How are your brakes working?

dirtydeed

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Got a call from the neighbor asking if I could help with his brakes. I've been helping him learn how to do some routine maintenance tasks on his vehicles. Since I used to turn a wrench many years ago, I'm happy that he has an interest in learning to do things for himself. Did a few brake jobs for/with him over the past few months so he could learn how to do some of this stuff for himself. He's a great neighbor, and I'm fortunate to have him next door. He's also a Kubota owner.

In any event, he called recently to see if I could give him a hand with the brakes on his truck. I said "sure, bring it over and we'll get it knocked out".

Well, after fighting with the wheels (needed a sledge to break the rotor rust free) we got the wheels off. I asked him just how the brakes felt and if he noticed anything odd about the braking effort or was he simply "Flint-stoning" the truck in order to get it stopped? :confused:

Here's what I found! :eek:

The first pic is what the rear brake rotor looked like when it was fused to the hub. The second pic is what happened after one medium whack with the "BMFH" to knock the rust off the hub and free the rotor! I told him that he sure must like to get his monies worth out of a set of pads. :eek:

All is good now...stops on a dime and gives 9 cents change...and I feel safer driving on our shared road now. ;)
 

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Lil Foot

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That's incredible! Makes you wonder what else is out there sharing the roads with us.
 

William1

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I simply cannot fathom letting brakes go like that. When you replace pads, you check rotor thickness. When pads are about 2/3 worn out, replace.

However, I'll admit to when I was a teen, running them down to 'pad backing on rotor' for a 100 miles or so until I had the money for rotors and pads.:rolleyes:
 

SidecarFlip

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'Flintstoning' must be a stick through the floorboards....lol

I found a much, much easier way to get rusted on rotors (and drums) off a hub. I used to soak them with P' Blaster and beat on them and cuss too. Not any more.

Went to Harbor Freight and bought a 12 ton hydraulic gear and pulley puller and just so happens the 3 arms (jaws) will easily accomodate any brake rotor or drum. Strip off the caliper and backer, exposing the rotor, Put the puller on the rotor / drum (takes 2 people, kind of cumbersome, center the puller, give the handle a cpuple strokes to toghten the puller up and then an additional stroke or 2 and WHAM, the rotor or drum pops right off.

No muss, no fuss, no sledge, no torch, just a couple strokes of the handle. There is no rotor or drum that can withstand the force. Best part is, if it don't let go in 3 strokes, the 4th stroke will split the rotor in 2 and then it falls off.

It's a helluva tool. Good for harmonic dampeners too and removing alternator pulleys.

Best 70 bucks I ever spent. Comes in a fitted case too.

Every time a neighbor does his brakes, they borrow my puller. Word travels fast.

I know a guy who uses one to pull stuck props on outdrives on boats. They get corroded on and a new prop is super expensive. The puller has saved him thousands in repairs.

Nothing worse that stuck rotors or drums and beating on them is hard on the suspension components. There is an easier way....
 

dirtydeed

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yep, pretty scary to think what's on the roads these days. PA has fairly stringent requirements for annual inspections.

Not sure if you can tell from the pics, but, one side went completely through the rotor surface and almost all the way through the cooling fin portion!

Flip- I hear ya. I do have a puller. But since I knew we wouldn't be trying to save this one I figured the BMFH was even quicker. This truck also has an internal drum for the parking brake and I didn't want to rip the drum brake pads off the backing plate using a puller.
 
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SidecarFlip

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That's incredible! Makes you wonder what else is out there sharing the roads with us.
I prefer not to think about it. Especially when I have some bee-bop kid tailgating me and texting at the same time or smoking a doobie or whatever. Why I carry good insurance and know an excellent mouthpiece.

You paste me and I live through it, you can rest assured you'll never have squat when I'm done with you.
 

SidecarFlip

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yep, pretty scary to think what's on the roads these days. PA has fairly stringent requirements for annual inspections.

Not sure if you can tell from the pics, but, one side went completely through the rotor surface and almost all the way through the cooling fin portion!

Flip- I hear ya. I do have a puller. But since I knew we wouldn't be trying to save this one I figured the BMFH was even quicker. This truck also has an internal drum for the parking brake and I didn't want to rip the drum brake pads off the backing plate using a puller.
I''m spoiled. I use the puller all the time now. Just did my wife's Burb. Destroyed 4 rotors. Back 2 had the internal parking brake shoes. If you are careful, you can pull them without destroying them but I'm of the philosophy of replace it all with new. Not that much more anyway.

Split the back 2 completely off and left the internal brake shoes hanging there...

In my other life, I'''''m an EBC dealer so I run EBC ceramic pads and high friction shoes. Good stuff.
 

dirtydeed

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I should've mentioned that I sort of knew what I was getting into since I did the front brakes on this vehicle a month or so ago. The fronts didn't even have any brake pad backing left. What was left of the rotor actually wore a groove into the caliper. I should have taken a pic of that as well. :eek:

Seriously. Yikes!
 

michigander

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I had that happen on class C motor home 5 miles from home on a 400 mile trip,front rotor split made rather loud noise coming home. 2 hrs later fixed and back on the road made opening day :D
 

SidecarFlip

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Don't most pads come with a little 'feeler' thingy that contacts the rotor before the pads are shot that supposedly squeals and tells you it's about time for pads?
 

Fordtech86

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Flip, not a lot of cars have the squealers any more.

