Bad day working on brakes.

wtd

Joined
Jun 25, 2002
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Location
southwest Mo.
My 98 Chevy K3500 has been pulling to the right when braking for awhile now so I decided I would see about taking out the caliper pins and re-greasing them.

Back in 2009, I put all new calipers, brake pads, front hub assemblies, rubber brake lines, and CV shafts on this truck and this is the first time I've messed with the front end since then. The truck doesn't get much miles a year so I've not had to change out pads yet and they still have a lot left on them.

I start with the passenger side. I go to loosen the bleeder valve so I can get retract the piston and of coarse it won't move so I spray it down with penetrating spray and let it sit. I try to open it and it breaks off. I finally get the caliper off and go get a new one. Lucky me, I save all of my receipts and these calipers have a lifetime warranty so I get a new one for free.

I put it on and bleed the brakes and go take a test drive. It's still pulling to the right when you brake so I go back and try to do the same thing for the driver's side. Long story short, that bleeder valve breaks off. That caliper would not come off for anything so I ended up using a hammer to beat it off. I go get a new one and finally after about five hours of messing with this thing, it's all fixed. I had to have my fiancee's son help me bleed the brakes since my Mityvak brake bleeder would not build up pressure because I couldn't get a good seal at the bleeder valve so we did it the old fashion way. I also put caliper grease all the way around the threads of the bleeder valves in hope that it will maybe prevent them from getting rusted in. I will probably have to check it periodically to see if the grease stays on.

Just getting the wheels off was a chore and I had to use a breaker bar to break the lug nuts loose and then had to kick the crap out of both tires just to get them off the hub.

Days like these are one of the reasons I don't enjoy working on vehicles as much as I used to.
 
The rule of thumb is, if it pulls while braking, the problem is on the opposite side of the pull. If it pulls when not braking the problem is on the side of the pull.
 
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Originally Posted by spasm3
The rule of thumb is, if it pulls while braking, the problem is on the opposite side of the pull. If it pulls when not braking the problem is on the side of the pull.



Never thought about it that way. Logically, I now understand. Thanks!
 
A great trick to get wheels lose from the hubs is by using the spare tire. If its next to impossible to get it free, i use the spare tire to slam it into the stuck wheel...has worked well for me.
 
Originally Posted by spasm3
The rule of thumb is, if it pulls while braking, the problem is on the opposite side of the pull. If it pulls when not braking the problem is on the side of the pull.

I figured the driver's side was the issue but I was going to grease both side pins anyway and unfortunately it all turned into a cluster.
 
Sounds like a normal day working on brakes to me. I hate brake jobs, they always take twice as long as anticipated and 4 times as long as they should have.

Look at the bright side, they coulda been drum brakes...I hate drum brakes with a passion normally reserved for famous serial killers and infamous despots.
 
I agree Drum Brakes are not fun to do.

I learned this trick from a good mechanic. When a wheel won't release from the hub you put the lug nuts back on snug and then loosen about a half turn. Then lower the vehicle and back it out of the garage, drive it in again and Voila the weight of the car breaks it free.
 
Originally Posted by cjcride
I agree Drum Brakes are not fun to do.

I learned this trick from a good mechanic. When a wheel won't release from the hub you put the lug nuts back on snug and then loosen about a half turn. Then lower the vehicle and back it out of the garage, drive it in again and Voila the weight of the car breaks it free.
Beat me to it, that's how I've always done it too, a quick stop & go doesn't hurt either. My '93 C3500 pulls somewhat even with new reman calipers, I figure it's probably brake hose related.
 
Originally Posted by Kira
All God's mating surfaces love anti-seize!

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BITOG quote of the day. If I have to pull a tire & wheel for ANY reason, I apply anti seize before remounting. As a side note, all of my vehicles have aftermarket stainless bleeder valves.
 
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Originally Posted by Ihatetochangeoil
Originally Posted by Kira
All God's mating surfaces love anti-seize!

crackmeup2.gif
crackmeup2.gif
crackmeup2.gif
BITOG quote of the day. If I have to pull a tire & wheel for ANY reason, I apply anti seize before remounting. As a side note, all of my vehicles have aftermarket stainless bleeder valves.



Me too.

I also never touch the bleeders just to retract caliper pistons. I used to. I don't see the point in disturbing them anymore unless i need to bleed the system.
 
I work on cars for a living. I don't hate it as much as I used to, except for when I do.

Brake jobs on one ton trucks usually guarantee that I'll be stiff and sore for a few days. Then again I'm almost always stiff and sore.
 
Where does one find stainless steel brake bleed nipples? (Please don't say "Google it").

A trusted source with some track record with youz guys is what I'd like.
 
Originally Posted by cjcride
I agree Drum Brakes are not fun to do.

I learned this trick from a good mechanic. When a wheel won't release from the hub you put the lug nuts back on snug and then loosen about a half turn. Then lower the vehicle and back it out of the garage, drive it in again and Voila the weight of the car breaks it free.

Yep, although I've had a couple where I had to drive down the road and corner it to break it loose (you know, just saw it back and forth a bit, to make the rear slap around a bit--albeit in a controlled fashion). Mom's jeep must not have had a wheel off for a few years and I had to do it several times at 45mph to get one to break loose--that puppy was going nowhere fast.
 
Originally Posted by The_Nuke
Sounds like a normal day working on brakes to me. I hate brake jobs, they always take twice as long as anticipated and 4 times as long as they should have.

Look at the bright side, they coulda been drum brakes...I hate drum brakes with a passion normally reserved for famous serial killers and infamous despots.

Yep, this has always been my experience as well. It always takes longer than it should.

I've had this truck for almost 12 years and have never touched the rear brakes which are drums. I hate doing drums and I can just imagine what a mess this truck will be. This truck came from north MO near St. Louis where they use a lot of salt so a lot of the underneath stuff has rust. Of coarse I've never had to do the rear brakes yet on my 98 K1500 which I bought new.

When I replaced the hub bearing assemblies 10 years ago, removing the passenger side hub turned into a 2 week ordeal because of one rusted bolt. I hate rust because it makes everything more difficult.
 
Originally Posted by Kira
Where does one find stainless steel brake bleed nipples? (Please don't say "Google it").

A trusted source with some track record with youz guys is what I'd like.

I want to know too. I need to get some.
 
Sounds like just another day in the Rust Belt. More antiseize, and occasional brake maintenance wouldn't hurt.

But it sounds much like my Dakota, I did the front brakes and had to deal with a sripped out caliper pin thread, popped the ball joints and replaced the knuckle. That was 7 years ago.

Then 5 years and 10k miles later, had to replace 2 front calipers, one rusted fast on a pin which I had to remove with a grinder. Not enough use, not enough maintenance, too much rust.

Now I try to pull them down once a year and put fresh brake grease and antiseize on all the right places.
 
Originally Posted by Kira
All God's mating surfaces love anti-seize!
Right you are big K. Burnish a small dab of anti seize on the hub/wheel interface and you will never have a problem .
 
Wow! Not sure how I came across this old thread....Maybe it was me who "dropped the ball." I thought most guys knew that speed bleeders come in stainless: http://speedbleeder.com/size.htm Stainless speed bleeders come with antiseize on the threads. Rusted bleeders should be a thing of the past Century.
 
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