It seems like since I have had this truck, the brakes have been an ongoing problem. It seems like I go through front brakes once a year, with mostly highway driving. Last year the rear brakes seized up completely and had to be rebuilt, and since I have had the truck, (bought used 3 or 4 years ago) it pulls to the right HARD under highway or panic braking. I had the dealer "working" on it, but that was a complete waste of time, even after taking the service adviser for a test ride and almost going in a ditch to show him I was not just making it up.

Brake systems are just not that complex, it has to be a bad line that expands when the pedal is pressed, wouldn't you think?

Anybody else have any experience with this?

 

Nope, that would be just a bad design. My truck is currently in the shop for the same thing. Less than 4 months after I got it it developed a shimmy when braking. The current rotors were warped a little bit. I replaced them with Napa cross drilled/slotted rotors and new pads on the front. 1000 miles later the Napa rotors were starting to warp. Found out my calipers weren't quite releasing all the way. Bought a new set of slide pins and synthetic grease and rebuilt the front calipers. That lasted about a week. I bought a set of Ford reman loaded calipers. Drove form IA to PA and then took off the Napa rotors since they were warped worse than the old ones at that point. Put the old ones on for the time being. My calipers are not back to not releasing all the way again. Less than 1yr and only 10k on them and they're shot. What gets me is that I dumped close to $1000 into the front brakes alone in the last year and the stuff is shot already. Ford has had SD brake problems since day one. Only 2 cures that I've come across:

Option 1:
Replace the front and rear axles with a 97 and older D60 axle. This will eliminate the unit bearings and brake problems. Just have to find out if ABS was used on the front/rear axles about that age and if it will work with the computer. Also the rear would have to be converted to disk brakes. I had thought about the $1700 Dynatrac conversion which gets rid of unit bearings, but it doesn't change anything on the brakes.

Option 2:
Spend $1200 or more for a new brake setup. Get a set of cryogenically treated slotted rotors from Performance friction along with a set of their pads and new calipers. The flush out the system and go to the new DOT4/5 rated blue fluid. Its an expensive deal, but if I'd have done that in the begining I'd be out of the woods right now. Only thing is I think that price is the front only.

 

i had the same problem when i got my truck...after thw "warranty" was up the front brakes were shot too...

i bought ceramic pads and had my mechanic turn the stock rotors,
rebuild the calipers (he says he anti-seize's everything when he puts it back together)

he also told me it does matter in the truck make ..every disc brake set-up does the same thing..anti-sieze is the key

well its been over a year now and i haul alot of sand and firewood..

plow the crap out of it all winter and my brakes are just fine still...

and it was only 400$

good luck
...zap!

 

Zap, when you say anti-seize, I imagine that is some sort of lubricant? So you think I can get by rebuilding the calipers, putting on ceramic pads, and then turning the rotors (if there is anything left)? That sounds logical. You would sure think that they would have figured out the brakes on these things, it is kind of an important thing.


TT

 

anti-sieze is like a silver "paint" but its a grease you put on parts with a brush...
dont get it on your hands...you'll have it smeared on everything...face arms,fenders,bumper etc...

you can get it at any parts store

good luck once again

...zap!

 

DO NOT USE ANTISIEZE ON THE SLIDE PINS!!!!!!!!


One of the heads of testing for Federal Mogual (I think that was the company) that Ford sourced its SD brakes from was a member at TDS. FMTSVT I think was his SN, but anyways he posted some very interesting info. When you redo the caliper slide pins Ford has a synthetic grease made specifially for this. The problem is that antisize and other petrolium based grease products will cause the boots to swell. When this happens they wear out much quicker and let debris past them and gum up the slide bores. The synthetic grease does not do this. I'll have to try and find these posts. When you do check things out check the condition of the boots. Ford has a kit with new slide pins and new boots. If your boots are old and cracked in the least replace them.


Also I did get my brake issues worked out today. Turns out the last time I worked on the brakes I installed it 360* from correct. This twisted the soft line and cut off fluid supply. I looked no less than 6 times and the line and somehow missed it. Ford charged me $126 to turn the caliper around At least its fixed now for my trip back to Iowa.

 

I have a 2003 F350 and my front brakes were really warped 3 months after I bought the truck used. I replaced them with powerslot rotors and hawk ceramic pads and made sure that I torqued the lug nuts properly and i have not had a problem since. The truck stops like a sports car when needed and after driving it in the New York state salt in the winter the rotors still look clean with very little corrosion.