[Mas]

2001 Dak 4.7 4x4 SLT: I smoked my front driver's side brake with short city driving. It heated up to the point that I could smell it and pulled very hard to the left. This happened to me a year ago, but that time both fronts smoked! I let them cool, and they were fine since.

The previous owner also had brake issues and the dealer replaced rotors, calipers, and pads...seems to be another issue to be happening. Obviously the calipers are not releasing. Would the booster cause this problem?

MAS

 

[jskull360]

i had that prob also on my 98 RT. I just decided to get the 04 dak brakes and hopfully that gremlin doesnt come back. I also replaced the booster before i did the swap and it made it worse,driverside never fully released, also replaced rubber brake lines

 

[mlobitz]

This seems to be fairly common with these trucks. I would replace the calipers at a minimum, but if it has happened more than once you may want to replace the soft lines as well...

 

[BOOM_FIST]

This seems to be fairly common with these trucks.

Ya ain't shittin man....this exact same shit happened to me....front drivers brakes were smoking. I spent over $700 and replaced both calipers, pads, brake lines, and upgraded to Brembo cross drilled rotors and they still have fucking problems! Don't get me wrong, the brembos help out a lot along with the pads...they bite hard, but they just don't feel right to me...it feels loose and lazy sometimes when I come to a stop...like the brakes catch late, then it all of a sudden jerks to a stop. Not to mention every set of rotors I've had on this truck have glazed over within fucking weeks of me having them...then along with the glazing comes the screeching of the brakes. I've had this truck in the shop for diagnosis over 12 times within the past 6 months...and that's not exagerating.

We should all get a petition going to chrysler about these crap brakes on our trucks......LOL....like they're going to do anything!!!! :banana2: :jester:

 

[caulk04]

Replace the lines and calipers. Problem solved. Very common.

 

[dualdakota02]

Replace the lines and calipers. Problem solved. Very common.

i think u mean flex lines only right... no need to replace steel lines right?
i had the same issue tho just recently. its been almost a month now since i swapped out the calipers, pads, rotors and flex lines on both front. bled fronts out. havn't had any issues as of yet. actually they felt wierd at first like it was late braking and whatnot but now the pads seem to have settled. smooth now.
i agree with boomfist tho... they don't feel the same as other trucks/cars still tho. there's always been some kind of loosness alittle. we'll see. my 01 club cab i had was great tho after the brakes were done. hard to say.

 

[hskrRT]

There are also common problems with the master cylinder not releasing the pressure after releasing the brake pedal allowing the brakes to drag. Usually it's only one side or the other dragging. If replacing the calipers doesn't fix the issue, then you need to try the master cylinder, and then possibly the booster after that.

 

[01SilverDak01]

I've had the same issue with my 2001 R/T, I replaced everything from the Brake hoses, Calipers, Pads and Rotors with all top of the line NAPA brake products......

You'll get a little bit of smell and smoke while the pads "BED" themselves in at first....

I'm tempted to swap the Master Cylinder out as well just so I know I have everything taken care of.......

 

[caulk04]

Correct, just the flex lines. Flush the fluid out before doing anything, then install the new parts and bleed the system.

 

[superdaver]

Is the factory caliper spring still in place?

Q: is the factory spring still in place on the calipers?

Looks kinda like a spring steel bridge, supports the outside of the caliper against the rails the pads slide on.

I had the same issue on my Dad's 02 Dak, bought all new lines, calipers & pads and as we were reassembling everything I ran across the new springs which came with the pads & was like "what are these for?"

Looked it up in the FSM & sure enough somebody had done the brakes on the truck previously and left out the springs. More than likely without the spring to support it, the caliper/pad assembly got out of alignment and didn't retract/release properly.

 

[Mas]

Like I said before, I do not think the original problem was pads, rotors, or calipers..since they were already replaced and did not solve the problem. The original owner had brakes problems within he first 10K miles. Obviously, bad engineering with many others with the same problem. Kinda had to have a class action suit against a company that just went bankrupt!!

How would the flex lines contribute to the calipers not releasing?

I'm leading to think that the vacuum produced by the booster contributes to the release of the caliper when the pedal is released...and therefore, the booster is insufficient in volume for repeated brakings. Is this possible?

