Excursion right brake overheating, pulling left

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Feb 14, 2011 | 06:08 AM

PDA1

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Excursion right brake overheating, pulling left

My Excursion (PS 6.0L with 80k on it) used to pull to the left and shudder when braking. The quicker the deceleration the more it shuddered. Well, Friday the front end started to vibrate like crazy and the passenger side brake was steaming when I got home so I replaced the front passenger rotor and the passenger side hub.

After test driving it about 20 miles the shuddering came back and the right front rottor was steaming hot.

I had assumed that the rotor was warped and that the wheel bearing in the hub was wrecked.

I've read that warping rotors is a common problem on the F-250 and Excursions.....there are A LOT of complaints out there.

There are comments I've read on the web that folks have done the following;

- torqued the lug nuts to 150 ft-lbs.
- greased the caliper slides or replaced the caliper
- bought cryo-cross drilled- slotted rotors
- changed the hydraulic fluid up to DOT 5 or something
- followed a "bedding" procedure to adjust the new rotors (speed up to 20 and slow to 5.....several times)

I want this problem fixed and to not come back.

Any ideas what to do?

Feb 14, 2011 | 06:10 AM

Airslot

Senior User

Joined: Dec 2004

Posts: 123

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From: Greenbackville, VA

Sound like your problem was a sticking rf caliper to me.

Feb 14, 2011 | 06:14 AM

PDA1

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Thanks.....I'll give it a try.

What do you think? Should I just junk the caliper and put a new one on or "grease" the slides?

Feb 14, 2011 | 07:00 AM

taylorj

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Joined: Dec 2005

Posts: 14

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From: SE MI

Might as well go buy two new calipers, pads and rotors. You'll have to do it eventually. I had to replace mine less than 5,000 miles apart, and most people with super duties have a similar experience. Just bite the bullet, spend the $300 and get it over with.

Feb 14, 2011 | 09:36 AM

tdappleman

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: Sep 2002

Posts: 1,388

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From: Greensboro, NC

You're on the right track - except for DOT 5 fluid. It's silicon based and not recommended unless you can do a full flush of the old DOT 3/4 fluid currently there. This means the ABS pump as well which will require a bi-directional scan tool to perform. You can use 5.1 but I'd recommend a high quality DOT3/4 fluid like ATE Super Blue or Amber to get the higher temp ranges.

It does sound like the caliper was the culprit - could be just the slides binding but the heat will most likely have damaged the seals on the piston. I'd replace it along with the rotor and also new pads on both sides. A good rule of thumb is to replace the rotors in pairs as well since thickness variances can cause uneven braking (pulling) in some instances. To enhance braking performance - higher quality rotors and good pads are a must. You have many choices in both - I went with Napa Ultra Premium rotors in the front and Premiums in the rear along with Hawk LTS pads all the way around and have had zero issues in almost 18 months.

Feb 14, 2011 | 03:57 PM

golfmedik

Lead Driver

Joined: Jan 2008

Posts: 6,180

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From: Georgia

While you are there, go ahead and replace the rubber brake lines. Sometimes the come apart on the inside and hold pressures longer (sometimes don't release at all) and give the illusion of a sticking caliper. They are not expensive at all and worth doing while you have it apart.

Feb 14, 2011 | 08:45 PM

fuelman

Elder User

Joined: Dec 2004

Posts: 891

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From: Toulon,Il.

Make sure if you get your tires rotated at some shop to inform the service manager if they use an impact on them while reinstalling the wheels and it warps the rotors they will pay for all repairs. This is one of the biggest culprits of warped rotors. Hand torque the lugs.