Check your brakes...

Mac5005

Mac5005

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2005
Location
Rocky Mount
On my last trip to Harlan, both heading there and coming back, my brakes on truck felt very inadequate. I experienced more fade than normal, and a definite reduction in stopping power. I have made this trip before with a 1999 2500 suburban, and a 2001 2500 suburban, both pulling the same load, my 5k lbs YJ on the same 2k lbs trailer.

My truck is an 04 2500 Avalanche, with pretty much all the same brake parts as the 01 suburban.

I finally got time this past weekend to tear into it, and see what was wrong, and get it fixed.
 
Driver Side Front

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the brakes were not worn to the indicators yet. No squealing or grinding or any other problems. It appears at some point the rotors rusted badly, and the areas not shiny on the rotor face, the rust eroded the pad.

The rusty areas are higher than the areas of contact, and the areas on the pads that matched the rust are worn more, than the areas being used for stopping.

With the reduction of surface area actually used for friction, its easy to see how I experienced reduced stopping power and faster fade, along with the glazed and cracking pads.


These are factory original pads and rotors with 106000 miles.
 
My dodge was similar. Not the rust, but it had factory pads on the rear and probably the second set up front. Still plenty of meat on the pads, but the caliper pistons were shot, causing the pads to apply unevenly. Empty, it was fine, but put any weight on it, and they faded quickly.

I had about 100 or 120k on it at the time.
 
So I replaced rotors and pads, and stops tons better. My point to all this, I have never seen brakes wear in this way. As a family we have/had several 2500 suburbans and have never seen this. We had a 1993, and currently have a 1997, 2- 1999's, and a 2001, and my 2004 2500 Avalanche, and none have had this issue.

So next time you rotate your tires, and check your pads, make sure to really inspect both sides of the rotor as well. I had been checking the pads through the hole in the caliper, and they were worn but had life left. Its a task to see between the dust shield and the inner rotor, but worth it.

My only guess, is that the previous owner in Central VA, used the vehicle in the winter and was subject to road salt, and the dust shields prevent the salt from being washed away form road spray or car wash, and caused the excessive rust on the inner side of the rotor. Typically the pads clean any rust off the rotors, but I guess the rust was so severe, that it just eroded the pads instead.

Here is the new stuff. I wanted to upgrade to drilled and slotted, but didn't want to wait a week for the Rock Auto parts to arrive, so I went with stock replacement rotors, and ceramic pads, which should be an "upgrade" to just get the brakes to work as they should. The factory pads were ceramic as well.

Pads

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with new wear "abutement" clips

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I also found there is a difference between the 2500 Rotors and 3500/4500 rotors. Dimensionally everything is the same, but the 3500 rotors are 5 lbs heavier, and have thicker wear surfaces. Overall width is the same, but the width of vent is wider on the 2500. Decided to go with the 3500 ones.
 
If you've got floating calipers, make sure to check and grease the caliper slide pins as well. Calipers that can't slide make all kinds of uneven wear problems.
 
Dang...just did a 2500HD brake swap on my front Ford 60. I'll have to get some 3500 rotors next time they need replacing!
 
Fabrik8 said:
If you've got floating calipers, make sure to check and grease the caliper slide pins as well. Calipers that can't slide make all kinds of uneven wear problems.
Click to expand...


Yep did that, the bolts were still greasy upon disassembly.

The worst was the factory yellow lock-tite on the caliper brackets.

I went out today and bought 1/2 drive impact ujoint stubby 6 point sockets. Needed them to be able to get the impact on the bolts, as the leaf spring is completely in the way.

Doing those with a wrench and another wench for leverage, and then a ratchet wrench brought the suck.

Too close to get a socket/breaker bar on them.


Also here is a tip.

On the rear, Remove the lower caliper bracket bolt, and caliper bolt first with an impact.

Then loosen top caliper bracket bolt. This is the bad one, lock tite plus super tight.

Then pivot caliper up to be able to get torx bit on the upper caliper bolt.

Next mod will be removing the factory torx head caliper bolts in the rear. First guess is to use front 18mm hex head caliper bolts in the rear.

The bolt is threaded near the head, with a stepped shank for the caliper I float on. I will have to make sure the dimensions are the same on the bolts.

Torx fasteners bring the suck. Worst case, I will pull them and tig some grade 8 nuts to them.
 
Mac5005 said:
Yep did that, the bolts were still greasy upon disassembly.

The worst was the factory yellow lock-tite on the caliper brackets.

I went out today and bought 1/2 drive impact ujoint stubby 6 point sockets. Needed them to be able to get the impact on the bolts, as the leaf spring is completely in the way.

Doing those with a wrench and another wench for leverage, and then a ratchet wrench brought the suck.

Too close to get a socket/breaker bar on them.


Also here is a tip.

On the rear, Remove the lower caliper bracket bolt, and caliper bolt first with an impact.

Then loosen top caliper bracket bolt. This is the bad one, lock tite plus super tight.

Then pivot caliper up to be able to get torx bit on the upper caliper bolt.

Next mod will be removing the factory torx head caliper bolts in the rear. First guess is to use front 18mm hex head caliper bolts in the rear.

The bolt is threaded near the head, with a stepped shank for the caliper I float on. I will have to make sure the dimensions are the same on the bolts.

Torx fasteners bring the suck. Worst case, I will pull them and tig some grade 8 nuts to them.
Click to expand...

I usually don't have a problem once they're broken free the first time and then torqued to non-superhuman levels with a torque wrench. I don't know how the factory gorillas get things that tight on the assembly line.
 
Fabrik8 said:
I usually don't have a problem once they're broken free the first time and then torqued to non-superhuman levels with a torque wrench. I don't know how the factory gorillas get things that tight on the assembly line.
Click to expand...
Its the locktite. At work I'll heat them for 30-45 seconds on the head with a regular propane hand held torch like you'd solder plumbing with. Break them loose then they'll just screw right out with a ratchet wrench.
 
Hope you have better luck with the Wagner thermo quiet brakes than I have. Put a set on my wife's Yukon and my 07 2500 and both sets never stopped squealing.
 
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