject to. Also could NOT find aftermarket rotors at 6 diff. auto supplies for 2k 4*4 dodge 3/4ton (read cheaper). I have only put 5K on truck since change so don't know if they will wear right. I do have Trailer brakes now.

 

[EricBu12]

I bought the EGR front slotted rotors and the carbon kevlar pads. this is an amazing thing, as I replaced the rotors, and installed the pads, the instructions say to "heat treat the pads" by doing 3 hard stops from 50 MPH and then let them cool to touch.



This pads are better, they produce less than half the dust on the wheels as I see on other trucks.

The pads are expensive but it will last at least twice as long and it stops better.

 

[Dane]

Rick,

It's normal because there are piston(s) on only one side of the caliper. If the left or right side set wears faster you have a problem

 

[Roger rodbolt]

Rick,

If your outside pads are wearing that much faster then the inside pads it indicates that your caliper is not sliding freely. Normally the piston side pad wears slightly more. The brake piston pulls the caliper inboard when you brake and the "wobble" of the rotor puts pressure on the caliper to release it. If the pins or slide areas rust or stick the outboard pad will drag, hence wear. My pads were over 50% at 60,000 miles of hard driving/towing but I kept my rear brakes manually adjusted (important) and us the exhaust brake. HTH's, Larry

 

[drifter]

1999 shortbed, 24V. Replaced mine at 40200 miles with est. 30% left on pads.

First of all the rear adjusters will not keep up. Every 5000 or so miles manually adjust up the rears so they will do there job. You will notice the differance. I replaced my pads with ones manufactured by "Porterfield" they are on the internet.

Carbon/ Kevlar high performance brakes. Easy to change. They work great and I would recommend them to anyone. They were about 60 or 70. 00 for the pair. Expensive but so is getting into a wreck or haveing to deal with burnt or damaged rotors. It is pretty rare that front pads on any car will safely go beyone 50 to 65,000 miles. My advice is to time change them out 40,000 miles or so. Better to deal with them on your own terms and time.

Again I believe the key to making them last is driveing habits and keeping the rears adjusted up. 2 cents worth.

 

[RAPID RICK]

I adjust my back brakes every 3rd oil change. There is deffinetly something wrong with the front caliper brackrts or the calipers for the pads to wear so uneven. Next thing is do I just replace the pads & clean up the brackets or do I put new loaded calipers on?



Rick

 

[Joe G.]

Rick,



There are a few things you need to do. Remove the pins the caliper slides on. Check to see if they are worn or rough. If so, replace them. Otherwise polish them with crocus cloth. The caliper also slides on two surfaces in the mounting bracket. Smooth these some with a file. Not too much, but you want to make sure the caliper does not drag. Get some black silicon brake grease from NAPA. Lube the slides with that. Then before you put the pins back put some of the grease in the holes the pins go in. Smear some on the pins. Put it back together. Make sure the calipers slide ok.



Then at every oil change pull the pins one at a time and put some grease on the hole. Since I started doing that my pads are wearing very even.



Hint, use upside down five gallon plastic buckets to put the calipers on while you are working. That beats a piece of wire to hang them from.



Dodge didn't do these brakes right so if you want them to work right and last a long time you have to do all this messing around.

 

[BillGotthelf]

Rapid Rick- Having one side of the disc brake pad wear out sooner than the other side indicates that either the caliper piston is hanging up or the slide pins/slide bars are hanging up. Its cheaper to test the slide pins/slide bars than replacing the caliper so try this first. Do as Joe suggests and grease the slide pins (the two bolts that hold the caliper to the wheel) with a good quality high temp grease. The slide bars (the caliper rests on these top and bottom) sometimes get rusted up and will prevent the outboard brake pad from doing much. I clean mine every pad change with 2" scotch pad (auto parts stores carry these by the body putty) on a drill and polish off all the rust till both caliper slide and brake bracket shine. Do not use grease on this area as it traps dirt and prvents the caliper from moving. You can use emery cloth on this also it just takes longer. If you do both of these areas and the new pads keep wearing unevenly you need new calipers. After the piston has gone in and out a few times the piston sleeves deform and the piston does not retract so the inboard pad continues to have pressure applied even after you let off the brake.

