Prior brake discussion

Something is still hanging up in my left rear brake area. I drove a couple test miles & it got so hot I could not hold my finger on the middle of the rim, in the hubcap area. There are NO strange noises coming from that area when driving or stopping. Stopping distance seems normal. Brake pedal force seems normal. Any ideas???
I replaced:
caliper
caliper slide pins
brake pads
brake hose
lubed all components with anti-sieze including caliper bracket
bled brakes
checked rear diff fluid level (perfect)

Any bearings that need replacing? Whups, disregard that. I see that you have excessive pad wear from your past post. Oops.

I don't know your vehicle intimately, so I will muse in general terms.

If the bearing is checked and found to be OK (which I think it is, because of the reported wear on pads), the problem is obviously that something is causing the caliper to "work".

Slack off the handbrake completely, to eliminate that option.

If that is not it, it has to lie with ABS (if fitted), or the pressure distributing valve(s). Maybe the pressure is apportioned incorrectly, with the one caliper getting more pressure than the other. This is obvious when it happens to front brakes, but not so for rear brakes.

(If I am off-line, very knowledgeable members will soon tell you, but I thought throwing ideas into the stew might just trigger something)

So, is your only current symptom excessive heat? Is it only on one wheel? Are the pads already wearing out?

I would definately check the emergency brake shoes to ensure they are not biding up.

You may want to check the caliper. Remove the pads and then reattach the caliper to the wheel. Check and ensure that the caliper assembly slides easily on the pins.

That's why I checked the rear diff fluid. Thinking if it was low it might mean something. However, I don't hear any howling from the rear. I had rear end bearings on their way out on a '69 Ply Roadrunner. They howled like a wolf!

How do I check if the bearings are bad? They are not making any noise.

If the handbrake was affecting this wouldn't it affect both sides?

Yes, it has ABS. Don't know how to check that or the valve. But thanks for the ideas to stew on...

Yes, excessive heat in left rear wheel area! Nothing in other wheel areas.

Can't tell if pads are wearing out yet as they are brand new & I only test drove it a couple miles.

I'll check the emergency brake & I'll try the caliper idea. Can't hurt...

Checked the emergency brake cables underneath the truck. Pretty rusty & dirty. Sprayed some PB Blaster, let it sit & then sprayed some penetrant/lubricant. Did all this while the wife sat in the truck & moved the emergency brake handle up & down. Test drove a couple miles & no heat. Test drove a few more miles & it started to heat up. Again, only in the left rear wheel area. I think I will tear into the emergency brake on that side. If nothing is found I will try replacing the cable.

Well, I TRIED to tear into the emergency brake. Couldn't get the !@#$% disc rotor off. Tried to PB Blast it & then loosen it with a small sledge. Nothing doing. Still heats up after a couple mile test drive. I'm thinking I'll take it to a place that does free brake checks & ask them to check my emergency brake. If they actually do it they will have to remove the rotor to check the emergency brake!

Any secrets to getting the rear rotor off of a Gen 2?

There are two threaded holes in the drums. Get the right size metric bolts and you can use those to get the drums off if they arent too rusty. Mine just stripped when I tried.

If that fails then jack the rear end up and take the wheels off. Jack stands obviously to be safe.

Pull the parking break up a couple of clicks and put it in gear. Let the rotors gain some speed then slam on the brakes. Do this in reverse and drive a couple of times. It usually helps to break the rust between the hub and the rotor. It only works if the parking breakm works though. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" />