brake pad inspection?

[Reaper]

This saturday i took off my front brake pads on my 98 3/4 ton truck. the brakes have a lot of meat on them but they do have some small hair line cracks in them. is this normal? i have never really paid that much attention to pads when i have pulled them in the past. i just normally replace, but since they had sooo much meat left of them i put them back on.


the truck will sometimes shimmie and bounce on the passenger side when i stop. I replaced the shocks this weekend and its helped but it has not gone away.

also part of me things it could be an ABS issue but wont i have a code if there was in issue?

a warped rotor would do this we well but on the visual and with a strait egde the rotor looked ok.


thanks

 

[Reaper]

TtT

 

[Gbodynutt]

Some small hairline cracking shouldn't cause any problems as long as it's not going all the way through the lining. If the pads look good thickness wise and aren't seperating from the backing you should okay. Sounds like they may have gotten hot at one time.

About the only way to see and warpage in a rotor is to use a dial indicator or just have them machined if there's enouph material to do so. As little as .003" can cause a pulsation in some vehicles, which your really not going to see with a straight edge or by eye.

I have worked on a few trucks that will engage the ABS the last few feet of a stop for no reason that I can see. No codes present and nothing abnormal while watching it on the scanner either.

Is this a 2 or 4 wheel drive truck??? and 6 or 8 lug rims??

 

[Reaper]

Originally posted by Gbodynutt
Some small hairline cracking shouldn't cause any problems as long as it's not going all the way through the lining. If the pads look good thickness wise and aren't seperating from the backing you should okay. Sounds like they may have gotten hot at one time.

About the only way to see and warpage in a rotor is to use a dial indicator or just have them machined if there's enouph material to do so. As little as .003" can cause a pulsation in some vehicles, which your really not going to see with a straight edge or by eye.

I have worked on a few trucks that will engage the ABS the last few feet of a stop for no reason that I can see. No codes present and nothing abnormal while watching it on the scanner either.

Is this a 2 or 4 wheel drive truck??? and 6 or 8 lug rims??

3/4 4wd 98 chevy 8 lug,

looks like i will remove the rotors.... how do i do that?

buzzard said remove the four bolts from the back and remove the entire assmbly. it cant be that easy can it

 

[Nick Micale]

If the shoes are not adjusted properly, the pads end up doing most of the braking. This will cause excessive pad wear, cracking and lots of heat which will warp rotors.

Check the rear brake adjustment [assuming shoes not pads] and if not proper, you will have to do a manual adjustment. The GM self adjusters are a bad joke.

 

[Gbodynutt]

Originally posted by Reaper
3/4 4wd 98 chevy 8 lug,

looks like i will remove the rotors.... how do i do that?

buzzard said remove the four bolts from the back and remove the entire assmbly. it cant be that easy can it

Well yes and no. You remove the 4 bolts from the back side and the big nut on the drive axle. Then you have to normally use a slide hammer to get them off. Normally a PITA to do, and I have seen some bearing seperate because they are just rusted in there so bad. If your going to have them machined, I would find a good shop in your town that has an on the car brake lath. Thats the best way to have these style rotors machined. Otherwise you have to seperate them from the hud, machine the disk, and then put back on the hub and hope it's right. Making sure to clean all the rust and such off of the hub and rotor mating surfaces after you seperate them.

 

[Reaper]

alright thanks guys,


the rotors have some blueing on them, normally means they got a bit hot!

i guess i will have to take it some place and get the work done.


sounds a bit complicated to me and with the ABS i dont want to mess it up any more then it already is or could be.


thanks!

 

[Nick Micale]

Bring it over Sat or Sunday Dathan.