Crallscars

I just replaced my rear brake pads and took her out for a short test drive. As soon as I pulled out of the drive way it felt like I was dragging an anchor.

I pulled over and saw lots of smoke coming from the left rear inner pad.
I crawled under and pried the caliper over to release the brake a bit, and it seemed ok driving back to the house.

Is there a trick to replacing rear disc brake pads?

Did I miss something or am I looking at replacing both calipers?

Dieselbuilder

Any time you change rear brake pads change your calipers I have tried pushing them back but i find the rear takes on so much dirt from driving that the pistons rust and hang up?

Crallscars

I figured the boots kept the cylinders clean from outside dirt.

my guess is there must have been pitting or corrosion on the cylinders.

So there is no easy fix besides replacement?

Will the pads be salvageable?

Dieselbuilder

Hard to say without seeing them . Are the rotors blue if they are they could be done it all depends how they look . You might be able to turn the rotors but what happens they warp easy after been heated that bad????

SIXSLUG

When I did mine I opted for new calipers for just this reason. The rears don't really do much unless you are loaded down. The pistons can corrode from any moisture inside and hang up.

Did you grease the slider surfaces? That will certainly help them release...

Crallscars

I didn't drive it too far, I pulled over and with my trusty screw driver, I was able to pry back the caliper and drove it home so I saved the pads and rotors.

I went to Advanced Auto Parts for a pair of rebuilt calipers and enough DOT 3 to flush the system. BTW exchange calipers with hardware kits are $55 with a life time guarantee. When I do the rears again, I'll automatically swap them out and make use of my guarantee!

Next weekend I'll replace the front pads, hopefully I wont have to do calipers too.

Dr.Dizzle

Be sure to clean up the metal slides and pins, then coat them with synthetic brake hardware grease. It is available in small tubs at parts stores.

The use of petroleum based greases or lubricants on the slides and pins with rubber covers can compromise the integrity of the rubber material, therefore causing it to swell and eventual failure of the rubber. Synthetic brake grease is also tolerant of the temperatures created by braking.

Dieselbuilder

Wen in dought change them out. Spend the extra when you do the front and by the way 10 year old vehicle you need to do both brake hoses!!! My front brakes are coming due and thats my next step.

Crallscars

Do these trucks have a history of hoses going bad?

I have had more trouble with replacement hoses than old. I blew an end off one a few years back

Dr.Dizzle

No, they do not have a history of premature failure, however; rubber lines will slowly degrade due to moisture and heat. Therefore,the hoses slowly degrade inside contaminating the fluid with small rubber particles and moisture. If your hoses are original factory installed parts, now is the perfect time to replace them. Unfortunately brake fluid maintenance is overlooked by many owners which makes issues worse. It is a best practice to flush out the fluid at two year intervals.

Not replacing hoses also increases the chances of a line blowing out. Brake hoses and lines should be visually inspected for signs of damage and corrosion at regular intervals ... Perhaps during each tire rotation procedure. Leaving brake lines on too long also increases the likelihood of a collapsed rubber line. When a line collapses, it can cause several symptoms. The most common symptom is a pulling condition. It is relatively difficult to diagnose a collapsed rubber line because you cannot physically see the inside of the line. The rule of thumb is usually if the vehicle pulls to one side while braking and the caliper shows no damage, then replacement of the brake hose is required. I hope this helps.