Front Rotors and Pads - Is this a do-it-yourself job?

[Spooled-up]

Apparently I've had some uneven brake wear as one of my pads wore completely away and scored the rotor pretty deep. It happened on a 900 mile drive from MA to IN. There was no squeaking at all so I didn't notice it until I got home and went to rotate the tires.



Where do you guys get rotors at a decent price and what brake pad would you recommend?



Is this a job that can be done without any special tools?



Guess I better go buy one of those Dodge shop manuals.



Thanks.

 

[Koa Man]

I just changed my right side front rotor and pads on both sides. I had same problem you did. Pad on inside was past completely worn out, and it only got my attention when it started making noise. Pad on outside had at least 1/3 life left. It is a very easy job, at least it is on a 2X4. New rotor from NAPA cost me $202... rip off but I needed to get my truck running immediately. The right side rotor was machined once by the dealer, so I couldn't get it machined again. I know some of the Rams have a problem with premature and uneven brake pad wear. Since pads are cheap, I think I'll just change mine every 20K miles... . that would be about a year and a half of driving for me.

 

[TURBOs4LIFE]

wear indicator

I just did my front brakes also and what amased me is there is no wear indicator or the little cricket noise maker to let you know that they are getting low! I just caught mine before they wore into the rotors.

 

[sam peterson]

DMKelly-There is usually a reason why one pad wears out before the others. In your case being that it is an inner pad I would suspect a caliper piston not retracting. Just putting on new rotors and pads probably won't solve your problem. If you have lots of miles on the truck do some caliper work while you are at it. New rotors could be in the 60. 00 to 90. 00 dollar range depending on availability in your area. The best all around pad to use is the carbon metalic. Don't separate the bearing from the hub. Remove it as a unit. The rotor can be changed without bearing removal. All parts need to be cleaned properly before reassembly. I recommend machining the rotors after remounting. Hopefully you can find someone in your area to do a decent job of this. It can be a do-it-yourself project. There is enough good people on this site to get you thru it. Go for it. ---Sam

 

[DHawthorne]

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=26481



Here is a thread I posted on my last brake job which started out being pads, with the rotors turned. Started out at $175. 00 and ended up at $568. 50. Worth a look. One of the last replys indicated that my biggest expenses was not necessary. You might have a look.



Sorry could not do better with a direct link. Have not figured that out yet. E-mail me if you can't get there.



Dave