Left front brake is getting so hot that it will produce smoke. My 2000 Dodge 3500 has 49000 miles on existing brakes. I replaced the disk brakes in front and bled the brake line's. I drove it about 150 miles today. It was fine for about 30 miles then left front brake was hot and smoking. I noticed that when applying the brake it pulled to the right. Pulled over, the left front was hot. Could this be a wheel bearing problem or is the abs brakes messing up causing the caliper to stick or not release all the way. It doesn't pull to the left while driving. The truck has set for about three months. When I put new brake shoes on the front I inspected the caliper and found it in good condition. Put new hight temp brake grease on caliper pins. What else can I do.

 

It's the caliper or the brake line, usually, if it's a brake problem. First, you need to make sure the brakes are causing the heat, and not something like a wheel bearing that has slack in it and is causing the wheel to lean to one side, out of the travel range of the caliper, so it's just rubbing the heck out of the pad.
If both pads are cooking, and you shoudl be able toseee this, we are back to a brake problem. The first thing to do is see if you can turn the wheel by hand. If not, or it is very difficult to turn, open the bleeder screw and see if the wheel gets easier to turn. If it does, it is the brake line, which has collapsed inside. If it doesn't, it's the caliper.
I have never heard of a problem with an ABS system not letting fluid go back up to the master cylinder. I won't say it's impossible, but I doubt it's the ABS system causing the problem.

Chris

 

I just went through this but it was my right front that locked up and started smoking. Everyone said bad brake hose so I waited 3 days on it and it didn't fix it. Swallowed my pride and took it to mechanic and found out it was the master cylinder. Before I took it in, I tested all 4 wheels and none would turn and I guess the right front was the tightest, hence the smoke. I had pretty much diagnosed it for the mechanic but I was sick of messing with it and decided that I had already dumped 3 days of vacation and a $30 hose in it and was ready to get it back on the road. For $90 labor charge he put on the master cylinder and bleed the system the right way (I probably would have monkeyed that up too) and fixed right the first time.

 

Huh.......I've seen the vacuum booster do that and the hydroboost, but not the master cyl. How was it applying itself?

 

After re-reading your original problem post (original thread by hamilton71801) I think the misformed rubber on the cap and the symptoms you describe ( now that we know it was all the wheels not just one ) leads up to there had to be some petroleum product introduced into the brake system. Just be hopefull it didn't make it's way into the rest of the system. Hopefully your mechanic flushed it out real good when bleeding the system.

 

Yeah, I he did flush it out pretty good. I have no idea how the cap could have done that though. The only thing I can think of is I put Valvoline synthetic(DOT 3&4) in it but figured that wouldn't hurt anything. Hopefully nothing else was damaged but with my luck, I'll need a whole new brake system.

 

No....not the cap making it do it, but imagine how the seals inside the master cylinder looked? Same as the cap. Swelled up enough to not release the pressure when you release the brake.

 

When I put the new brake pads on I turned the wheel by hand, the left front brake opperated properly. After applying the brake it released and i was able to turn the wheel by hand with ease. Both brake pads were cooked on left front. I think it's the caliper but why isn't it doing it more often or every time the brake is applyed. I hate to buy another caliper and the same thing happens. Thanks for the help

 

The hose will do that when they get hot. Only way to tell for sure is like stated above. Get the brakes to act up ( when the one gets hot ) and then jack it up quickly and open the bleeder. If the wheel is now free it is a hose, if not it is a caliper.