So i was driving to work this morning and out of nowhere my braked got real soft and went to the floor. I could still stop but just at the end of the brake travel. Got to work where we have a mechanic on duty and found fluid all over the rear wheel well and rear drum driver side.

Wheel cylinder piston had popped off of the left side of the cylinder so fluid was going everywhere of course. Got a new cylinder put on, bled until stiff then bled again. Brakes felt great. Then I am driving home and it did the same thing again and now it's bleeding all over again. Why does it keep coming off?

Pads looked like they had just as much material as a new set I bought just in case and have not put on yet.

 

Something is loose. Or it's missing hardware somehow. Pistons not aligned correctly with the shoe.

 

Yeah I was just thinking last night some hardware must have broken or is loose. I think I'm just going to swap the pads and hardware this weekend and see. Thanks.

 

if the shoes and drums are very worn the piston could pop out of place when breaking hard. the piston only has so much travel that it can do. under normal breaking, which could be the same pressure used during the bleeding it might not have popped it out of place.

don't forget, during normal use, the breaks get hot, and the drum expands, so the shoes need to move further so during the drive the piston might have to push out further then it can reach based on the amount of wear. It is an 11 year old vehicle. if the drums were not serviced in all those years that could cause it.

 

Theres a couple different sets of pads for the truck from what I understand.
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen...05-dakota.html

The positive here is it's all happening while theres cool weather to work on the truck.

 

Wrong thread......

 

Thanks guys. I am going to measure the Drum ID and see where it is at when I swap the pads. It may be time to replace them. I made sure I checked the current harware and pads when I did my bearings because I was aware of the two main spring one main spring difference between the years. I will check back once I get it put back together and let you know if it fixed it or what I found. I will be doing the work tomorrow morning. And hell yeah the weather in Phoenix is good for doing this work. I changed the motor mounts on my 09 caliber when it was 112 outside one summer laying on the blcktop of my parking lot at my apartment complex.

 

So the drums were in spec. I installed new pads and all new hardware and a new wheel cylinder and made sure everything was adjusted correctly and bled the rear wheels. Took it out and gave it a few hard brakes in reverse to max out the adjusters. Test drove it around town and everything seems to be all good now. I think perhaps the springs may have been worn on the old hardware but I can't be sure. I do notice that the slight wobble that I would feel when braking since I got the truck is gone. Can't complain. Thanks for the ideas and feedback as always.