uneven brake pad wear???

[Chris142]

20k ago i did the front brakes on my f250. I did new calipers,lines,pads, bearings and i cleaned the slides and lubed everything up with brake grease where things slide.

The truck has already worn the passengers side pads down to 1\32nd!the dr side is still 70/80%. What did i miss? I normally get 100k out of brakes and they always wear even.

 

[Rand]

new calipers or reman "new" calipers?

 

[Chris142]

Reman calipers. Cardon junk lol.but a caliper is simple

 

[mrsilv04]

My first guess is that you've got a caliper dragging, or not fully retracting on the passenger side.

 

[doitmyself]

Maybe the flexible brake line has interior damage, causing it to act as a valve of sorts, not releasing the piston??

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Reman calipers. Cardon junk lol.but a caliper is simple


If they were simple all rebuilds would be cheap.

If the slides are fine I would try compressing the piston, and see how much resistance there was.

 

[shDK]

Did you squeez the brakehoses with a welding plier or something like it when you changed the calibers ? That can cause the problems your describe if you damage the steel in the hose.

 

[KB2008X]

It's possible that a very weak caliper on one side, one that was doing little to no braking, would cause the other side to wear rapidly, but that should have been noticeable by the vehicle pulling to the one side when braking, in your case the passenger side.

A poor reman job on the caliper, causing a sticking piston or a piston that is otherwise not retracting properly, is definitely something to consider. The outfits that rebuild calipers get a lot of pressure to deliver rebuilt calipers for the lowest possible price. They cut corners on parts, processes and people so it's no surprise they ship some poorly rebuilt calipers.

The inside lining of brake hoses can and will collapse restricting the back flow of fluid. Particularly if the hose was bent to tightly or was clamped during a previous brake job. Also, check the steel lines to make sure they haven't been crushed, causing a restriction at that point.

However, a sticking caliper or a bad brake hose should have been noticeable by the vehicle pulling slightly to that side all the time, again in your case, the passenger side.

 

[The_Eric]

I did rear pads and calipers on my neighbor's F250 a year and a half ago. A few months ago, she called me because the rear was dragging. I got it to the shop and found the piston to be stuck... TIGHT! It was a couple of months out of warranty. When I did them, I also flushed brake fluid too, so it's not out of the question for re-mans to go bad.

 

[clinebarger]

You didn't mention rotor replacement? If the right rotor is a lot thinner than the left, The Right brake pads will wear faster than the left because the rotor can not dissipate heat.

Did the replacement Calipers have Phenolic (Plastic) pistons?? If so, This can be a problem. I always use Steel replacement pistons, Or a caliper with steel pistons installed.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: The_Eric
I did rear pads and calipers on my neighbor's F250 a year and a half ago. A few months ago, she called me because the rear was dragging. I got it to the shop and found the piston to be stuck... TIGHT! It was a couple of months out of warranty. When I did them, I also flushed brake fluid too, so it's not out of the question for re-mans to go bad.


That's pretty common up here on F250/350s that don't tow. The piston in the caliper seizes.

 

[Chris142]

I replaced the hoses and i dont clamp down on them. That ruins em. I put new pads on it today and the pistons went back in easily. They do look like non metal pistons. Oh theres 2 pistons per caliper

 

[clinebarger]

And the Rotor Thickness side to side is?

Nominal Thickness(New), 1.25"
Minimum Thickness(Discard), 1.18"

 

[KB2008X]

If you have new pads installed all you need to do is raise both front wheels off the ground and spin them and note any differences in the way they each spin. Looking for one dragging a bit. Then have someone step on the brake pedal and try spinning the wheels, checking for resistance to spinning or the lack of resistance.

Do this after the vehicle has sat for a few hours, so everything is cold, and then drive it around town for awhile, making lots of complete stops and long slow stops, so everything gets hot. Then raise the front end and spin the wheels. Without the pedal applied and with the pedal applied.

Ideally, throw your floor jack into the bed and pull into a parking lot after the brakes are good and hot and do the hot test immediately.

Odds are you may not notice any problems right away, so checking it every few weeks may be required. It's entirely possible that you'll not have the problem ever again, or maybe it'll occur 9 months from now.

 

[Chris142]

I didnt measure the rotors. They were smooth and nobody can turn them on a sunday. Ill ck them next time i have the wheels off.

 

[andyd]

driver's side is stuck with the puck in. Or the pssgrs is stuck out. Or slides are stuck. I have developed a process to deal with calipers on my 528es. I unbolt the caliper and swing it away from the rotor. Then I pump the pedal until the puck is almost out. I take it off the hose and take it apart to clean and lube. I use Silglyde as an assembly lube. Works better and is easier on the hands than brake fluid. I also have a cheap 6" C clamp, the secret is to use it just a bit, Give it some pressure,then tap the side of the caliper to align the puck.I'm not saying this to you, Chris, You know your stuff, But to other shade tree types. I'm not rebuilding, I just clean the crud out, buff everything up with a wire wheel and reassemble. I'm 4 for 4 so far.

The ATE calipers I play with are 25 yr old parts. All metal, in fact the fronts are chrome plated.The seal is on the outside of the puck. if there is corrosion at the bottom by the inlet and the bleeder, I clean out the loose crud and buff up the bleeder ,then functionally it is as good as new. No need to hone. Just as any pits on the pucks are OK . I burnish them to fair out the depressions.The Silglyde freshens up the ring and makes for an easy assembly with no trauma. I've only worked with metal ButIf the puck were plastic and didnt melt, and the seal was OK, whats the big deal?

 

[Chris142]

Im going to jack em up and spin them. Good idea there.

 

[hattaresguy]

For a vehicle of that vintage I suspect your rubber brake hoses are spent.