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Ranger truck brakes

I have a '95 Ford Ranger. I know that on most vehicles, when the brake pads get to the point they need replaced, the brakes will start squeaking constantly.

On my truck, they will squeak a little in the morning (which I'm guessing is from dew, cause it quits). They will also squeak and grab a little when driving the truck after sitting a while. Once I've been driving for a while, they might squeak a little, but not all the time.

Do the brakes need to be squeaking all the time to let you know that they need replaced? Also, I know if you don't change them you can damage the rotor. Will you notice if you have worn passed the brake pad and are into the rotor?

Thanks.

Reply to
Scott
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If you have not had your brakes checked recently, you should. Your squeaking might not be serious, but noise alone is not the measure of wear. If you are able to remove a wheel you can at least check the front brakes. You can even sometimes check disk brakes by looking through any cutouts in the wheel or from the back. Really though, the wheels should be pulled to check everything. Some shops will do this for free or a nominial fee.

Reply to
Al Bundy

As a pepboys employee I know that Pepboys will do a FREE break check if you have one near you.

Reply to
Big Daddy

On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 09:07:03 -0400, Big Daddy rearranged some electrons to form:

If someone that works at Pep Boys doesn't know the difference between "brakes" and "breaks" I would suggest you take it elsewhere.

Reply to
David M

How do you check the front brakes for wear? When I take the wheel off I see the caliper. How much room should be between the caliper and the disc? Am I look at this right?

Thanks.

Reply to
Scott

Scott, if you don't know what to look for you should have someone else help look with/for you. The rotor and the pads should appear to be touching. Actually, there is a slight space there for the rotor to turn, but the pads don't back off much after you take your foot off the brake. The brake pads are attached to metal plates that the caliper pushes on. The pad itself is about 3/8" thich or so when new, but you can only use it down to about 1/8" before replacing because there are rivets holding it to the plate. So to inspect wear you check the thickness of that pad all around. The inside pad often wears much faster. There are other functional parts there that should be checked also. I recommend that you see a professional and be prepared for a brake job.

Reply to
Al Bundy

Remove the pad, then use a depth gauge to see how thick it is. (someone already gave more details on that)

There shouldn't be much room at all, and this gap should not change over the life of the pad. As the pad wears thinner, the piston in the caliper simply sticks out farther (and doesn't retract as far when you let up on the pedal). This is why you may need to add brake fluid over the life of the pad -- when the piston sticks out farther it leaves an empty space behind it that must be filled with fluid, hence the lower level in the reservoir.

HTH,

-D

Reply to
Derrick 'dman' Hudson

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