If you’ve been following my posts, I’ve been tackling the brake system with the help of this wonderful forum. Completed the brake pads, rotors, and two new calipers/brackets on the front this past Friday.

today I took her for its first test drive, up and down some hills, total of about 15-20 very scary miles.

first thing I noticed was some odd noise, a clicking that came and went. I believe it’s the dust shield, it’s old and rusted and when I put the wheel on after finishing the brakes and spun it, it rubbed on the caliper a bit. Do I really need the dust protector? Seems like a unnecessary part plus it’s a bit rusted and flimsy.

my big question is, is smelling a bit of burning bad? I’ve seen smoking pads, I’ve seen stuck calipers, and I do not believe this is what’s going on. Do the pads just need some time to grind down to a perfect fitment in the caliper? I really don’t want to jack it take the wheel off and keep messing with it. Some of the pads went in a bit stiff, I was told through these forums that’s a by product of modern production vs the old components on the truck. What do you guys thinks going on?

Ultimately the truck stops, didn’t get it up to 65-70mph on a highway but I got it around 30-40mph and they work. E brake works as well

 

I have been able to bend those dust covers back out of the way so far. You should not be smelling burnt anything. Go for a short ride and check your brake temps with an infrared thermometer. I do not recall what is normal but if you are running hot, you will know it.

 

I usually see 150° - 225° after stopping my truck and 5th wheel trailer at a fuel stop or rest stop. I saw 806° one time after my caliper seized and I drove a couple of miles to the campground. That was a fun time trying to back the 5th wheel in with a seized left front brake...

You may be bedding in the pads, but there should be very little odor coming from the pads or rotors.

Did you get a spring or parking brake kit from a parts store? If not, I would not be pushing on that parking brake pedal until the correct parts were installed. Those springs help retain the pads inside the interior (hat) of the rear rotor.

 

You sure you're smelling something burning or is it just a faint smell of brake pads. Some do smell a bit when bedding in, others don't. The protective coating also put on new discs, the stuff you don't clean off before install, can also smell.

As Sous just eluded to and seeing your previous posts, did you get the E brake sorted with the new spring and is it adjusted correctly? I know you said it's working well, but If they are not set up right and rubbing whist driving they will definitely heat up and probably start smelling.

 

i have not fixed that e brake spring yet! I noticed some of the usual new brake smell in the front, and today I noticed it in the rear right. Got out and you could smell it in the air, and it was very strong from that wheel. That rotor that smelled also was pretty hot to the touch. Going to give it a day or two for the pads to cure, until I start digging in figuring out what’s up.

 

So exactly which brakes got hot? Do the rotors show any signs of overheating, like discoloration?

Get the E brake put back together to cross it off the list of potential problems.

Did the brake pads fit into the caliper easily? Too snug and they cannot slide back off the rotor. I did the front brakes on a Jeep recently and the new pad clips were poorly made and the pads were far too tight. Ended up reusing the old clips so the pads could move normally.

Also make sure the slide pins are lubed and allow the caliper to move. That is a very common problem.

 

It sounds like the E Brake pads are rubbing. They are basically a drum brake inside the rear disc rotors . So if that springs come out , I would imagine the pads are dislodged and now burning up as you are driving along. Hence why the rotor is getting hot and the smell