I’ve only been working on vehicles for 17 years, but you would be surprised at how unsafe some cars on the road. And a lot of the owners don’t even care. We always have the customer sign on the ticket acknowledging they know the vehicle is not safe to drive.

Here is just a couple brake examples that I have on my phone.



Customer said it just started grinding.



This one wasn’t even in for the brakes, just found during the inspection.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

dirtydeed

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Fordtech, your first pic looked just like his front brakes from last month...no pad backing left. It was on a '10 F150. Surprised that it didn't melt the pistons (I think they're phenolic pistons?). Crazy stuff out there on the roads for sure.
 

RCW

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This one wasn’t even in for the brakes, just found during the inspection.

Ford - I know that guy! I’m surprised he made it to Louisiana from New York!
If it was a Chevy, he’d of gotten to California. [emoji41]



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Fordtech86

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RCW, if he had a chevy then the wheel bearing would have failed long before California :D. Seen quite a few of them with only the caliper bracket holding the hub on.

Have also seen them run grinding long enough where the pistons will actually come out of the caliper. And some where the disc surface breaks from the center hub of the rotor.
 

SidecarFlip

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Flip, not a lot of cars have the squealers any more.

I’ve only been working on vehicles for 17 years, but you would be surprised at how unsafe some cars on the road. And a lot of the owners don’t even care. We always have the customer sign on the ticket acknowledging they know the vehicle is not safe to drive.

Here is just a couple brake examples that I have on my phone.



Customer said it just started grinding.



This one wasn’t even in for the brakes, just found during the inspection.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Wowzer.... You'd think they have leg ,muscles like Charles Atlas....;)

Is that melted aluminum on the brake hose?

We surely live in scary times. Puts me in mind of my renter gal. 26 years old, single mom, has a good job (office) but dumb as a box of rocks when it comes to her car. Has a nice Ford Escape AWD, never changes the oil, never checks the tire pressure, drives like an idiot. Stopped by the other day, said her low tire pressure light was on. I checked the tires, one had 10 psi in it. Asked her how long the light was on, she said she didn't remember. For kicks and grins lifted the hood. Motor covered with road crap. Pulled the dipstick, oil just showing on the end of the stick, black as coal. Told her the oil needed changed, said she'd do it whenever. I added 2 quarts of my own, no telling when she will get it done and probably at some 10 minute oil change place with whatever.

Life goes on. Glad it's not my vehicle, that stuff makes me ill.

She pays the rent and don't give me any grief. Guess I should be happy with that. Accident waiting to happen. Who knows what her brakes or suspension looks like... Thinking about it, I don't want to know.
 

William1

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Crikey!!!:eek: Horrifying to see brakes like that. Yet they go to StarBucks all the time....

I had no idea how irresponsible way too many people are. Flabbergasted!
 

Fordtech86

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Flip, thats not uncommon. I have had two that I recall very well, both Mazda customers (Our store sells both and Im the only tech that does Mazda). Both came in for check engine lights, one had around 45,000 miles and other was around 62,000 miles. Never had an oil change, light is on for VCT issues, oil is like tar. Both customers raise all kinda of hell because its a brand new car and they don’t need to change the oil in them! Then they leave pissed because we won’t cover the repair under warranty.
 

SidecarFlip

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Guess that is a testament to how good modern oil is today. Not that I'd ever try it.

My old boss who owned the company that owned the Western Star dealership where I retired from had a Chrysler Pacifica that he ran 70K miles and never lifted the hood. The motor let go and he had our shop put in a crate engine and then he sold it. He ran it out of oil completely. All that was left in the pan was sludge.... and I thought that was unusual and he was an idiot (rich idiot), guess not.

Like I said, my big worry is the bee bopper behind me texting and tailgating. I'm eveb more concerned now as she probably don't have any brakes either.....:rolleyes:
 

SidecarFlip

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Being a Ford person and having my wife buy a used Suburban from a private owner and then having to replace some of the components on it, I have to say the 'Burb is easier to work on than my Fords are. Engine bay access is much easier as are suspension component replacement.

I had to replace both hubs (one was noisy) and I also did the half shafts (IFS front suspension 4wd) and the brakes all around (EBC pads of course). New shocks (Arnott air ride), changed the transfer case fluid, front diff fluid and rear diff fluid. Replaced the 4wd actuator and tie rod ends too.

The Ford's engine bays are cramped and component access is difficult. On the down side, I don't like all the GM gadgets, she has an LTZ limited and it has more crap in it than China has rice. Half of it I still have not figured out how it works. Least it's a cast iron V8 but it has the cylinder cut out that will go next. Bad design and causes the engines to use oil. Have to put the code reader on it and delete it yet. Basically a half ton pickup truck with no bed. It's almost 18 feet long. If it was black, she could impersonate a Secret Service agent. It's not, it's deep red metallic...... Even has a TV for the second row seating and another row behind that.

On the plus side, full ladder frame, very secure and can probably withstand a good crash.

Cannot pass a filling station however. It's a pig on gas. Glad I don't have to fill it. 32 gallon tank and it don't like regular either.

Sure like my 14 Focus. 40 mpg, 5 speed hatch and my 1997 Ford F350 long bed 4 door diesel 4x4. Strictly old school, no emissions, manual hubs, rides like a lumber wagon and sits 3 feet off the ground. Never driven in the winter. No rust. Will be in my will. Sleeping in the heated garage all winter....:)