Man, I don't know why these brakes up front work work right. On the 98, I replaced both rotors with Napa Premiums, reman Calipers, Bendix Ceramics and really lubed the caliper bushings. In Sept last year, I did the above. By last week, the drivers side had a hell of a hop when I applied the brakes. It was pretty bad. I figured the rotor was warped. The only reason would be possibly the calipers were dragging? Bad rotor? Screwed all that and today I replaced the rotor, reman caliper, and pads on that one axle. The darn thing started out smooth. By the time I made it home, 20 miles and some hills later, the darn thing is beginning to hop again!!!!

Guys, please, tell me what to do here....

Tom

 

Have you been adjusting the rears? The "self adjusters" on those trucks never lived up to thier name.

 

try bleeding your calipers. Sometimes a little air pocket will cause the calipers to drag a little and run hot. If your brake fluid is dark in color, flush the entire system. The dark color indicates the fluid is getting moisture in it and starting to rust. This causes the fluid to boil at a lower temp and create its own air. DOT 3 fluid is std, but DOT 4 fluid has a higher boiling point and is better for severe duty applications.

 

When we bled them tonite, the fluid looked pretty clear, kinda like oil when new. If the drivers side is hopping or pulseing, does that mean I need to replace that rotor again?

Man, THIS sucks...
Tom

 

You could have a front wheel bearing that is worn out and wobbling.

 

Check your shocks. And as Bill stated the wheel bearing, I change out the caliper bushings every other time I do front brakes. Goodluck,,Rick

 

ok,

Here's what I want to do.

1. bleed with dot 4 Valvoline synthetic Brake fluid
2. change to a new set of front pads (ceramics)
3. turn rotors on the vehicle
4. replace both front wheel bearings
5. replace caliper bushings

Anything else?

Tom

 

I would skip #2 &3.
Don't turn the rotors unless they are scored, if they are warped the warp will likely come right back.
Ceramic pads are too hard and will wear out the rotors.
Better to replace pads than rotors. Use the cheapest Hawk pads from here>
www.tirerack.com

 

Thanks Infidel--

I will go ahead and do as you suggested.

These are the cheaper Hawk Pads. NOT the severe duty...

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brake...ar=&perfCode=S

Tom

 

You got it Tom. The HPS pads are best. The two more expensive grades that Hawk makes tend to squeak.

 

Infidel--
Just out of curiosity, how long (with daily driving and some boat towing) would you expect the pads to last? Kinda want to know if I need to get a second pair or if I can wait.

Tom

 

Tom, it depends on the type of driving you do, of course stop and go wears them out faster. My experience is a bad example since in my wide open spaces I can drive 500 miles easily without using the brakes. Current Hawks have over 100k on them and look new.
A guess would be that the Hawks will last a minimum of 40k.