leeboy

My mechanic thinks i have a bad set of front brake pads. Once they heat up, they actually go away to almost nothing which is dangerous. We are going to try another set of pads.....So, what is the best way to set these things, so i dont glaze them or wreck em?

SIXSLUG

Iset mine by driving at moderate speeds (35mph) and coming to an almost full stop but letting them roll thruogh it 5 or 6 times before actually coming to a complete stop. Let them cool a bit in between applications if you can.

leeboy

What does setting actually do anyways?

nickg

keeps them from glazing over,

If you have a cheap set of brakes they will do the same thing. I will go out on a limb here and state that your rears are not working!
go out on a dirt road get up to 40mph and lock the wheels till they skid, and look to see that the rears are working, if they are not, you can upgrade the wheel cyls or modify/remove the rear prop valve.

I'm betting the farm, your fronts are being over worked and causing glazing issues

Shovelhead

Make sure your front brake calipers aren't hanging up.

Hodge

I agree with the advice here, and I am not playing the devils advocate- just throwing this out there. I have changed my own brakes my whole life, and have never set a set, nor have I ever had them to fade like this. Perhaps how I drive "naturally" set them in. I will set them the next time, but it is something to think about...
I have seen a clutch need to be set in, on a Ford Ranger. Another thought to consider...

leeboy

We jacked the truck up and got the rears spinning, hit the brakes and they stop instantly. Of course theres no load on them. My calipers were rebuilt ones, i never had that problem until i changed my own front brakes and calipers. My mechanic jumped in and said theres no air in the lines, pedal feels good. He checked for adjustment on the rears, and said, anymore, and they would be dragging. I didnt turn my rotors when i put the pads on, because they looked in good shape.So, my options are, i can return my pads and get the same, or return them and get a lower grade set. Not sure what to do...

SIXSLUG

On my last set I got the Napa lifetimes and jsut replaced the pads and lubed the sliders. The rotors looked good and spec'd out so I left them alone.

I set them as noted and haven't had any problems.

Are the pads wearing out evenly across the board? You may have a caliper hanging up? Do you ride them?

Mine really don't fade at all. Do you constantly brake hard when stopping? Could be a bad set of pads.

leeboy

New pads didnt help at all.. So on to this new thread

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...70#post2873370

SIXSLUG

Drag man. Keep digging...