The brakes were sounding like metal on metal. Three wheels in, some of the pads needed replaced but none were worn out. I got to the right rear wheel and the inside pad is worn to the bracket but the outside pad hardly looks worn at all.

I'm already replacing rotors, pads and calipers (I wasn't going to replace the rear rotors or calipers until I got to this wheel). Is there anything else I need to check because of such uneven pad wear?

 

Your slide pins are probably just seized, that's why you have the uneven wear. You shouldn't need to replace the calipers just free up the slide pins and keep them lubricated. The seized slide pins are common from what I've heard.

 

^^^^ What he said....

 

YES!!! The caliper slide pins are stuck. This is a MAINTENANCE item on all of these trucks and they need to be checked/lubricated on a regular basis to avoid this problem.

Each of the slide pins should be removed, cleaned and lubricated during a brake job. I prefer to use dielectric grease, but a quality 'caliper grease/lube' is fine. NEVER use axle grease or worse, anti-sieze here!!! Make certain all of the boots are intact are properly attached/sealed.

If a pin is hopelessly stuck, you can replace the bracket - available at autoparts.

These trucks' rotors typically don't respond well to 'resurfacing' - don't waste the $$ and time on this. If the rotors are warped or damaged, replace them. I prefer 'lifetime warranty' rotors from oriellys.

Brake pads make a HUGE difference in stopping performance and also in reducing rotor warping. After using lots of different pads over the years, I have never experienced anything like the stopping power and resistance to brake fade from EBC Yellowstuff pads. I tow HEAVY and often, so brakes are very important to me!!

 

I..................type................s l o w..................

Or just toooo much!!

 

I had two calipers slides stuck, one hopelessly and needed a new bracket.
Soooooo to prevent this from happening again I greased all 8 with what I had... axle grease!
Why is that bad?

 

It will run out when it gets hot (low melting point) and it can eat the rubber seals up. Iow's, short service interval. Keep an eye on them, you'll see.

It is soooooo easy to check slide pins - ya don't even have to remove the wheels!!!! All you do is loosen the bolt on slide pin until its almost out and then push pin in. If it slides easy, tighten the bolt and check the next one. (be sure the pin is seated on the caliper correctly!) If its sticky or doesn't glide smoothly, its time to pull the caliper and re-lube.

At LEAST look at pads during each tire rotation and check for uneven wear!!!! Ya shouldn't do tooo much damage in 5-6k miles...

 

Thanks for the info, next time i'm under there i'll clean and regrease

 

I find a slight cut each time to keep the rotors true does make a difference. Just me not right or wrong. Then again I always clean and replace brake parts a lot. The first brake job I do on any vehicle is normally a complete replacement from idiots cheating in the past. My Focus had 1 bolt missing from the hub and 3 part way out. I bought it from Coca Cola and they could not figure out why it clunked each time they braked. Duh.

Rotors are seldom straight even when new. Finding a great shop that will make minimal cuts is the key. I pay extra and they do a .001 cut first to see the damage. then we cut .002 each pass to keep it minimal. Pins fail a lot and eat up pads and rotors. I live in the mountains and this is the most commonly missed part with Ford trucks. My brakes last 30-50,000. My best friends truck is lucky to get 10,000. Pro shop tells him I lie and I tell him they cheat. Who is right? Doesn't matter I can stop when I need to he might not.

Take time to clean and grease with proper lubes so it does not spoil pads and clean the pads again right before sliding the rotor over top. Brake clean is cheap and will help in the long run.

Good luck. Like my dad used to say at the track, " So what if you have 300plus HP how quick can you stop?"

 

I don't wanna change your ways, but would like to explain why I disagree...

If one of these rotors is warped from use, even a little - turning them at all has a very short return at best (they will warp again, usually quickly). If they are not warped, there is little benefit, if any, to turning them. Of course, I choose pads that have a 'break in' coating on them that likely have a similar effect as your 'slight cut' - but the fact is todays vehicles seldom have enough meat on a rotor to turn them and retain adequate thickness.

Besides, I bought 'lifetime warranty' rotors over 250k miles ago when I bought my dually and over 100k miles ago for the Excursion - once and done. Now, when I change pads I often get new rotors for free.

I also live in the mountains and I tow heavy a lot. My pads last 50k+, even using the very aggressive Yellowstuff Pads - but I tend to use my brakes conservatively most of the time. I have not warped a rotor since using the EBC pads!! I have used OE pads, autoparts store 'premium' pads, 'ceramic' pads (100% the WORST stopping power).

When I was a kid and worked in a brake shop, I was taught to always turn rotors. Times have changed...

 

No harm done. I will always put my rotors on a lathe if for nothing else just to be sure they are true. I am yet in 35 years seen a rotor that is true. Many new rotors are precut ready to install. But when I put them on a lather I see they are not true. A dial gage is easy to use on a truck to check the rotor. Even Ford Service requires turning new and old rotors. I am not saying either of us is right or wrong. All I am saying even new precut rotors I am finding them to be out of round. Then we can go with varying thicknesses on the rotor too??? Yes many are not the same thickness all the way around. Pulsing drives me crazy when I do brake.

 

My rotors have 165K miles on them, I always use the cheapest pads out there (unless they have rivets in them,) and they do everything perfectly so I don't know what I am doing so right.

 

I will not tolerate 'pulsing' brakes. If I have an issue, it gets fixed immediately! The only warped Super Duty rotors I ever turned warped again in a short amount of time - there is some science to explain that. Dunno how it could hurt to take a little off a rotor that isn't warped - but once they are warped, they are scrap metal!!

Will you pick me up some lottery tickets???

 

Brent 40 years ago
<a href="http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/livinglarge1/media/image-27.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb354/livinglarge1/image-27.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo image-27.jpg"/></a>
Are those brakes by Docksiders?

 

Sorry Brent, just realized they have rivets.