Got out of my 99 Ranger today and noticed a burning smell. I narrowed it to the front brakes, the rims are actually quite hot to the touch and I imagine the rotors are really hot. I haven't noticed this before and I was not driving hard. There seems to be lots of pad and I just did pads and rotors about 10000 km and 9 months ago. Is this a sign that something is wrong or is it normal for brakes to get this hot and I just never noticed it before? The brakes feel fine and there is no pulsing?

Thanks guys

 

You should not be able to smell your brakes unless you smell them immediately after very heavy usage. Maybe your calipers are not releasing, which would cause the condition that you are explaining. Try this: Jack the vehicle up and have a helper firmly apply the brakes. While you are trying to turn the front wheel, (which should be locked up) have your helper release the brakes. If the wheel doesn't spin free immediately after the pedal is released, you have problems.

 

Thanks for the quick reply, I was also wondering if I may have a caliper problem but the condition is with both wheels which might seem odd for both sides to be sticking. But if I do have a sticking caliper what is the fix and the costs?
Thanks again.

 

As far as cost goes, it's anybody's guess depending on what they find. Been through this myself and it was siezed piston in the caliper due to moisture. I found out the hard way that its a good idea to bleed the system ever couple of pad changes to get rid of any water that may have found its way in. I always do my own brakes and I always clean the sliding surfaces on the knuckle and calipers with sandpaper and grease them with wheel bearing grease prior to reassembly. Rebuilding the piston portion of the caliper is a joke. I used to just buy reman calipers when in doubt but found it to be fun to get the kit and redo them myself. If your not that inclined, go with reman calipers. Your rims shouldn't be getting hot at all except maybe in extreme conditions. If they've gotten that hot, you've probably blued the rotors and they'll not seat properly to new pads. You may decide to get them turned.

The fact that both sides are suffering is a special concern. I'm wondering if your master cylinder is jamming on you which in my experience would be rare, but would explain that. I'm not sure how you would check for that, but maybe someone will chime in whith some suggestions.

Fred

 

Thanks, is rebuilding the calipers difficult? I am trying to save as I can.

 

rebuilt calipers are cheap hardly worth the effort of rebuilding the old ones

 

You beat me to it Bob, It's actually hard to find the kits anymore. I remember pricing the kits vs the remans and it seemed hardly worth it. I got the kits because I needed something for my idle hands(the devil and all). I also rebuilt my carbs years ago just for sh#ts and giggles, and wasn't all that disappointed when it didn't seem to do much good.

Fred