Fenris

'95 DLX 4x4 Xtra cab 22RE

Just curious, but has anyone else had chronic problems with the front brakes? I've had everything from stuck pistons in the calipers to warped rotors. I rebuilt the calipers twice and replaced the rotors and pads. Then, I replaced the calipers, rotors, pads & front wheel bearings. Still, it seems that the rebuild only lasts 2-3 years before I'm replacing the rotors & pads. The truck only has 93k miles on it and I rarely stand on the brakes.

The parts I've used were from the local auto parts store. All supposedly met or exceeded OEM specs, and I never buy the cheapest off brand stuff.

MaK92-4RnR

upgrade to v6.

RJR

I would check to see if something in the hydraulic system is preventing the brakes from fully releasing when you are off the pedal. The symptoms you describe point to overheating of the brakes, which is consistent with constant drag on the brakes.

You might try taking the truck out for a 5 mile drive, and checking the brake temperature when you return. Assuming you don't make a full performance stop from 80mph when you get back, the brakes should be relatively cool. If they're too hot to touch, or the rotors sizzle when you touch them with a drop of water, you have a problem.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Then just where you live plays a big factor in how the brakes are used.

The fact you don`t drive that much might be part of the problem.

Just how do you use the truck??

Could be just poor luck with front brakes.

Had a person that drove with his foot on the brake pedal because that was how she was taught.

Do you seem to get more then normal heat all the time in the front brakes.

Some Brake pads and Rotors are just plain garbage .

Robert m

iTrader: (2)

Are the rears adjusted correctly so the front are not doing all the stopping?

Fenris

Just answering questions here.

I don't drive with a foot on the brake or the clutch.

The rotors seemed hot, but I could touch it with my hand after the 7 mile regular stop and go on the way home from work today. I will be checking this frequently as I can see how it would damage the rotors and have a negative impact on mileage.

The rears are completely rebuilt 3 years ago. Drums, pads, adjusters, springs, everything. Granted, that doesn't mean something isn't wrong, but I seriously doubt that it's with the rears.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

You use the Emergency Brake all the time and it is adjusted like it should be.

As that keeps the rear brake shoes adjusted .

If they are not adjusted your front brakes do all the braking hence the higher then normal wear.

Just a thought

Fenris

I do set the parking brake every time I exit the truck, but I'll check the rear brakes anyway. I need to do some research now and see if there is a way to adjust the pad clearance from the rotor.

My drive to work is 7 miles, stop and go. Most of the driving is stop and go surface streets.

Fenris

Well, I pulled the passenger side brake and hub apart. The outside face of the rotor is perfect, the backside looks like a gravel road. Same story as every time I've fixed these. It's always the back side that's the problem. Pulling the locking hub to get the rotor off revealed that water had gotten in and rusted the inner mechanism of the hub. I've cleaned it up as best I can, but I guess I need to look for a rebuild kit or parts source. Also, it looks like the wheel bearings were getting hot - inside and outside. I'll pick up some new ones tomorrow morning. Once I get the passenger side rebuilt, I'll move to the driver side. I expect I will find the same story there.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

My commute to work is about 5 miles one way.
I live on a hill I have only 3 stop signs I don`t really have any brake problems I have more problems with the lines just being destroyed by the liquid brine.

Pictures of what your seeing would be great.

Fenris

Here's a couple pictures showing what the back side of the passenger side rotor looked like and what the spring and follower pawl looked like. I didn't get a shot of the orange, frothy, rust filled grease - I'd still be trying to get it off of my phone.

The inside pad on the passenger side must have hung up to create that surface on the rotor. The pad had some scoring, but very little wear. When I pulled the axle hub, some of the crud had gotten as far as the outer wheel bearing, plus the retaining nuts were a bit loose. After cleaning the bearings, I could see that they were discolored, so I replaced, inner, outer and seal. Put it all back together and everything is torqued per FSM. Rotor was replaced as were the pads. Caliper seemed fine.

Driver's side probably was fine, but I pulled it all apart, re-packed the bearings and torqued it to spec. Rotor was in reasonable shape, but I replaced it and the pads anyway.

I'm glad to say that the juddering when breaking is gone now. I think I'll open up everything again next summer and make sure the bearing retaining nuts are still at torque spec. I'll also clean and re-lube the pad slides, etc.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

I am curious just how you got water in the Hub ??

Where the bearings that loose on the spindle that water got in??

About the only way or do you do a lot of water crossings??

Was this parked where water or snow was up over the hubs??

Fenris

The rust was worst in the front of the locking hub just under the selector dial, so I'm assuming that the water got in past the selector knob seal. Maybe it wasn't seated correctly? The water didn't get back into the spindle and the spindle nuts weren't loose enough that you could feel any lateral play.

I don't offroad, so water crossings aren't a possibility. No snow up over the hubs for any period of time. All I can think is pressurized water at the car wash? Also, the detent ball bearing is missing in the selecor dial. I measured the other side at 0.124", so I ordered some 1/8" ball bearings. We'll see if one fits.