Burnt Brakes

[ns954]

Hello All.Last week during a trip home i felt a new vibration in the truck.It came on kind've sudden.After stopping,i noticed smoke coming from the right rear wheels.The smell was terrible.I figured it was a stuck caliper.Today,10 days later,i finally removed the right rear wheels to check things out.The caliper appeared to have very minimal brake drag.The slide pins were NOT seized and had adequate lube.Any ideas?If the parking brake system was messing up shouldn't both calipers have stuck?Should i just "throw" a right rear caliper at the truck?

2000 F-350 Dually,Dana 80 rear axle,disc brakes,104k on the clock.

[99bigred]

did it warp the rotor?

[NCHornet]

Have you been driving it over those 10 days? How does it drive/stop now ? If you had actual smoke there should be some signs of something. Maybe you ran over a piece of road kill, maybe a skunk, and it smoked on the hot rotor and now it's gone? I would still tear it all down and check everything, and make sure you lube the calipers properly.

NCH

[4ds4me]

Check your axle seal for a leak, gear lube gets on the inside brake pad and it over heats. Pull the caliper and rotor and smell, look for the leak.

Good luck

[ns954]

It was the right rear brakes,the smell was unmistakeable.Spit sizzled furiously when applied to the rotor.The pads have signs of heating but only on the outside edges.Rotor does not appear to be warped.Slide pins were free with no signs of binding.Truck has sat for 10 days without being driven.I guess a sticking caliper piston could retract after sitting for 10 days.The left rear caliper/rotor have no issues at all.Hmm.

[4ds4me]

What you are describing is exactly what mine did when my axle seal was leaking a very small amount of fluid.

[ns954]

Hmmm.Did your rotor get hot?Did the pads show any signs of heating on the outside edges?Maybe i'm looking at it wrong,but how could fluid make it to the rotor?With it being a dually,the rotor is inboard of the end of the axle.I don't see any stray fluid.Did yours give a vibration while driving?

[4ds4me]

The rotor and brake pads both were smoking hot, at first I thought I had lost the wheel bearings, I pullled the rotor and hub found it leaking (seal)when I took the rotor off. Wheel brearings were good, new seal installed, cleaned the rotor and emergency brake items with with brake cleaner, new pads installed and have not had issue with that wheel after repair 4-5k ago. The fluid level in the rear axle was normal so just a small amount had leaked. The fluid leakes on the emergency brake items then migrates out to the rotor where the normal pads ride. No vibration I was running my daughter around in town and using the brakes alot when it happened.

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Last edited by 4ds4me : 05-27-2008 at 07:18 AM. Reason: More info added.

[ns954]

I've went over everything with a fine toothed comb and can find no evidence of a seal leak.That's not to doubt what you're saying,it's just that i wish i could find some fluid leaks.The caliper was a little stubborn to collapse,but the brake drag seemed minimal.Hmm.There's the issue of a slight vibration detected about 5 or 6 miles from home.Then the smoke after arriving at home.

[4ds4me]

Man thats a tough one, you may want to check the wheel bearings anyway, with the vibration issue, and of course you pretty much destroy the old seal when you pull the hub.