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Ex and trailer fully loaded and on the way to the beach I smelled my brakes overheating. The right rear tire, rim was extremely hot. Made the conclusion that it was a sized brake caliper. I managed to.locate a new set of calipers and pads at Napa. I then limped the rig to a Target parking lot and made the repairs, both rear wheels. I was back on the road within 2 hours of noticing the issue. Vacation saved.
Two questions:
I did not have any problems with brakes prior to this one, no vibration issues, no pulsing, ect. I obviously did not have the rotors turned but I did not see any grooves or warping and it was 7 PM and there was no way I was getting that done in the middle of the trip. I did not have any issues while on the 700 mile vacation. Should I pull the rotors and have them turned?
I was looking at upgrading the brakes prior to this issue because of the travel trailer. What do you, FTE, recommend for the front brakes?
If your RR caliper hung up.... it's a good idea to flush your brake fluid. In addition... those rubber brake lines (5) have a life span and when they fail, sometimes they fail internally and will act as a check valve.
Start with braided stainless brake lines, biggest improvement you can make regardless of pad and rotor choices. I ran different types of rotors and pads. The last brake job I performed I used Motorcraft rotors and wagner heavy duty pads, worked great, installed the stainless lines, major major improvement over the new pads and rotors alone. Bedding your new pads and rotors is important too
Most of the problems I have had...and have seen on here...have been the right rear wheel. I suspect it is mostly due to old fluid that never gets flushed/bled by the owners. Brake fluid should be bled EVERY year to move fluid down through the system and get rid of old, worn-out fluid in the calipers. The fluid should be completely changed every other year. This will save you a lot of problems in the future. Dave is spot on with the rubber hoses. They were never intended to last forever.
Thank you all for the feedback. I will look into getting new brake lines and do a complete flush of the system.
I assume buying the brake lines in a kit would be cheaper and faster way to go. I will need to do more research, 10 minutes, on rock auto did not populate much for a kit.
Any specific recommendations for brands or where to get?
Russell makes a good kit. I bought mine from Summit Racing, as they had the best price on the kit. Get the one for the Super Duty trucks 2-4" lift.
Ditto, just don't trust the "right" & "left" labeling on the hoses for the front, many have been mislabeled, just hold it in place first to ensure the hose has the proper clearance and routing, it is pretty obvious once you have them in hand.
And yes on the full brake fluid flush, that alone will improve braking performance.
I assume buying the brake lines in a kit would be cheaper and faster way to go. I will need to do more research, 10 minutes, on rock auto did not populate much for a kit.
Any specific recommendations for brands or where to get?
Thanks,
RevoUSA
I ended up getting mine from Crown Performance. I talked to them directly. They make up the lines when you order them. You tell them the length and ends you need, and color if you want that. I got the 3 back and 2 fronts for $170.00