Brakes pulling

[emcee]

Took the 2002 Tioga to get inspected about 5 miles from home. Near home on the way back the brakes were pulling to the left. Smelled hot when I parked. I didn't have time to look at it then. Lifted the wheels this morning and they all rotate freely. If this was a stuck caliper wouldn't it stay stuck? Also would it most likely be one of the front calipers? I recently replaced one of the rear calipers and cleaned up and lubricated the slides on the other rear.

[bvaughn4]

Check to see if the calipers are the same as used on the workhorse chassis from that era. I think there was a recall on the workhorse due to the caliper piston sticking. From what i read, its an issue where piston is made of phenolic material and it expands and contracts at a different rate from the cylinder. Can become stuck and cause excessive drag on rotors. I just test drove a 2003 Damon Daybreak that was pulling hard to the right in a hard stop. Dealer ended up replacing calipers, rotors and pads for us. Not sure whether they did under recall or out of consignment owners hide.

[Pz10420]

Did you bleed all the brakes after replacing the rear caliper?

[emcee]

Should have mentioned that this is an E450 ford. Also when I did worked on the rear brakes I flushed the fluid out completely so it's all new at all 4 wheels.

Just wondering how it could have been stuck when I parked it - then not stuck after it cooled off.

[Oldme]

Originally Posted by emcee

Should have mentioned that this is an E450 ford. Also when I did worked on the rear brakes I flushed the fluid out completely so it's all new at all 4 wheels.

Just wondering how it could have been stuck when I parked it - then not stuck after it cooled off.

I just got my E450 back today.
4 Sets of brake pads, 4 routers turned and 2 new Front Calipers,
2 rear axle grease seals, repacked the front wheel bearings,
and added braided stainless valve stem extenders to the duals.

Systems checked and setup by local Truck shop that opened in 1977.

I talked to him about sticking calipers. I had one that was frozen from rust.

He advised that sometimes new pads will run hot for a short while and even smoke.

The heat expansion will cause sticking.

Most of the time, after a couple of cooling cycles, they be fine if it is a new pad problem.

Some will require new calipers if the piston is not retracting fully and the pads are dragging on the rotor all the time.

[Nick-B]

Originally Posted by Oldme

I just got my E450 back today.
4 Sets of brake pads, 4 routers turned and 2 new Front Calipers,
2 rear axle grease seals, repacked the front wheel bearings,
and added braided stainless valve stem extenders to the duals.

Too bad the mechanic didn't finish the job.
He really should have replaced both front rubber hoses to the calipers as well. While they may look fine on the outside those hoses can collapse internally and cause a caliper to not release.

[Oldme]

Originally Posted by Nick-B

Too bad the mechanic didn't finish the job.
He really should have replaced both front rubber hoses to the calipers as well. While they may look fine on the outside those hoses can collapse internally and cause a caliper to not release.

I'll go with what he did.
He knows what he is doing.

He has been working on semi and heavy trucks since 1977.
His references from major companies would fill this forum.

[emcee]

Oldme - how many miles on the rig?

I took my front brakes apart, exercised the pistons and replaced the rubber caliper guide boots. Didn't see any evidence of overheating. Seems to be fine now.

[Oldme]

Originally Posted by emcee

Oldme - how many miles on the rig?

I took my front brakes apart, exercised the pistons and replaced the rubber caliper guide boots. Didn't see any evidence of overheating. Seems to be fine now.

My millage is 39796.

[LI-Camper]

A few weeks ago, I was driving home in bumper to bumper traffic (apparently a fatal accident by the looks of things) for almost an hour. I smelled a burning odor coming from my E450 2004 Jayco MH. The brakes were pulling to the left. While still in the traffic, the pulling and smell went away. As soon as I could, I had my repair shop check out the brakes. The left caliper had seized and the rotors (both fronts) had heat check marks. As I was at 40k miles, I had the hoses, pads, rotors (turning didn't fix them) and calipers replaced. Good as new now but my wallet is much lighter!