INGO mechanics: Brake job cross check

[Cameramonkey]

Pretty sure I know the answer, but wanted to get a quick double check.

Wife's van. A 2007 Dodge T&C. When the brakes heat up, there is surging. Sounds like the rear drums are the problem.

Short trips/95% highway, brakes are great. After a while when she presses the brakes we feel a surging, with no steering wheel input.(no wobble)

Sounds like a rear drum issue?

I presume if it were a warped front rotor (or two) we would feel the steering wheel wobble as well. Which we dont which leads me to believe that I just need to replace the rear drums, and possibly the shoes as well.

What says INGO?

 

[Thegeek]

Don't always feel a front rotor issue in the wheel. Speedway autoparts at Lynhurst and Washington still turns rotors and drums. You can take the drums to them and have them measured or just resurfaced. It's not expensive.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

In every case I've had surging with my brakes, it's been because of the fronts. I'm trying to remember but I don't think I've ever felt my steering wheel wobble because of it.

 

[churchmouse]

You can have hard spots in the rotors and not wobble the wheel. The wobble is from a warped rotor. It will be present most of the time especially under hard braking.

The surge is most likely from hard spots and pads that have been hot.

Rotors and pads. Do not buy the lifetimes as they will wear out a cheap set of rotors.

Tell Mrs Mario to start braking earlier and more softly.....
My spouse would eat up front brakes with her driving style until I made her start paying for them from her mad money.

 

[thunderchicken]

You can have hard spots in the rotors and not wobble the wheel. The wobble is from a warped rotor. It will be present most of the time especially under hard braking.

The surge is most likely from hard spots and pads that have been hot.

Rotors and pads. Do not buy the lifetimes as they will wear out a cheap set of rotors.

Tell Mrs Mario to start braking earlier and more softly.....
My spouse would eat up front brakes with her driving style until I made her start paying for them from her mad money.

This is pretty much spot on.
Look for any little purple spots on the rotor surfaces. That would be an indication of hard spots from being overheated.
I would look at the fronts first since most braking is done with the fronts. You won't always feel it in the steering wheel as others have stated. But as a general rule if you feel it more in the seat it's coming from the rear.
Don't overlook making sure all sliding surfaces such as caliper slide pins are free and lubed up. Like so many times in life lubrication is key

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

Spend the extra for good rotors. I recommend Adaptive 1 pads from NAPA and their Ultra Premium rotors. Even my wife has a hard time tearing them up, and she can chew up pads and rotors under 20k. I can get 70k-80k out of a set.

 

[gregkl]

braking earlier and more softly.....

I should know to do this, but I just keep doing brake jobs every 40K miles or so. The same foot is applied in like fashion to the gas pedal!

 

[churchmouse]

I should know to do this, but I just keep doing brake jobs every 40K miles or so. The same foot is applied in like fashion to the gas pedal!

Like "G" mans spouse mine could destroy a set of front in 8K. I was strapped for cash and put cheap parts on the front of her 85 Monti Carlo S/S and they literally came apart in about 6K. That was it for me. I did not do the work that time. I took it to a shop and made her pay for it from her mad money because I was so ****ing mad.

 

[thunderchicken]

Like "G" mans spouse mine could destroy a set of front in 8K. I was strapped for cash and put cheap parts on the front of her 85 Monti Carlo S/S and they literally came apart in about 6K. That was it for me. I did not do the work that time. I took it to a shop and made her pay for it from her mad money because I was so ****ing mad.

Dang, I thought only cops could destroy a set of pads and rotors in 8k miles.

 

[churchmouse]

Dang, I thought only cops could destroy a set of pads and rotors in 8k miles.

She worked in Fishers and adopted that driving style. Although she got a lot better after paying for the brakes on her S/S I replaced that car with a 96 Impala S/S and she had the brakes ruined on it in 28K. The rotors were a deep gold color and hard as Chinese arithmetic. They could not be turned. Woman was a serious contender in traffic.

 

[bacon#1]

High Performance Brake Pads and Brake Rotors - Frozen Rotors

Wife hasn't been able to destroy them yet. 2012 Honda Odyssey. I just used OE pads with the swap. Odyssey's are well known for warpping rotors. Let's just say her driving makes everyone nervous, or nauseous. ........whichever!

 

[farmerdan]

I just put power service drilled and slotted rotors and their pads on the wifes Tahoe. So far so good, I can't believe how much better they stop. Hopefully I'll get more than a year out of them.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Thanks guys. One of these days when life doesnt get in the way I'll tear into it. Been trying for several weeks but something always comes up. Ugh.

 

[jbombelli]

Like "G" mans spouse mine could destroy a set of front in 8K. I was strapped for cash and put cheap parts on the front of her 85 Monti Carlo S/S and they literally came apart in about 6K. That was it for me. I did not do the work that time. I took it to a shop and made her pay for it from her mad money because I was so ****ing mad.

I used to go through tires like that. 6k and bald. Lol.

 

[russc2542]

warped thickness will show up as a pedal pulsation with little steering wheel wobble. that's usually from getting them real hot then coming to a stop and leaving the pads in one spot the duration of a light (deposits more of the pad material there creating a difference in friction and hardness).

Wavy rotors can be from really bad overheating or stuck slide pins and will show more steering wheel wobble (especially if the caliper pins are sticky) and less pedal pulsation. This can happen as you describe and is something I'm dealing with on one of my Bajas... it'll be fine for a while then I'll get them warm and they'll be vibratey, worse on braking then slowly go back to normal. everything's fine except one of the pins was rather stuck and the rotor had a visible wobble.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I’ve got new hardware on my list to make sure it’s not the pins. Calipers are relatively new.

 

[thunderchicken]

I’ve got new hardware on my list to make sure it’s not the pins. Calipers are relatively new.

Make sure to use actual brake caliper lube on the slide pins and where the metal ends of the pad slide (probably on some kind of anti rattle clips). You should be able to very easily slip the caliper side to side by hand. Can't begin to tell you how many brake problems I have seen from people not applying lube

 

[churchmouse]

Make sure to use actual brake caliper lube on the slide pins and where the metal ends of the pad slide (probably on some kind of anti rattle clips). You should be able to very easily slip the caliper side to side by hand. Can't begin to tell you how many brake problems I have seen from people not applying lube

The last 2 sets of pads we picked up (1 for the truck the other for the van) had to be clearenced so they would move on the mounts with out a hammer. Damndest thing.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

The last 2 sets of pads we picked up (1 for the truck the other for the van) had to be clearenced so they would move on the mounts with out a hammer. Damndest thing.

Not that uncommon...some have different size hardware to "fix" the issue. Most of the time the pad or caliper must be loved on.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

Make sure to use actual brake caliper lube on the slide pins and where the metal ends of the pad slide (probably on some kind of anti rattle clips). You should be able to very easily slip the caliper side to side by hand. Can't begin to tell you how many brake problems I have seen from people not applying lube

Be sure to use a lube rated for brakes. Regular chassis grease will run out and contaminate the pads and rotors. I use Permatex synthetic lube. . This goes without saying, don't put it on the friction material or rotor surfaces.