Truck brakes wear one side

Larry from MD · Jan 7, 2011

Had to change a flat and saw the disc brake pad had worn down so the little metal thing was scraching the rotor.looked at the inside one and it was full size not worn any.The other wheel is worn evan.I switched them till i can get new, but how do you stop this from happening again?Its a gmc 1500.

El Toro · Jan 7, 2011

The piston may not be retracting on that calipher
when you aren't applying the brakes. The calipher may need a good cleaning so it can float as the the pads wear. Hal

rustred · Jan 7, 2011

it is normal for the inside pad on the caliper to wear a little more than the outside one. the caliper must be getting sticky, as when your driving down the highway they retract a bit so the pads dont rub.time to overhaul the calipers which requires installing new seals.

MSJ from MN · Jan 7, 2011

Was it the right rear inside pad by chance?

RodinNS · Jan 7, 2011

Most likely the caliper is not moving on it's sliders. I'm assuming that the pad that sits agains the piston(s) was worn and the other one not worn?
I'm not familiar with the GM brake setup but there has to be some sort of slider mechanism on a pin of some type. It's probably binding on those pins and bushings. The pins can be replaced but you may need to clean the rust from the bushing bores. Make sure that they move freely by hand...

Rod

Oldmax · Jan 7, 2011

Check the clearence on the pad itself. some have to be filed to slide easly on the SS springs on the end. mine did this on the inside. when I was replaceing it it fit real tight I filed it to make slide in easy but not loose. Haven't had any trouble since. Was on a Silverado K-2500 right rear.

kyle.fenstermaker · Jan 7, 2011

the caliper isn't sliding on the slider bolts. They are binding or rusted. They should have a little bit of grease on the slider bolts to allow the caliper to retract off the rotor once the pedal is released.

State of Jefferson · Jan 7, 2011

My vote is for sticky slider pins. I just got to buy a brand new set of brakes for my Ford due to the same issue.
A new part of my maintenance program is to pull the calipers off once a year and grease those pins.

Ben

Larry from MD · Jan 7, 2011

No the outside one that you can see was worn.I tried to move it on the pins see if it was loosel. Did not get it to move much at all evan after pushing the piston in.The design is not like the old ones where the pins come out easy thease are under some rubber sleeves.

Larry from MD · Jan 7, 2011

The piston moves easy its the whole piece that seems to be stuck.Useing a bar i can't get it to slide at all.

State of Jefferson · Jan 7, 2011

When you go to replace the parts check out rockauto.com.

I had great luck with them.

Ben

Brian Jasper co. Ia · Jan 7, 2011

Stuck slide pins, or one side of the rotor was resurfaced with a dull cutter leaving a rough surface.

ASEguy · Jan 7, 2011

It's not the piston, as others have said, it's the caliper bolts. Very common on GM products. You need to remove the caliper bolts, clean them then lube them with caliper grease or white grease. Don't use wheel bearing grease. Might not be a bad idea to replace the caliper bushings. Ask for a hardware kit for that caliper. Gerard

El Toro · Jan 7, 2011

You may be better off to buy a rebuilt calipher.
I guess they're still available. Hal

LenND · Jan 7, 2011

All GM brakes have one side that drags just a little. If you don;t believe me stop your vehicle and get out and put your hand them. One of the pads will be hot enough to burn your skin. And that is with normal driving. Had a retired GM mechanic tell me that and it's true. He said the springs keep just enough pressure on the pad to keep it hot

glennster · Jan 7, 2011

i just went thru a similiar problem with my 06 chey w/t. left front caliper ate up the brakes in less than 6 months. pull the caliper and leave the pads on. see if the pads slide in the caliper frame. if they are stuck, remove the pad and the stainless slider spring and check for rust behind it. you need to clean all the rust out of there and any burrs. what happened is the clearance on the pad was very tight and the pad sticks in the caliper, keeping it engaged.

Larry in IA · Jan 7, 2011

I see nobody has mentioned a collapsed brake line. Had a '97 GMC 4X4 that had this same problem you are having. Replaced caliper with no luck. Turned out to be that the rubber line between the frame and the caliper had collapsed internally. Could not be seen from the outside of the line. Might be worth a shot to try.

Larry from MD · Jan 8, 2011

Now that sounds like whats wrong.

Pops1532 · Jan 8, 2011

Didn't you post that you couldn't get the caliper to move when prying, even with the piston retracted? Start with the most likely culprit....caliper bolts! Like others have said its a common problem. Why would you think the problem is a brake hose until you've fixed the stuck caliper?

NY Jon · Jan 12, 2011

I have 99 chevy that has had the same problem. I tryed most ever thing. Finaly bought a Dodge to cure the problem.

36 Coupe · Jan 14, 2011

Ive found that the caliper bolt threads pick up at lot of crud when removed.The internal threads have to be cleaned, they wont accept new bolts at times.

Truck brakes wear one side

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