Ok, so Ive been having some trouble with my 1995 2500 vibrating every time I slow down. I replaced the brake pads and that seemed to help it a little bit. But now it's gotten worse. I took it to a shop and the couldn't turn the rotors because they're to skinny and drilled. They guy gave me an estimate of what it would cost to have him replace the rotors and it came out to 300 bucks. No way am I going to pay that much. I've never replaced rotors on any vehicle I've driven. I have trapped rotors which I guess can be a little more difficult to replace. If anyone can tell me exactly what I need to get the job done that would be great. Tools, instructions, etc. I've read a few step by step instructions on how to replace rotors and it doesn't seem to bad. But I anyone has done it on a dodge similar to mine and could tell me exactly what I need to do that would be great.

Thanks

 

Holy crap. I had the wife's Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 rotors and pads replaced a few months before she totaled it, and that cost about $400 total for rotors, pads, and labor. And it has pads and rotors all the way around, not just the fronts! Which shop gave you that quote, a local place or a chain?

I will move this to the 2nd gen area (1994-2001 Rams) for you, get you some additional help/comments.

 

Gotta pull the axle nut. 1 11/16ths. That guy is a pain to get off......

Remove the caliper. Standard size wrench or allen head I think. if you have a basic tool set, and alan wrenches, you will have the right size.

Remove hub/bearing unit. Three or four bolts on the back side of the knuckle. Reputedly 12 point bolts, 9/16ths, or thereabouts.

Knock the hub/bearing off the knuckle. Another part that likes to hang on VERY tight.

Then, you get to drive out all eight of the lug bolts..... Careful on this exercise, don't wanna bang up the end of the lugs, such that the nuts won't go back on there again..... You can double nut them, and have the head of the lug just slightly below the level of the outer nut, and drive them out with a hammer.....

Once those are all off, the rotors will be free. Assembly is the reverse procedure. I would HIGHLY recommend having your rotors turned BEFORE installing them, as if they are warped from sitting on the shelf for a while, you don't wanna have to go thru it all again to get them cut.

While you are in there, replacing the outer U-joints would be an extremely good plan as well. If the hub/bearings are getting sloppy, or, otherwise make you question them, replace those as well.

Something else to consider would be balljoints...... considering how close you are going to be to being able to replace them..... If they are getting questionable, replace those too........

When knocking out lug bolts, do NOT use a lug nut for the outer bolt, you are highly likely to collapse it some, such that it won't thread back nicely onto the lugs when you are done. Use a spare bolt, or just buy one, and use that one for the outer on all of them.

It isn't really all that difficult, just severely time consuming. The 300 bucks in labor really isn't out of line for the job....... Might wanna chat with 'em about doing some of the other work too, and maybe you can work out an acceptable deal.

 

2wd or 4wd?
i just bought a 2wd 98 2500 with the v10 so im guessing mine is the same setup
i ended up getting these from autozone
no need to screw around with the lugs and they come with new races for the bearings (buy new bearings when putting these in ) and new wheel seal
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...6_172972_4825_
also you'll want to pick up a new spindle/hub nut or kit since dodge recommends not re-using the nut

one last thing did the rotors wear the same from outside to inside ? if the inside is thinner then you'll want to replace the calipers as well as this is a sign of the caliper sticking
I defiantly agree with HeyYou on replacing the stuff he mentioned , im in the middle of doin all this right now and im glad i did cause there were a few issues that would have been major problems down the road

 

jasonw, it was a local guy that gave me the quote...i'd much rather learn how to do myself and work on it for a few hours instead of paying. and that would be great if you could move my post. and HeyYou, can you just get the tools for the axle nut at any auto parts store? I have a big socket wrench and is there a socket for the axle nut. Or maybe some sort of bit? I tried tinkering with some of the parts tonight and failed miserably to get any of them to budge. and penksi61, ill keep your advice in mind, unfortunately i'm in college and replacing the calipers sounds expensive! Haha, but thanks for the advice everybody and ill let you know how it goes!

 

Don't know about parts stores.... they will have things like balljoint press, and such, should you decide to go there. Large socket can be had at most any hardware store, or, places like Sears.

Calipers are actually pretty cheap...... under 20 bucks a piece I do believe, but, if they ain't broke... Don't fix 'em.

 

yeah calipers were $24 a piece with the core , i have 112k on the truck and one of the rotors was thinner on the inside than the outside which is a sign of a sticking caliper so i just replaced both
axle nut sockets you can find in singles at autozone , checker or napa

if you have a harbor freight around may check there to but make sure you take a good look at the material they use , its hit or miss with some of the stuff you get from there

 

Uneven pad wear is from the caliper seizing up on the guides. Pulling them off, and cleaning them up nicely fixes it.

 

wow, i had no idea that calipers were cheap, thats awesome. i'll for sure look into that. thanks for all the advice guys.

 

i feel bad for you 2500/3500 guys...mine just fall off when the caliper is off