[doakotanuts02]

i did a post prolly about 8 months ago about my brakes and how they warp and pulsate like crazy. so to make a really long story short here it is...
-truck has been in the shop more then 10 times since i bought it, for the same problem"brake pulsation" (unable to lemon law it)
-now truck has 70000 miles, and i just put on the 7th set of rotors and pad on 3000 ago
-front brakes replaced, rearbrakes replaced 25000 ago, new hubs, axles, and race bearings done by dealer to solve problem but still came back!
- the last set of brakes i got were from sanels auto parts, they were the most expensive they has from raybestos, bout 400 for everything.....
-also check tourque on lugs and thats at 85lbs
so there it is.... im tearing my hair out! what should i check? replace? im lost for ideas... seems like every thing has been replaced, but after about 3000 miles the puls comes back!..... i like my truck but from dealing with this for 2 years i am really debating about driving it into a propane truck and watching it blow up.. thank you for reading and giving me yur thoughts

 

[mopar rt]

Have you ever had the calipers check? The torque sounds Ok but did they tighten down the rims in the correct sequence? Has the mounting bracket for the calipers been checked for alignment?

 

[WicKed R/T]

How are your controll arm bushings looking? Also, have you had the rest of your suspension checked out. It seems like if they replaced all parts of the brake system it should be OK, but it might be something else in the suspension. What about your brake master cylinder? BTW, are you using ceramic pads? Because if you are, they are know to hold in more heat causing the rotors the warp faster. I'd recommend a set of Hawk carbon metallic pads.

 

[DirtyR/T]

If your gonna be doing it all over again I'd go with the SSBC brake upgrade. These dakotas are bad for warping the rotors.

 

[WicKed R/T]

If your gonna be doing it all over again I'd go with the SSBC brake upgrade. These dakotas are bad for warping the rotors.

And not to mention the stock brakes suck...........period.

 

[DirtyR/T]

yeah I went through 1 set of brakes in 6 months when I first got my truck. This last time I was gonna do the SSBC but since the brakes went back out again sooner than I fiqured on replacing them I went with Autozone rotors and brakes so far so good but I want them replaced soon!

 

[doakotanuts02]

well the wheels were put on right and were done in sequence.... tourqued and all that good stuff.. i know this cuz i did it... hahah.... the macanic at my work looked at the front end of the truck and said that all the suspention looks good, ball joints, controll arms, ect... but as far as the calipers being good or in aliment... that i dont know, the macanic only works on equpment here at the airport, no cars, just tugs hahah. i never had the calipers replaced but i did think they would be bad. when i step on the break the truck does not pull stays straight, and im not leaking fluid or anything. but back to them being out of aliment or not??? i dunno? how can i check that, or have them checked????!!???? and for s and g's how much would new calipers be? i have a 02 dak, you guys know more then me about this so all this advice and further thought is really helping me out, i apperciate it thanks

 

[mopar rt]

I would take it to a mechanic that specializes in brakes and have them check the alignment of the caliper to the rotor. It could be offset and it will not take much to cause premature wear.

I have seen shims on the mounting bolts that were installed at the factory. If these shims fell off during the work they may have not been noticed and never reinstalled. I have 30,000 miles on my Dakota RT and the brakes are still in great shape. Something on your truck is out of alignment causing this wear.

 

[jweltch]

Two thoughts:

1. Are you bedding the new brakes in properly after you get them replaced?

2. Ever considered that your driving style might be at fault? Not trying to flame or criticize because I simply don't know. I'm just wondering if that's been taken into account.

Good luck getting your problems sorted..

 

[Dakota Sv74]

my rotors were replaced last year with pureferection cross drilled rotors to keep from heating to occur. it would appear for some reason you are getting the rotors too hot. hard braking, riding the brake, or high speeds and sudden stops esp with these lame calipers will distroy the rotors. and if you are using too aggressive a brake pad thats just another added problem. if you are running into this problem this often, it would be in your best interest to look around and upgrade the setup, cause rotors wont warp under normal driving conditions that fast. it took me about 25k before i noticed mine were scratched, i then had them turned and was fine up until about 56k.

 

[doakotanuts02]

ok, i had a mechanic look to see if the calipers were aligend and he said that they looked fine. so i guess that part is ok.
as far as my driving conditions... i go back and forth to work via the highway, about 40 miles each way, i average about 75 mph and when i come of the highway i dont brake hard, usually slow most of the way using the tranny, i have the 5 speed, however i did notice that when i do slow down the truck does nose dive, do yur trucks do it to? im wondering if there is something faulty in the rear brakes so that my fronts are getting over worked and heating up???? i dunno just another idea? and thoughts on this? thank you

 

[DECEPTOR]

Has anyone figured out what the weak link is with our front brakes? Bad caliber design? Poor rotor quality? Brake pads too large with no ventilation groove? I'm debating the SSBC kit, but would hate to ruin those rotors too if the calibers are the cause.

DECEPTOR

 

[doakotanuts02]

can someone send a link for the ssbc brake kit? im interested in looking at it, before i decide to go out and buy new calipers from sanels.... and i agree with you, very week link in the brake department... but if you bring it back to dodge they just say that is normal wear and tear, go figure!

 

[WicKed R/T]

http://www.socaldakota.com/brakes.html

 

[doakotanuts02]

ok so i think i found the problem... that last person that worked on my rear brakes was the dealer.... and this is what i found... on the driver side the ebrake cable was run wrong, frozen wheel cylinder, and the adjuster what put back in backwards, so the brakes never kept tight. and on the pasanger side????????!!!!!!!! 3 out of the 6 springs were broke from being bent, and one of my shoes looked like it got hit by a hammer cuz you could see the round mark and the shoe was so far bent down and in, it broke my wheel cylinder in half. so i never had breaks in the rear of my truck since 9k. and i know have 70k but never thought about it before cuz i was so used to how the truck felt.... SO... new shoes,drums, cylinders, and spring kit, also had my rotors turned and new pads. been about 4 thousand miles and all is good! if i ever see that mechanic again im going to kick him in the balls! Also i wanted to thank everyone that gave me advise and helped me along to figure out what was wrong.... you guys are great!!!!!!! thanks

 

[WicKed R/T]

Sheesh..........glad you got it figured out man. I'd definately give the people at the dealership a piece of my mind after seeing that.

 

[mtlcafan79]

I went through several sets of parts store rotors until I got a set of Powerslot rotors and Hawk pads. They have outlasted anything I've had by a great margain. Some people have had powerslots crack on them, but mine have been fine every time I've checked them.

Powerslots are about $90 each and the Hawk pads are around $60 for the set. Get those and you should be good to go for a while.

Unless you upgrade to the SSBC set, or Powerslots, you will just continue to warp the generic stock rotors set after set.