MAS

 

[caulk04]

Q: is the factory spring still in place on the calipers?

Not to say it shouldn't be on there, but that won't help the dragging brake issue. It's simply an anti-rattle clip that helps keep the caliper from rattling around and wearing on the guide pins. As soon as you step on the brakes, they straighten themselves out.

How would the flex lines contribute to the calipers not releasing?

I'm leading to think that the vacuum produced by the booster contributes to the release of the caliper when the pedal is released...and therefore, the booster is insufficient in volume for repeated brakings. Is this possible?

#1 - The factory rubber lines break down over time and small bits of rubber work their way into the caliper. The pressure of applying the brakes is more than sufficient to force past these small obstructions. However, these little rubber bits cause the piston to hang up and drag the brakes. Only way to solve the issue is to flush the lines out completely, replace the lines and calipers.

#2 - No, that's not possible. The hydraulic portion of the brake system works with no vacuum input from the booster.

 

[DanaRocque]

Im having a similar problem on my 99 Durango. I just replaced balljoints, tie-rods, CV half shafts, wheel bearings, rotors, pads, and calipers in preparation for a cross country trip. The brakes were not giving me trouble until I started fu%#& with them! Now they are dragging, not bad though. When I get out after a local trip around town I can tell one side is deff giving off more heat then normal and has the typical heated brake smell, the other side just fine. Also, noticed a lot of brake dust on the left front wheel, none on the right. Next time I take it out it might be the opposite side that drags, its hit or miss! It seems like its never both sides doing it at once though, ether left or right. I have a Master Cylinder on order hopping thats the problem. Am I missing anything here? Any Advice?

 

[hskrRT]

Did you flush the brake fluid when you put the new caliper on?

 

[DanaRocque]

Yes, I bled until I purged the system.

 

[DanaRocque]

How long does it take for the new pads to "Bed" to the new rotors? Im wondering if this is normal break-in?

 

[70Cuda383]

How long does it take for the new pads to "Bed" to the new rotors? Im wondering if this is normal break-in?

100-200 miles. no more.

I felt like mine were taking a little too long, so I flushed out all the brake fluid, pulled the calipers back off, pulled the slider pins out and sanded them down some to clean them up, knock off the crud, put fresh axle grease on the pins, and a light coat of grease where the pads slide back and forth on the bracket, and reassembled everything. no more dragging or hot brake smell after a short drive.

I tried to be lazy, knowing that I probably SHOULD have done all that when I swapped out the pads. I ended up having to tear it all apart and spend another 2 hours re-doing my work!:jester:

 

[Mas]

Well to follow up my original post. I replaced rotors, calipers, pads, flex lines, bled the system, and used the little tube of goo for the pads/calipers over a year ago. I wanted to start fresh so I replaced most everything. To date, I have not had any problems with my brakes...except maybe once when I was towing a trailer & braking downhill. I smelled brakes & let up....no further issues.

I basically believed the brakes are engineered poorly and a re insufficient in size for the truck...add a trailer and a hot summer day and you've got trouble.

I did replace the pads with a "heavy duty" fleet service pad with a lot of metal in the pads to dissipate heat. The downfall is a lot of brake dust on my wheels. Maybe that is the trade-off??

Mas

 

[DanaRocque]

Good to hear, hopefully after replacing the MC i'll be there too. I agree with you on the breaks, I hate these pins... The knuckles are to hard to find and way overpriced!

 

[hskrRT]

Well to follow up my original post. I replaced rotors, calipers, pads, flex lines, bled the system, and used the little tube of goo for the pads/calipers over a year ago. I wanted to start fresh so I replaced most everything. To date, I have not had any problems with my brakes...except maybe once when I was towing a trailer & braking downhill. I smelled brakes & let up....no further issues.

I basically believed the brakes are engineered poorly and a re insufficient in size for the truck...add a trailer and a hot summer day and you've got trouble.

I did replace the pads with a "heavy duty" fleet service pad with a lot of metal in the pads to dissipate heat. The downfall is a lot of brake dust on my wheels. Maybe that is the trade-off??

Mas

Yes the factory brakes on these trucks are barely adequate for our trucks, let alone trying to tow. Unfortunately it took Dodge until 2003 to realize this.