hey, i put new pads on the back of my 98 and after i was done i was dragging like the parking brake was still engaged. i thought it had gone away until they started grinding again. here i am 1 month later and my rear pads are worn out. no joke, the inside pad on the drivers side is down to the metal and the others arent far bahind. if anyone knows why this happened please clue me in so i can get this thing squared away.

thans,
DBO

 

You have discs in back correct?
If so, it sounds like your caliper pin(s) are not sliding correctly. Did you get them in correctly, did you lubricate them, does the caliper slide freely on them?

More times then not, when a caliper is hanging up on disc brakes it is becuase of the caliper pins. I cannot stress the importance of them being clean and lubricated. Do not, and I mean never ever "polish" your caliper pins on the grinder. They have a protective coating, and the grinder will eat it away in no time. Your brakes won't last.

 

no, i did not clean the caliper pins. i didnt take caliper apart, just unbolted it from the rotor. i just got finished putting new pads back on today and the caliper slid back and forth on the pins but when i got finished with my test ride the drivers side was smoking. that side was worn alot more than the other when it took it apart also. (the pads that is)

p.s. i just went out and looked at them again and the plunger inside the caliper is not releasing after i take my foot off the pedal therefore keeping the pads engaged. also, if i pump the pedal several times it will start getting spongy and go on to the floor. the rpms drop off when i do that too, could a booster or master be causing my prob?

 

That's what I was going to say...

 

I have a 97 blazer with 127k, that same thing just happened to me, I changed the master cylinder(58 bucks at napa) bled the brakes, now the brakes are working awesome, entire operation took like 30 mins.

 

On disc brakes, the bolts holding the caliper to the caliper bracket are the caliper pins. You have to take the caliper pins out in order to take the caliper off the bracket.
Now if you unbolted the caliper bracket and slide the whole thing off that way, then your stuck caliper pin was never serviced and could still be hanging up. Thus your new pads are smoking. Or the smoke is from grease or brake fluid on the pad or rotor.
Did you have your rotor turned or replaced when you put on new brakes?

 

no, did not turn them. they seemed to be frozen because they did not want to come off.

let me get this straight, i took the 2 bolts off the back and took the caliper off in 1 peice. are the pins you are referring to the 2 pins between the inner and outer pieces of the caliper?, if so i checked thm and they are ok

 

Rear disc brakes are typically set up like this.
2 bolts/pins hold the caliper to the caliper bracket.
2 bolts hold the caliper bracket in place.
Caliper bracket must be removed before rotors can come off.

The 2 bolts/pins that hold the caliper bracket in place usually have a nut behind the caliper bracket. Doesn't look like a regular 6 point nut. This is a 2 sided nut and round the rest of the way. Round so it doesn't eat the rubber boot which hides it and protects the grease on the pin from getting dirty and hanging up your caliper. Slide the rubber boot towards the caliper, look for the 2 shoulders and put a open ended wrench on it. Then unbolt the caliper bolts/pins. Clean the pins up and apply more brake grease to them. Don't worry any excess will squesse out when you put it all back together. Carefull of a rubber o-ring, sometimes they come out with the pin, make sure it goes back in with the pin. I cannot stress how important it is to have CLEAN BRAKE grease on the pins.

Rotors should be turned or replaced everytime you do a brake job. The grooves and warpage in the rotor will eat new pads quickly, usually within a year. Most rear disc rotors fromt eh factory are made of a composite material, and very few shops can turn them. Some will say they can not knowing there is a difference, and what you end up with is a rotor that looks like a old vinyl record. 9 times out of 10 you will have to replace the rotors with new ones. I highly suggest you buy steel rotors so they can be turned the next time you do a brake job.

If your pads are literally smoking, one cuase is brake fluid leak. Check for fluid in the area. If your hoses are cracked, replace them. I usually go ahead and replace the calipers too. I already have to bleed the brakes, plus they usually wear out about the same time. Both have rubber components in them, and the rubber usually deteriates at the same time. Find something to plug the end of the brake line when you take the hose off, you don't want to lose too much fluid, yet. When you bleed the brakes, try to push out all the old fluid and pump in new fluid. Like flush the brakes of old fluid. Make sure to keep adding fluid. Never let the resivoir get low, it will allow air in the master and then you have to bleed it. Also never let the brake pedel go to the floor, it could over extend the pump and can damage it.

Another thing to consider, is a collasping rubber brake line could be the cause of your problem. It'll open allowing fluid to pass when your push on the brakes, however there isn't enough force going the other way to relieve the pressure and allow your caliper to relax. Thus your brake is stuck on.

Just some fuel for thought.
Hope it helps. Sorry if it is too detailed. I am not sure what you know or don't know about brakes, plus it could help others you are just reading for GP.

 

Check the rubber hose. If it's blocked, it will push the brake fluid into the caliper, but won't let it back out.

 

can the hose get weak and just collapse when i release the pedal. also, i havent driven or even cranked it in a couple days and they still feel tight