brake rubbing

[galleon]

I have a 2005 XLT with 70k miles on it. I changed the front brake pads recently, used Bosch pads, and for a while all was well.

Recently the left pads started rubbing on the disc, not all the time but intermittently. I checked them yesterday, removed the caliper & pads, cleaned everything down, nothing obvious to see. Put it all back together and ran it around the block without any issues. Took it on a run and same thing happened, pads started rubbing on the disc again.

Any ideas anyone ? Thanks in advance.

 

[LMHmedchem]

There may be other opinions but it sounds like the piston(s) are getting stuck. I don't know of anything easy to do about it if that is the case. They make spring clips that are installed to force the pads apart and try to keep them off of the rotor. These are inexpensive but your pads may not have the holes where the clips install and they are not going to overcome a stuck caliper anyway.

Pads don't always fit well into the slippers. At times, the ends are too wide or the pad is a bit too long. I use a caliper to measure the space in the caliper bracket after the new slippers are installed and compare to the pads. It is not uncommon to have to grind the ends some to get them to fit. They should slide freely but not be loose. That is one thing you can check. Also make sure that part of the caliper bracket where the slippers install is clean and free of rust. You should work that are some with a file before installing the slippers. Make sure the slippers are well seated all the way into the caliper bracket so they are level and not distorted.

If this is only happening on one side, jack and jack stands and take off both front wheels. Take off and support both front calipers without using a screwdriver to press the pads back in. They should come off that way with little issue since everything is new. Compare how far the pistons are extended on the two sides and see if you can tell if the drivers side is stuck further out that the passengers. Remove the cap from the master cylinder and use one of the brake pads and a C-clamp to push the pistons back in. If they both go in easily, then the issue is not a stuck caliper.

New or re-manufactured calipers are not expensive. New calipers go about $70 each shipped and re-manufactured about about $20 less at RockAuto. Your truck is pushing up on 20 years old, so if the calipers are original you could consider just replacing them. You will likely need to do that eventually even if that is not the problem now. It will likely be less work to replace them then to exhaustively check all the possibilities. Of course, you could end up replacing your calipers and find that doesn't fix the issue.

You replace calipers in pairs, so a new pair at RockAuto would be ~$145 shipped. You would save about $40 by using re-manufactured parts, though some hesitate over using re-manufactured calipers that would also be pushing 20 years old. You would need new crush washers as well, so it would be a bit more. I haven't posted a link to parts because you didn't say what engine you have.

There are some other options like rebuilding them yourself depending on what you like to do. I had trouble trying to do that and decided that I didn't want brakes that I had botched during a rebuild.

LMHmedchem

 

[CDW6212R]

I have a 2005 XLT with 70k miles on it. I changed the front brake pads recently, used Bosch pads, and for a while all was well.

Recently the left pads started rubbing on the disc, not all the time but intermittently. I checked them yesterday, removed the caliper & pads, cleaned everything down, nothing obvious to see. Put it all back together and ran it around the block without any issues. Took it on a run and same thing happened, pads started rubbing on the disc again.

Any ideas anyone ? Thanks in advance.

How many times has that vehicle gone undriven for long periods of time? The caliper pistons are sensitive to long storage conditions, over time the pistons do become likely to stick, not move as smoothly or easily. The movement of the brake parts, rotors, pads, vibrations etc, those are what push the pads off of the rotors just a little. They only need to move a hair to create a gap so the pads aren't rubbing on the rotors at all. A "sticking caliper" means the pistons of the caliper are not fully/easily moving back in enough each time the brake pedal is released.

That is what can and will wear out pads fast, in months instead of years. If the vehicle isn't driven for many months at a time, that is more likely to happen. If you think a caliper is sticking and making the pads wear out fast, then the caliper needs to be rebuilt(new piston seals installed). It's still very feasible to buy a rebuilt caliper and swap it out with the old one, taking the old one in for the core charge.