Hi am At 54K miles and have developed a pulsating in the brake pedal, I already changed out the pads all around with ford heavy duty pads about a year ago. What is the best way to determine what wheel is causing the pulsation?
Thanks

 

The rotors may be bad. It could also be the ABS system. On the rotors you can remove the wheels and rotate the rotors. Sometimes you can see it wobble. Most likely its the fronts that do that because they do most of the stopping. You need to check the rears also just because there is a chance of a dragging brake situation causing heat buildup.

 

Thanks, Its actually more than a pulsation I can feel the brake pedal going up and down like what feels like an inch as I am coming to a stop.

 

Related to the previous post, it's likely a rotor, but you don't have to remove the wheels. Just jack up each wheel so it clears the ground and you can spin it. The wheel should rotate with uniform resistance from the pads. You'll feel a warped rotor increase the resistance/drag on spinning the wheel. In your case, since it's causing the pedal to pulse, you'll probably find the offending rotor stops the wheel from spinning when you spin it by hand.

 

Thanks Ill do that. I guess ill order oem parts if needed.

 

It probably is a warped rotor, but you need to find the cause of the problem. Usually overheating. Bad caliper, stuck slide pins, etc.

 

thanks when I locate the rotor ill check the other components.

 

It was the front drivers side, it had a tight spot when spinning the wheel, I replaced all 4 rotors and pads, The pads were all like new but the rotors were rotted, I had to use a 3lb sledge to get them off and chucks wee flying off of them.

 

Mine has been doing it for quite a while, probably about 500 miles ago. I only have just over 42k miles. I figured it was something with my rotors. Talked to my buddy who does the work I don't want to anymore and he said warped rotors. He also said it's common with the heavy pickups and since I live in a hilly area, they will wear quicker. So I ordered this kit so I have the rears if and when I need them:

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...345244&jsn=849

for about ($353) $450 total with shipping and tax. I wanted to go with the slotted and drilled but he sent me a picture of a rotor from a daily driver that just fell apart after it started to pit at the holes in the rotor. These also come with a 24k mile or 24 month warranty. I'll definitely hit the miles first. We shall see how they last or don't but I could resist the price.

 

Drilled rotors are prone to cracking at the holes. They are mostly for race cars because they change the brakes quite often. Rotors with dimples are way better for the street just not sure about on a heavy truck. Personally slotted may be a better choice. The pads have a lot to do with braking. If you live in a hilly area and use your brakes a lot because of stop signs bigger may be better because they may dissipate heat better to cut down on warping.

 

I


used these AC Delco rated for severe dury and towing and coated for rust protection and motorcraft severe duty pads.

 

I saw these on Rock Auto when I was shopping for mine. I went with Power Stop's complete set here:

Power Stop front and rear set CRK6405:

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...345244&jsn=342

POWER STOP CRK6405 Z17 Evolution Geomet® Coated Kit Click Info for full list of components. Info
Front and Rear; 4WD; With Single Rear Wheels - Excluding Wide Track Front Suspension









$369.79

I ordered it on June 3rd and it was 353 dollars. I guess it went up a little since then...WOW.

I wanted to have the rear set in case I needed it. I took it to a buddy's shop to have them deal with it as my driveway isn't flat and the jack stands have sunk into the black top before.Plus I didn't feel like doing them...The front pads were just about at the backing plate on the insides. The inside rotor surfaces were pitted. Welcome to the rust belt, metal. The rear pads were still good but the inside surfaces were pitting also. I'll post pics later. The Z17 pads have a break in procedure that I did once I got closer to home on the country roads. Jim, the mechanic took it for a ride and did 6 hard braking cycles but never stopped during them. Being a follower of OVERKILL, I did what they called for also. You can smell the resin getting hot in those ceramic pads alright. I guess as long as I get at least 42k miles like the OEM stuff, I'd be happy. Time will tell.

My buddy Chris who owns the shop showed me a picture of a slotted and drilled rotor ofa daily driver were it started pitting around the holes, then metal actually came off the rotors. That kept me from buying those slotted AC Delco rotors because of the effect of salt here. Good luck with them.

I'll post pics later.

 

Here's a shot of the insides of the original factory front rotors.

 

Hey gsxr, what did your old rotors look like? Not trying to hijack your thread, I just figured that we didn't need another brake thread here.

Anyone else have brake Rotors look like this?

 

They looked the same chunks were flying off the rotors when I was trying to get them off.