Brake job ?'s
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Professional
Joined: Apr 2010
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From: Tampa, FL
Brake job ?'s
Going to replace the pads on teh front of the truck...been squeaking and I'm sure they need replacing. I've done 2 brake jobs before on small cars (Saturn and a Chevy Cavalier) but it's been a while and I don't remember what I did.
Anyone know a place to find the step by step instructions? I don't have a haynes manual, but I do have one for a 2001 Dakota...I assume its the same...but I can't find brake job instructions anywhere in it.
Anyone know a place to find the step by step instructions? I don't have a haynes manual, but I do have one for a 2001 Dakota...I assume its the same...but I can't find brake job instructions anywhere in it.
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Professional
Joined: Apr 2010
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From: Tampa, FL
Do dak rotors have a tendency to warp easily? Mine are vented and I can tell they are warped a little bit because I get some shimmy and shake when stopping, which probably leads to faster pad wear.
I'm wondering if I should get them machined or if I should just get replacement non-vented rotors, since a solid piece of metal probably wont warp as easily.
I'm wondering if I should get them machined or if I should just get replacement non-vented rotors, since a solid piece of metal probably wont warp as easily.
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,970
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From: Clermont, Florida
It is pretty easy to do front brakes on a Dakota. Pretty much the same as any other truck I guess. Regular solid rotors are pretty much the same no matter where you buy them.
I bought my most recent set at Napa, one had a bad machining problem, it had chunks taken out of the vanes in it, I returned the set to Napa and bought another set at Advance. The parts looked exactly the same and the only difference was the label on the box, but even those were identical except one said Napa and one said Advance. They both said made in China. So far no problems with them and that was back in January last year.
What I did have trouble with was the pads I bought at Advance. They went on OK but after they got about 12,000 miles on them they started making this wierd clicking-tapping noise every time I would hit the brake pedal. I took it all apart, cleaned and re-greased everything and the noise came back two days later. The pads were somehow moving around too much in the calipers. I put on a set of Duralast regular semi-metallic pads from Autozone and the noise has not come back since. The Duralast pads were shaped a bit different than the Advance pads and they fit tighter in the calipers. Dust is pretty minimal but can accumulate if I go too long between truck washes.
You can keep the brake squeal down by applying anti-squeal compound to the backs of the pads. I like the red spray made by CRC. It works great, lasts forever and is easy to apply. I use Permatex caliper grease on my slide pins and caliper slide surfaces.
Some say buy cheap rotors and good pads. That makes sense to me I guess. I have no experience with drilled or slotted rotors. For what it costs to have your rotors turned (if you can find a shop or store that will still do it) you could add a few more bucks and just buy a brand new set of solid rotors. I think new rotors will last longer than resurfaced rotors and not have any problems later on.
Just my 2 cents.
Jimmy
I bought my most recent set at Napa, one had a bad machining problem, it had chunks taken out of the vanes in it, I returned the set to Napa and bought another set at Advance. The parts looked exactly the same and the only difference was the label on the box, but even those were identical except one said Napa and one said Advance. They both said made in China. So far no problems with them and that was back in January last year.
What I did have trouble with was the pads I bought at Advance. They went on OK but after they got about 12,000 miles on them they started making this wierd clicking-tapping noise every time I would hit the brake pedal. I took it all apart, cleaned and re-greased everything and the noise came back two days later. The pads were somehow moving around too much in the calipers. I put on a set of Duralast regular semi-metallic pads from Autozone and the noise has not come back since. The Duralast pads were shaped a bit different than the Advance pads and they fit tighter in the calipers. Dust is pretty minimal but can accumulate if I go too long between truck washes.
You can keep the brake squeal down by applying anti-squeal compound to the backs of the pads. I like the red spray made by CRC. It works great, lasts forever and is easy to apply. I use Permatex caliper grease on my slide pins and caliper slide surfaces.
Some say buy cheap rotors and good pads. That makes sense to me I guess. I have no experience with drilled or slotted rotors. For what it costs to have your rotors turned (if you can find a shop or store that will still do it) you could add a few more bucks and just buy a brand new set of solid rotors. I think new rotors will last longer than resurfaced rotors and not have any problems later on.
Just my 2 cents.
Jimmy
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Joined: Feb 2004
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From: PA
My buddy just ordered EBC stuff up front, rotors and pads. Got the 'yellow stuff' pads and i assume D/S rotors. Doesn't help much now, cause I dont know how happy he is with em yet! ha! My rotors have been fine, but I will probably go the way of EBC as they had a nice black center (hopefully holds up better than the paint I used).
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I wish autozone still have the 3 or 5 year guarantee(cant remember which) on warped rotors. We had them on our old f150 and right before the warranty was up we would take them in and get new ones for free. This is the only place I know of that does the lifetime warranty (not all rotors just higher end ones). http://brakeperformance.com/brake-ro...ake-rotors.php