Disc brake discussion

[GCinSC2]

Temp gun? Shoot the rotors. Even temps?

No temp gun, do the rotors have a similar shine?

[slowmover]

In braking, the trailer will load the front axle more heavily. If the trailer is towed even slightly nose down, this is exaggerated. Same for worn axles, low tire pressure, etc.

[KJRitchie]

Disc color looks even. Trailer is riding level. Just wondering what dust others have noticed on their rims.

Kelvin

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

I'm out west right now in Zion. I'm noticing brake dust on the forward wheel rims and not on the two rear rims. Not a lot but is it normal for only the front rims to get the dust?

Is it like a car where the front axle brakes do more work?

Kelvin

Hi, did your trailer come with disc brakes or were they added on later? Different pads make different dust. Example: My wife's BMW had what I call "Black Wheel Syndrome" so I bought different brake pads and oh what a difference. I can clean the wheels bi-monthly instead of weekly. Maybe your front pads are different than your rear pads.

[GCinSC2]

Folks,

Brakes have been great up to the last trip. I noticed a wheel getting hot via the Dill TPMS. Pulled over and confirmed via IR Temp gun, pretty hot rotor. But not near as bad as I had the first time before I did my caliper work.

I found a large parking lot and shut 'er down. Raised the AS and pulled the wheel. I carry a few tools but most importantly a brake line union and a brake line plug.

The idea was to disconnect the line and plug it allowing us to continue. About an hour or so later we were on our way. I also plugged the caliper connection to prevent junk from getting into it.

These are part numbers (by my research, please confirm if you purchase a set) for the 3/8" X 24 3/16" tube inverted flare line union:
AGS BLU-3, Dorman 490330, Weatherhead 302x3

The plug numbers are:
AGS BLF-60, Dorman 320393, Weatherhead 131x3

All things considered, not too bad as far as an inconvenience might be, but what's the takeaway?

When I got home I dissected the caliper halves, removing the dust boots, pistons and seals. The dust boots on the hotter side showed some heat damage and cracks but I found no evidence of internal rust or any damage that could account for the brake drag. New caliper seals and boots ordered from Dexter.

So what's left?

My theory, disc brake pad to caliper contact points were corroded a bit, enough to keep the pads from floating. The AS only goes out about 5 times a year so it sits and is subject to stagnant corrosion.

My next move:

Fix the caliper, install it, and bleed / flush the fluid at all four wheels. And rotate the tires but here's the hopefull preventitive fix.

Pull the pads off of each caliper set and remove any rust/crud build up on the caliper pad anchor points and pads then apply a nice film of disc brake caliper grease. To remove the Dexter pads, remove the retainer on the pad pin, pull the pin and just wiggle the pads out of the caliper halves, the calipers do not need to be removed for this cleaning and greasing. Remember, just a light film you don't want to apply enough to contaminate the friction surfaces.

I'll add this to my PM list when rotating tires or any time the wheel is off.

The Dill internal TPMS helped me spot a problem, saved a brake, tire possibly and made a potential big problem a manageable inconvenience.

YMMV

Gary

[F450Harley]

Originally Posted by GCinSC2

Folks,

Brakes have been great up to the last trip. I noticed a wheel getting hot via the Dill TPMS. Pulled over and confirmed via IR Temp gun, pretty hot rotor. But not near as bad as I had the first time before I did my caliper work.

I found a large parking lot and shut 'er down. Raised the AS and pulled the wheel. I carry a few tools but most importantly a brake line union and a brake line plug.

The idea was to disconnect the line and plug it allowing us to continue. About an hour or so later we were on our way. I also plugged the caliper connection to prevent junk from getting into it.

These are part numbers (by my research, please confirm if you purchase a set) for the 3/8" X 24 3/16" tube inverted flare line union:
AGS BLU-3, Dorman 490330, Weatherhead 302x3

The plug numbers are:
AGS BLF-60, Dorman 320393, Weatherhead 131x3

All things considered, not too bad as far as an inconvenience might be, but what's the takeaway?

When I got home I dissected the caliper halves, removing the dust boots, pistons and seals. The dust boots on the hotter side showed some heat damage and cracks but I found no evidence of internal rust or any damage that could account for the brake drag. New caliper seals and boots ordered from Dexter.

So what's left?

My theory, disc brake pad to caliper contact points were corroded a bit, enough to keep the pads from floating. The AS only goes out about 5 times a year so it sits and is subject to stagnant corrosion.

My next move:

Fix the caliper, install it, and bleed / flush the fluid at all four wheels. And rotate the tires but here's the hopefull preventitive fix.

Pull the pads off of each caliper set and remove any rust/crud build up on the caliper pad anchor points and pads then apply a nice film of disc brake caliper grease. To remove the Dexter pads, remove the retainer on the pad pin, pull the pin and just wiggle the pads out of the caliper halves, the calipers do not need to be removed for this cleaning and greasing. Remember, just a light film you don't want to apply enough to contaminate the friction surfaces.

I'll add this to my PM list when rotating tires or any time the wheel is off.

The Dill internal TPMS helped me spot a problem, saved a brake, tire possibly and made a potential big problem a manageable inconvenience.

YMMV

Gary

Great heads up Gary, Thanks.

[crispyboy]

Originally Posted by GCinSC2

My theory, disc brake pad to caliper contact points were corroded a bit, enough to keep the pads from floating. The AS only goes out about 5 times a year so it sits and is subject to stagnant corrosion.

This is the main reason I didn't go with disk brakes when I installed new axles 2 years ago. I figured there were times when my trailer won't get used enough and something like this would happen.
Currently we use the trailer from April through October about 1x per month. If someday I can have a real travel schedule I will jump into the disk brake upgrade with both feet.

Glad you were able to make the fix and get down the road. It is good to be independent. This is good thread Gary.