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Message started by EJID on 11/14/11 at 12:43:02

Title: Brakes...
Post by EJID on 11/14/11 at 12:43:02

Not bike related, but the brakes on my Tahoe had been pulsing for quite a while and I figured the rotors were a bit warped, so I would get them turned next time I needed to check my brakes. This last Friday I went to take my daughter to school and it wasn't just a pulsing, but I heard grinding and figured the indicators were dragging and needed to swap them out.

Saturday morning I tore into it and found the inside pad on the passenger side was completely gone :o

http://i1030.photobucket.com/albums/y366/ericandmaggie/Misc%20Album/1112111433.jpg

Since there was damage to the rotor, I decided to swap both front rotors and put in new pads.

http://i1030.photobucket.com/albums/y366/ericandmaggie/Misc%20Album/1112111432.jpg

No more pulsing and stops on a dime (relatively speaking-this is still a full size SUV)

Title: Re: Brakes...
Post by Serowbot on 11/14/11 at 13:02:55

... a really big dime, for an SUV...

... just don't stop on my Geo Metro... ;D...

Title: Re: Brakes...
Post by houstonbofh on 11/14/11 at 14:11:56

3127302D35202D36420 wrote:

... a really big dime, for an SUV...

Well dimes were bigger in the old days... You could even buy a gallon of gas with one!

Title: Re: Brakes...
Post by verslagen1 on 11/14/11 at 14:39:32

Why's the piston side so much smaller?
don't seem right to me even though it matches what's taken out.
but there's your reason for more wear on that side.

Title: Re: Brakes...
Post by EJID on 11/14/11 at 15:19:59

7E6D7A7B64696F6D6639080 wrote:

Why's the piston side so much smaller?
don't seem right to me even though it matches what's taken out.
but there's your reason for more wear on that side.

I agree, the 1 pad was worn down to nothing and all 3 other pads were semi-reasonable. The pads I took off were from the first time I have ever changed them myself and I think I must have messed it up some because they should've worn more evenly. I learned this time that the 2 bolts that hold the calipers on the rotor actually float when they are completely torqued down. I didn't realize that last time and think that 1 of them must have got bound up and was no longer floating like it should've. I made sure to lube everything up real well to avoid that happening again.

This is my daily driver when I am not able to ride the MC, so with winter arriving I will be driving it much more for the next few months.

Title: Re: Brakes...
Post by EJID on 11/14/11 at 15:22:24

415245445B5650525906370 wrote:

Why's the piston side so much smaller?
don't seem right to me even though it matches what's taken out.
but there's your reason for more wear on that side.

I just realized what you meant 1 side smaller than the other...just the way Chevy does it I guess. My prior comment was regarding the thickness of the pads. 3 out of the 4 pads looked like they had several thousand miles left on them, but the 1 pad was completely gone.

Title: Re: Brakes...
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/14/11 at 16:28:25

Youll find the tires worn where they were hitting the pavement as the warp on the rotor passed thru the caliper. Put them on the back,

Title: Re: Brakes...
Post by verslagen1 on 11/14/11 at 16:58:57

just like our brakes, when the pads wear uneven, grease the slides.

Title: Re: Brakes...
Post by RidgeRunner13 on 11/14/11 at 18:04:38

+1

Whenever you have a single piston caliper, be sure it slides easily on the mounting bolts or you will wear one pad more than the other & it creates extra drag on that wheel. A sticking caliper will wear both pads the same & really drag badly. Doesn't matter what it's on. 8-)

Title: Re: Brakes...
Post by bill67 on 11/14/11 at 18:31:42

When you get older you don't hot rod as much,So you really don't step on the brakes very hard,So it good when you back up to hit the brakes some to keep them sliding good.That way they will wear more even and it also adjusts the brakes.

Title: Re: Brakes...
Post by drums1 on 11/16/11 at 06:40:43

Seen it a million times over 23 years working on cars. When doing my own, I always make sure to lube everything whether it needs it or not. And make sure things are sliding right before reassembling. I also replace the hardware kits. Amazing the crap those little rubber boots actually keep out. And that's directly related to what causes them to freeze up in the 1st place. Not to mention any springs, anti-rattle clips, etc.. Warped rotors sometimes take a lot of machining to true them up. Considering the wear that's already on them, you need to be careful and make sure they're not undersize after machining. They may still stop the vehicle, but they can overheat, causing loss of braking power. I usually just replace them, as most rotors are fairly cheap. (Ya, some of the trucks and such are a little more expensive, but I'm safety minded when it comes to stopping a couple tons of metal.)

And yes, Bill, backing up a lot is how rear drum brakes adjust. If the starwheel adjusters aren't froze up. (they need lube too) Rear disc brakes usually have a self adjusting mechanism built into the caliper piston. About 1/2 of them need replacing once they get rusted up. Chrysler had the best setup. The rears worked the same as the fronts. Just make sure everything is lubed and sliding and your good to go.