When braking down long hills-towing or not- the truck starts hopping with the brake depressed. stops when the brake is released & stops when braking after cooling down.
I know what warped front brake rotors feel like, shimmy thru steering & brake pedal but this is thru the whole truck. I've never had drums cause this sort of problem. Am I barking up the wrong tree ??? Any ideas?

 

Sounds like maybe ABS trying to kick in. I doubt it's the rotors. If they were warped, they'd do it all the time.

 

A freind of mine had something of the same problem turned out to be a wheel seal leaking oil on the shoes

 

I would go with the leaking wheel seal or a leaking rear wheel brake cylinder. If you get under the truck and pull the inspection plug for the brake adjuster on the backing plate you can shine a flash light in there and see if its wet in the drum without pulling a wheel off. If your down there and smell gear oil its a very good chance its a rear wheel seal.


Good Luck


Jason

 

I'll go along with the grease, or other, on the shoes. You wouldn't think that grease on the shoes would be something that would cause it to lock up, but it happens.

Chris

 

Might not be your problem but!.....It will do the same thing if you start driving with the emergency brake on.

 

You may need to think about the pads that you’re using. I did some research on the brake pads that I purchase from a parts store. I found out the pads that most part stores sell with the life time warranty is not what they are cracked up to be. The pads they sell have a lot more metal in them, and make the drums as well as the rotors heat up faster and where out mush faster than you would like. I was told that you need to stay with the dealer pads that are stock on your vehicle. They cost more and ware faster but you’re getting better life out of you drums and rotors, and they don’t heat up as fast.

 

[quote author=joking link=board=5;threadid=18871;start=0#msg186635 date=1063936093]
You may need to think about the pads that you’re using. I did some research on the brake pads that I purchase from a parts store. I found out the pads that most part stores sell with the life time warranty is not what they are cracked up to be. The pads they sell have a lot more metal in them, and make the drums as well as the rotors heat up faster and where out mush faster than you would like. I was told that you need to stay with the dealer pads that are stock on your vehicle. They cost more and ware faster but you’re getting better life out of you drums and rotors, and they don’t heat up as fast.
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Bendix brakes are a known good quality. Both of the local parts houses with lifetime brakes use bendix here. That is Autozone and Advanced. I have 222,000 plus miles on the truck, have changed the brakes twice on both axles and just put a third set of pads on the front because one pad was wearing poorly. The other pads had over 1/4" left on them. Most miles are towing with no exhaust brake and the roters and drums are original. So where is the poor wearing. My truck has good brakes, no lasting problem for either the roters or the pads. You must have been talking to a Dodge service manager. The only thing that I would ever buy from Dodge is a dealer only part.

 

I don't think your probalem is grease, or leaking wheel cyl., if that were the case you would have brake probalems all the time, not just after they get hot. I have looked at your post several times and read the commints, and thought about it. The only thing I could come up with, that would be heat related, was moisture in the brake fluid. Since brake fluid has a natural affinity for water, it does happen. The fluid would work fine at low temps, but when heated, the moisture boils creating steam, which can be compressed. The re-action of which might be (through pressure spikes) causeing your problems. This type probalem is usually assosiated with more high performance vechials, that offten see very high braking loads, and the temperatures that follow. Good luck

 

If a shoe has heat cracks the uneven expansion from heat can cause hopping when there is no hopping with cold shoes. I've seen it before.

Stan