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In another thread, I mentioned that I had an antifreeze smell coming from my truck. As I was crawling around underneath, I noticed that the center of the inside of the front passenger rim looked like something has been rubbing. It is polished down to smooth, bare metal (kinda looks like what your brake rotors look like). The only thing I could think of rubbing that area is the brake caliper, but there is a gap between it and the rim all the way around.
I'll be taking it in to the dealer because I see this as a possible safety issue. Any thoughts or has anyone else had this happen?
Pictures are taken from the outside looking in through the rim.
Stock wheels? Its hard to see but it almost looks like the outside of the caliper is rubbing the inside of the wheel. Maybe the caliper is loose if wheels are still oem? If you can get underneath and look at the backside of the wheel then you should be able to visualize clearance or shake the caliper to see if its loose.
If there is nothing making contact, then you probably had a rock (or other hard debris) get caught in there. Once it and the wheel got worn down enough, it probably just fell out. That's a guess based on having seen it before, though it was on an ATV.
I would pull the wheel and check the caliper mounts. Is it possible that the caliper is loose on one side and swings out to contact the rim only while braking in reverse (or drive) and then returns to it's normal position when you change direction?
I made an appointment with the dealership next week and figure I'll let them look at it. I am fortunate that my dealer has a separate Truck Center that works on Super Duty's to School buses and RV's. I'll update everyone on what they find out.
Since it's under warranty, they will even give me a loaner.
