On the way to work last week, the front had a shake like a lost wheel weight. I didn't think much of it. Then I stepped on the brakes as traffic was no longer doing 70mph. The shake became a serious wooble. This got my full attention. I pulled over and starting checking lugnuts. All there, all tight. Turned the steering to both extremes and checked both sides. Nothing much. Some junk on the drivier's side rotor. No biggie. It was fine once I got going again. No shake even.

So, I ordered the dippled rotors and pads that Eric recommended. Not here yet.

Today it did the same thing. When I stopped and looked the ENTIRE rotor was glowing cherry red. Holy crap!!!! I've had brakes fade, I've had brakes freeze (after sitting for years), I've had brakes with metal on metal, I've had brakes with air in the lines. I've never in more than 25 yrs and a dozen vehicles ever had a capiler stick.

I was 10 miles from home. I'd drive a couple of miles, wait 10 minutes, repeat. Found mud puddles when I could. Towards the end, it wasn't pulling any more so I thinkit finally unstuck.


Is this what happens when the o ring fails? What brand calipers are your Napas?

After such a heating, I will be changing the brake fluid out for sure. Thought about going to branded steel lines but didn't see any on BrakePerformance. I really didn't expect all of this but as I said, I've NEVER had brakes do this before. Is there a recall or TSB for it?

Oh, it's an '06 Dakota Quad 4x4 SL w/ 40k miles.

Didn't get a chance to look at it today but will be driving the wife's car short term.

 

last nite (sunday nite) my truck has simliar problems with the shaking, i do have new rotors but are going to be changed they got warped and i new they were and been waiting on my machinic he's been in or out of the hospital. im going to take my truck town and see if he can do it this week like he said he might be able 2. but i didnt noticed my rotors red or anything.

 

Sorry Moneyman,
Chalk it up to being in a pissy mood but I really need someone that knows something about Dakota brakes and can string a sentence together. You have one post to make an impression and yours says you barely passed English.

My caliper is definetly sticking but seems to slide in and out just fine. After getting the caliper off, it slid fine on the rails. I put it back on and it's tight. Pumped the brakes a few times and it's definetly stuck.

I went to Pepboys for new calipers. Napa didn't answer their phone. The price at Pepboys was literally twice as much as Advanced Auto. They had to special order. Does anyone know anything about ...

1) ProStop? Life time warranty at least but $128.99 each. Whatever Advanced has are $59.

2)Castorl GTLMA brake fluid? Says it exceeds DOT 3 and 4 specs. LMA is Low Moisture Activity, some new formula. Wet boiling point is 329*F. DOT 3 has 401* DRY boiling point.

 

Oh I've seen shot pads and shot rotors before. The guy across the street scares me. All his tools are flea market, his tires junk yards. You don't even want to see his rotors "new".

Mine are shot but still better than his. I noticed some buildup on the rotors the other day. After taking the wheel off again, I think I know what it was. The rubber boot on the caliper is torn and melted on both pistons on the driver's side.

Tires and brakes are something I don't mind spending money on. Those make you stop. A good thing to have in Balto/DC traffic. I'm just wondering if they are worth twice whatever Advanced Auto carries. I need to call them back for a brand name and their warranty info.


And while on the subject, what about suspension upgrade? Everyone seems to be going to 36" super swampers. Not my bag. I want to reduce body roll. I shoulda bought a Sport but oh well. Anyone make stiffer polyurethane bushings?

 

Napa is a 3 pot caliper? The ones on the truck are 2 pot as are the PepBoy replacements.

 

Poor grammar, incoherent sentences, snark, dumb stories, hijacking, you will find it all on DF.

Your melted caliper boots were probably a consequence of your red hot brakes, not the cause. It seems that stuck brake pistons are a rare but known problem with these trucks. A coworker of mine has an '07 that was getting awful gas mileage, and one of his front rims looked like it was covered in Southern red clay. He had it in the shop at 12,000 miles for new pads. I never asked him if they rebuilt his calipers, but I would bet $1...

I think the NAPA upgrade would be a good choice.

Everyone has different expectations as to how a truck should handle. Better shocks, better tires, a drop for the rear end, widening the track with different rims, all that will surely help.

 

ok, I could see the price doubling for a 3 pot caliper. Not for a direct replacement. I haven't done anything with any of the parts yet. I'll have to call Napa tomorrow. Might be one closer to work. If they are the same price or close, I'll go with those. You're filing system is better than mine. It gets stuffed in the gove box. When full it'll fall on the floorboard upon next opening. If it gets blown under the seat it may be there for years. If not, whenever I randomly clean the truck out, it all goes in the garbage!!

CR,
As with most car forums!! The only reason I followed Eric is he would speak (type) English as a first langauge. I am hoping he is gear head enough to know what he's doing and geek enough to express it. The Mazda Rotary guys seem a little better than the general population here but it could be from the burning oil fumes.

As for the truck, it needs to haul *** while hauling ***. It's like I told the guy at TireRack... I need an E load rated tire that is made with a drag strip compound, gets 80,000 mile tread wear, and cost $50; what have you got? All I ever get is silence.