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I have had my fair share of dragging brakes, so far i have replaced both fronts twice and passenger rear twice and latest was drivers rear, plus replaced both front brake lines to eliminate hose possibilities. And yes it seems like fronts went out out of the blue, and rears i would notice over time and sometimes it would get to the point of the truck would start bucking it dragged so bad.
You have an '05 so it's going be a pistons issue most of the time. And when pistons are not free to retract the pads stay in contact with the rotor, rotor and pads grow with heat and developing a higher braking load cascading the issue. When the rotors get hot enough any difference in thickness just gets worse and the bucking starts between moderate to heavy "brake-on".
I didn't realize the 05 and up was mainly pistons, what changed when the front axle went coil spring?
The only other thing that has caused me problems was delamination in the rear hoses. It doesn't seem to be a problem with European vehicles so I'm glad someone mentioned it here when I had it. After changing everything else I was scratching my head...
In 1997 Akebono took the contract for the brake calipers of the P131 Superduty launch. TRW/Kelsey Hayes was lazy in the competition for the program, it’s was theirs prior, and they thought it was a wrap. Akebono was extremely responsive to design changes Ford wanted, TRW would tell them it wasn’t needed. The F-250/350 is coveted to suppliers, second to the F-150. So for the pickups and Excursion Akebono supplied the caliper design starting with the ‘99 product launch.
IMO and some others, that willingness to make changes hurt the future of the contract. Akebono was so anxious for the opportunity they were too willing to make knee-jerk reactions, changes to caliper pin and insulators for other companies issues, for me the biggest was the alteration of the front slide pins, it wasn't necessary and a reduction in ability.
The 2005 design level target of higher weight was an opportunity for TRW to make Ford an offer they couldn't refuse, the embarrassment of losing the contract to an Asian company was humiliating internally. They took the contract for the pickups and was now the supplier to the Superduty for the larger diameter calipers. They were the supplier of rotors since ’99.
The Excursion was not included as there were no plans to update the vehicle with a new frame to accommodate the changes need to support a coil spring suspension, too costly an investment of a vehicle whose fate was already decided by 2003. So it stayed with Akebono calipers.
There's something screwy with the TRW caliper pistons. I left the industry before the warranty got to engineering investigation point of 3% so I don't know the causation. It might be the piston supplier manufacturing, usually an aftermarket situation, but it's weird that it continues new and aftermarket. It may be the design of the piston sealing ring groove. It only takes 3% of people having issues for the issue to appear serious.
Unless you are in the brake industry at the design level, you normally don't pay attention to the groove design. Most just see it as a groove, some see it as a wider then o-ring groove with a tangential shape that compresses the o-ring for a tighter seal with more pressure, and helps in the retraction of the piston on brake release. All that is true, but there are a lot of subtle details. If you Google o-ring groove patents you find its an active field. Considering how many have had the problem and it continues on I tend to worry it was a ”not to worry” (first paragraph reference).
If there was an in-service change to the groove the caliper modification it would have been a change in the suffix of the part number, probably without any TSB or service notification. And if that was the case, any of the older design would get recycled through the rebuilding industry without any notice. On the caliper, itself would be no designation for a seal design change. But this is speculation on my part.
You could well be right about the caliper being at fault - the groove - as aftermarket pistons and seals would not be able to overcome it, which is why we still have these problems.
I noticed some time back that Summit Racing used to have a, IIRC, Brembo Caliper and rotor set that looked interesting and would maybe cure the problem but they don't advertise it anymore.
The grooves angles, the edge treatment, are all finally detailed items, and there are tons of different versions. It's quite a competition. Now take that detail and put it through an abrasive blaster for aftermarket cleaning. Although this (2005+) issue doesn't appear to be an aftermarket issue. But unless there was a TSB for a change in caliper design, rather then a normal part "Maturing" as we would call advances during production, aftermarket guys are never going to know the change.
These are the kinds of things I lived through and why I go off the deep end in detail.
You could well be right about the caliper being at fault - the groove - as aftermarket pistons and seals would not be able to overcome it, which is why we still have these problems.
I noticed some time back that Summit Racing used to have a, IIRC, Brembo Caliper and rotor set that looked interesting and would maybe cure the problem but they don't advertise it anymore.
The caliper setup I’ve seen at Summit Racing (and other places) is the SSBC caliper that works with stock rotors. It’s an opposed piston design with 8 pistons and uses a commonly available brake pad shape. You can find the front set for less than $1000 and the rear for less than $900. Expensive, but honestly tempting.
The other kit I know about is from TCE Performance. This kit uses Wilwood calipers and oversized rotors, requires 20” wheels. It’s around $4900 for the full system😳
The caliper setup I’ve seen at Summit Racing (and other places) is the SSBC caliper that works with stock rotors. It’s am opposed piston design with 8 pistons and uses a commonly available brake pad shape. You can find the front set for less than $1000 and the rear for less than $900. Expensive, but honestly tempting.
The other kit I know about is from TCE Performance. This kit uses Wilwood calipers and oversized rotors, requires 20” wheels. It’s around $4900 for the full system😳
They're the ones. I was seriously considering them the second time I started getting hot brakes, but what with shipping and customs costs in addition to the price I decided that regular brake work would be less painful.
Brakes are working really well now, after the front calipers got stripped and cleaned last month, and I'm hoping it stays that way for a while. Annual inspection is in spring so it should be one less thing to worry about.
I replaced the rear calipers, rotors and pads 13,500 miles ago and again just last week on my 2006. The right rear caliper was hung. The slid pins were fine but one of the pistons was frozen. I have new rear brake lines to put on as well but haven't gotten around to it.
The rust and brake dust discoloration is what I noticed more than anything. I let it go for a few thousand miles more than I should have. I just didn't have the time to deal with it.
There was a slight pull but nothing that made me hold on for dear life. The pull only showed up under moderate to heavy braking.
Man, I was just thinking...I’ve replaced 4 front calipers and now 4 rear calipers since I’ve bought this Excursion in Feb 2015. All calipers I’ve replaced have been due to piston issues, slides still moving smoothly. I’ve only had to pay once due to the Advance Auto warranty, but the aggravation adds to it. And the suddenness of the fronts going bad is an issue. If I’d had to pay for each new caliper, along with the pads, that would add up to not much less than an axle set of the SSBC calipers. Throw in the aggravation and the SSBC’s seem like an even better deal. If this keeps up and I become a little more “financially solvent” that may be the route I take.
The $15 tube of Silicone Ceramic Grease solved the problems for me and the trucks I worked on.
Theres no way I'd spend that kind of money and still have a chance of corrosion.
