Dragging front brakes. $#@!

Hey, I discovered today that the hybrid GM/Ford brakes on my front Dynatrac D44 are dragging slightly on the right side. I've been noticing over the past few weeks a tendency for the Jeep to drift to the right slightly. Figured I knocked something out of spec on the rocks. Today I drove it about

50 miles to the trails above Silverton, CO and it was acting unusually squirrelly on the mountain roads heading up there, pulling to the right. I started to wonder if a bearing was going in the right front, so when I got to town I put my hand on the right front hub and it was hot as Hell, while the left front was cool. I headed back home, pulled the r.f. wheel and found the right side pads worn about twice those on the left. All this wear seems to have happened in the last few weeks. I pulled the right front hub/rotor and the bearings were perfect. I went ahead and cleaned & repacked them and reinstalled everything with a new seal. The piston on the right front caliper seemed a bit hard to open up, so it seems it's applying ok, but not releasing completely. Oddly the brakes never pull one way or the other, always stop straight & true, no squeals, etc.

Dynatrac said the calipers are for a 1971 - 78 Chevy/GMC K10/K20 pickup, while the rotors are from a '79 F250. Anyone ever had any trouble with these GM calipers? It's a real bummer, as the brakes have been great up until now and I can't figure what might have happened. The fluid is fresh and nothings been whacked. Any ideas are welcomed, as it is I'll head to the NAPA store for a rebuilt caliper tomorrow.

Reply to
Jerry McG
Loading thread data ...

Jerry McG did pass the time by typing:

Check the caliper bolts/slides to see if they are worn and have notches.

Dirt or sludge in the caliper bore can prevent the piston from returning when you let off the brake. Or the piston seal could be catching. Hard to tell without taking it apart.

Reply to
DougW

Reply to
L.W.(ßill) Hughes III

They looked like new.

when you let off the brake. Or the piston seal could be catching. Hard to tell without taking it apart.>

Must have gotten soemthing in the piston bore. Weird part is they don't grab or pull to the right when braking. I'm guessing they release but not all the way.

Reply to
Jerry McG

Reply to
RoyJ

Jerry McG did pass the time by typing:

The wear is teeny tiny, just enough so the caliper tends to float to one side and drag the disc. run a fingernail along the slide, that will let you know quickly.

Long shot, but if you wheel where it's muddy, dirt can build up behind the pad and it won't retract properly, the heat then cooks the mud solid. Usually the brake shield and tire rim keeps debris out.

Reply to
DougW

I pulled the caliper today and the piston was frozen, I culdn't move it back in at all. Also, the anti-squeal shim on the fixed side pad had pulled loose from the pad backing plate and was slightly distorted.

The fluid is new, however I found some small metal particles in the drain pan I put under it. I flushed a buch of fluid through the the line into a glass container and didn't find anything in it, so I assume the crud came out of the old caliper. Despite the fact that the paads were twidce as worn on the right side as the left, the rotors are identical thickness..weird, musta been pretty soft pads.

Anyway, on went the new caliper from NAPA and a fres set of pads on both sides. The axles have been on there for over 20k miles and the pads on the drivers side were virtually identical thicjness to the ones out of the box. Amazing how litle work 3/4 ton brakes do ano a 1/4 tone vehicle. ;-)

Drove it a lot today to bed in the new pads and everything seems fine. Just seems odd to me the thing semi-siezed like that. Never seen anything like it before.

Reply to
Jerry McG

Reply to
L.W.(ßill) Hughes III

It appeared to be metal, as did the piston on the new one.

Now, next questioon for GM experts: The old pads had a retailing spring clip that holds the piston side pads to the piston. There weren't any new ones in the box with the new pads, so I transferred the old ones. The clips push the pads ever so slightly past the edge of the rotor and I'm wondering if that clip is unnecessary. Stopped by my local Jeep / GMC dealer yesterday and they found that the factory had discontinued the clip as a replacement part. Hmmmm, maybe I shoulda tossed the clips, wadddya think?

thickness..weird,

Reply to
Jerry McG

Reply to
L.W.(ßill) Hughes III

Jerry McG did pass the time by typing:

I believe what goes in should match what comes out. That clip helps pull the pad back and holds it to the piston.

Reply to
DougW

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.