ive been havin a few issues with my truck lately. one minor and one not so much.
minor-the 4x4 lever seems to be rubbin against somethin. if i let it be it sounds like a rattle or somethin, and if i push it to the right (passenger side) the sound goes away???
major-i thought my ujoint was goin out so i got it checked and had them look at brakes too, the shop says i need "front brakes, front calipers, and turning front rotors". im not the richest kid in town and wonder how long i can wait to do this before i get some more money in my pocket. how much will it hurt to let the brakes be bad for a few months or more?
thanks guys

 

If they are truly bad and they still stop, drive it until you can afford to fix it or it doesn't stop any more, hopefully the former before the latter
is this a trustworthy shop? Mark

 

ive been told that the shop is very good when it comes to brakes and such from my dad. im kinda wonderin about the calipers though...

 

If the pads are worn to the metal, you can't drive it for months. How did they determin you need calipers and rotors fixed? Did they measure run out on the rotors? thickness? Are the calipers sticking? If they are is it because the sliders are just dirty and stuck or is it the piston? If the pads are worn out, and the calipers are free, and there are no major grooves ground into the rotors, go get a cheap set of pads to get by till you can do it right.

 

Consider this an opportunity to learn something new.


Follow Richie's advice, and do the brakes yourself. All you need is a big screwdriver, a punch, an allen key set, a hammer and a large c clamp or very large channel locks, jack, support stand and the will to try it yourself.

Brake pads, can of brake cleaner, tube of brake lube (for the caliper slide areas) and a can of spray lubricant for the wheel studs & nuts... as you should always lubricate your nuts when you take off your tires... otherwise it can lead to future thread galling of your studs.

I'm sure there are plenty of tips in the sticky to guide you to doing the job for around $20, instead of paying someone to take advantage of you, if the calipers are still in good working order.

Have fun...

 

What makes me a little suspicious is that they say turn rotors, did they measure them? If they can still be turned to spec, then the brakes are worn, but not destroyed. Also, the calipers, how do they know they are bad? Did they take the assembly apart? Sounds suspect to me. The front brakes are one of the easiest major jobs you can do on your rig. Do you have a knowledgeable friend to help out on a 6 pack Saturday? It is a good way to learn how to work on your own truck, and save a fortune in the process...Mark P.S.
it is also a good time to repack your wheel bearings.

 

I think most people believe you turn the rotors with every pad change. Heck, that's how I always did it. Well, actually I usually replace the rotors as you can hardly find folks to turn them anymore and most rotors are as cheap as a good grind anyway.

This is the first vehicle I've had that doesn't recommend turning them with every pad change.

 

I have never had a problem just putting pucks in and not turning the discs, if they were new or refreshed the last time. But, like you say, they are pretty cheap anymore and I love working with new parts. Most new cars come with non-turnable, throw-away discs nowadays, so there is no choice...Mark

 

i have no clue how they determined what was bad. i didnt really know what questions to ask while i was in there unfortunately. but from what im hearing here, doin it myself is a much better idea. ill be readin up alot.
my truck still stops and everything, its just one loud $ 0 b. it rattles and sqeaks and man it shakes when stopping from mediocure to fast speeds lol

 

Shaking during moderate to fast speeds is a sign that the rotors are out of true. This is a good indicator that the rotors need to be cut / trued up / resurfaced.

The rotor has a thickness minimum stamped on it (usually in the back of the rotor). You can remove the rotors, and either measure it yourself or take it to you local parts store and see if there's still enough meat on them to resurface. If not, spring for new rotors.

I never cut rotors that do not display or produce a bouncy pedal during braking, as it's usually fine to just put in a new set of pads. Most important is to scuff the rotor surface and clean the rotors with a brake cleaner prior to install (whether new rotors, cut rotors, or just new pads). Oils / grease on the rotor surfaces prevent proper embedding of the new pad material on the rotors.

I have the same set of rotors on my toyota that I bought the truck with back in 94, as the rotors never warped, or displayed any type of pedal bounce, even with 167,000 miles on the truck. I just repack the bearings and install new pads at the 1/2 way point of wear, which is every couple of years, as it's a manual tranny, and I utilize the trans for slowing the truck down. Since I only use toyota pads, and there is no squeaking / noise whatsoever. In my Dodge I use standard brake pads from the local parts store, and I've never had any noise issues / problems either, but the're simply the organic OE pads, and not the super metallic version either.

 

Yup, change rotors if they bounce under braking, otherwise swap pads and motor on. I've been "underfunded" at different times too and put pads on with some pretty ugly rotors, ... the new pads will smooth the rotor surfaces to a remarkable degree. But if you can't squeeze the caliper pistons in (don't hammer on them, use a big C-clamp or F-clamp) then it's new caliper time and you're walking til you can get'em.

 

"You need new brakes, calipers and rotors"....they said the same thing to my wife when she brought her 02 Concorde into the dealer. 3 years later "I" finally replaced them....friggin scammers.

Anyway as the others have said. If you have shaking during braking then you will need the rotors turned or replaced. Check out Rockauto.com for darn good prices on rotors and such. But I too have run new "cheap" pads on some pretty nasty looking rotors and drums until I could afford new units.

Not a tough job, and as stated, you get to learn a new skill.

 

Here is your 4X4 shifter fix............

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...d.php?t=177579

 

I think you guys really saved my butt thankd a ton. I may just replace the rotors seeing as i also pulls to the right when stopping. (sorry one more thing i totally forgot to mention) . Thanks for the sticky link too. You guys are all awesome

 

The pulling is more then likely a sticky caliper.

This would be a great opportunity to learn if you are mechanical and have some tools at your disposal. This is how I started, did brakes with my Dad on my 87 s-10. Since then I have done almost all my own work and collected alot of knowledge and a heck of a tool collection.

Do you have any tools, or does your dad, may want to see if you can find a shop manual or atleast a haynes/chiltons manual