 

[Joe G.]

Bill,



I tried it with and without grease on the slides. Grease works better. No rust. It collects dirt around it, but it still moves freely. Without grease on the slides I still got uneven wear. Not bad, but still uneven. The only thing that has been done to my calipers other than what I have mentioned is that I replaced the seals once. The old ones started to look kind of bad, but they still worked ok. 212K miles. Original calipers and rotors. The rotors have never been turned.

 

[BillGotthelf]

Joe in the area I live in there is lots of sand and limestone. This mix will glue the calipers to the slide rails quickly. If you polish the rails both on the caliper and the bracket it works very well.

 

[Joe G.]

If where you are is more dusty than where I have been for the last year I would really be surprised. Farm country here. Dust all year except for the winter. I think these farmers get a kick out of seeing how much dust they can raise towing some contraption that billows a big cloud across the road. You ought to see how my truck looks a couple days after washing it. I was polishing the slides and still had uneven wear. I'm thinking that the grease is sealing the slide area. It looks bad all right. There is not that much movement required to work the brakes so the grease is keeping the dirt out as far as I can tell. Anyway, now that I use grease on the slides the pads wear even where they didn't before.

 

[Rogue Ram]

QUESTION:

Guys, is there detailed instruction (w/pics maybe) on doing front brakes anywhere? Can't seem to locate one. Been years since I touched them... ... ... . spoke to Sam P. about doing it, but sure would feel better going by the numbers. Guess its all pretty easy... ... I have new front pads, have the grease and the seals to go with it. Just need some guidance.



If anyone can help tis appreciated... ...



Regards,



Rogue

 

[Bigramguy]

Best things for the caliper slides,or any metal to betal brake parts is high temp anti-sieze,preferrably the silver stuff,high nickel,made by lock-tite. Stays put,does not wear or wash off,stops rust,and doesn't attract dirt as much as grease.



NEVER use it,or any type of grease on the caliper mounting bolts,or any metal to rubber parts,as it will react with the rubber and swell it,causing them to stick or sieze. Best stuff is the silicon based caliper lube at most auto parts stores. Looks very similar to dialetric grease.



Even if you do use grease on the slides,it will work much better than nothing at all,even if it attracts all kinds of dirt. I will agree though,polishing the slide area on the knuckle and the caliper is a good idea.

 

[Joe G.]

Not exactly step by step, but a few tips. Use five gallon buckets to put the calipers on instead of hanging them from a wire. Brakes are a dirty job so makeing sure that the pads, seals, and piston are clean is very important. Clean up as much as you can before getting busy with the wrenchs. Use brake cleaner and a brush. If you use air make sure you are wearing a face shield. Protect the face of the new pads from your dirty fingers with masking tape until you are ready install the calipers. When you remove the calipers, first use a c-clamp to push the piston in just a little so the caliper will slide back and forth a bit. The anvil end of the c-clamp will fit on the inside pad back plate a little with the screw end on the back of the caliper. Sand the rotors with emery paper to dull the glaze some. They are pretty hard faced so it won't look like much change, but it helps. A large c-clamp or welders vice grips can be used to collapse the piston before inserting the new pads. Inspect everything! If any seals look questionable replace them. If the brake lines look bad, replace them. Make sure the spring clips on the outside pad are on the caliper exactly right. These things are stiff so don't stick a screwdriver in your hand putting the outside pad in the caliper.



Edit: The grease I mentioned above is the silicon brake grease that NAPA sells. It is NOT chassis grease. It looks horrible, black and nasty. Good stuff.

 

[RAPID RICK]

You guys are great! Thanks for all the tips & advice. I do have one more question,What brand of pads do you like. I haul a 10ft. camper & pull a 10k horse trailer about 75% of the time. In the past I've always used Reybestos Super Stops. Again THANKS for all the help.



Rick