https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...hlight=caliper , look into this link to see what i was trying to explain .

 

I don’t trust the ceramic pads they are all hype in my opinion they create excessive rotor heat that can cause rotor warping.

Try some semi metallic pads for a month and see what happens you may need to turn the rotors again pads are cheap well the semi metallic are ceramic NO.

Just my opinion so use your own judgment

Flush out all your old brake fluid also as a fix it may help but flush all the lines start with the back lines first

 

The auto adjusters MAY work. If the brakes aren't too far out of adjustment.

You really need to back up and hit them hard. You don't need to go fast, but you do need to stand on the brakes. Then go forward a bit and hit them hard again, repeat it a couple of times. You'll feel the pedal come up.

 

Ahhhhh!! Thanks for the link Rob. Helped quite a bit. I will give it a gander next time I am in there.

Yea, 98, i have read good and bad about the ceramics. But, 50 bucks is quite a bit to throw away on changing pads that I just got. And it's not like changing brakes is my favorite past time. LMAO. Of course, it is all a learning experience so we will see how it goes.


On another note, I read some stuff about driving in reverse and then hitting the brakes in order to "auto adjust" the rear drums. Anybody have any luck with that? :P Who knows...

I will work on them soon and let everyone know how it goes! First, my wife's mazda is starting to run hot, so I gotta change the thermostat, and of course, it is in the WORST possible location.

 

My self-adjusters never worked for me tried every trick to get them to work only thing that worked was adjust them on a regular time frame myself.

 

Mine work.

About once a month I do a few hard stops and I can feel the pedal come right up. Still have the original rear shoes too. 112k.

 

00DakDan

The fact that you still have those tell me your brakes are not adjusting or adjusting microscopically same thing with me same brakes for oh 8 years never even bothered to adjust them then this year I pulled everything out of the back to get a good look at them and wow was I surprised both back wheel cylinders were locked up and not working the shoes that were replace 8 years ago looked new so I had no back brakes for 8 years kind of freaky to think on it.

Those back brakes are junk at best even after replacing everything in the back brakes I don’t notice much better braking so as far as I’m concerned the back brakes are junk.

The front disk brakes now they work great even if the backs are frozen like mine were.

00DakDan you had better pull those back brakes off and give them a good inspection I bet they are frozen like mine were check the cylinders to see if they are locked in place.

 

I have now adjusted my back brakes 5 times and each time it was needed its like they now are eating up those back brake shoes like crazy when before they lasted me 8 years i expect to need to replace them in two years so now they are working just not very good at improving my stopping power.

What a kick in the pants crappy back brakes by the way I purchased this truck new.

 

Still love my truck even with crappy back brakes she is my baby and will have her for many years to come.

Even with the little 2.5L engine she purrs for me now.

She sips gas and that's nice to me.

 

98Dak,

I have, just within the past two months, pulled off the rear drums when I rotated the tires. Everything is working fine and yes, the rear brakes do work. The drums were ever so shiny and there was just a little layer of brake dust on the bottom of the drum.

It may help that I drive a 5 speed and don't lay on the brakes. I also do a lot of highway driving. I got almost 90k out of the fronts!

I also, by necessity, use the parking brake every time I get out of the truck, so nothing is frozen. Trust me, the brakes DO work.