I have a similair question....

I am getting tons of brake dust on my new 2004. Have only had it a little more than a month. I washed it for the first time today and the white rag I used was black by the time I was done!

I am thinking of calling the dealership to maybe have them change the pads? Does anyone know if this problem will correct itself?

 

Yes, the problem will correct itself..... sometime in the future your pads will wear out and you will change them. If you go with a pad that does not produce as much dust the problem will be corrected.

Sorry, I could not help it. But in all honesty I don't believe that anything is wrong with your brakes. The pad material that comes from the factory creates alot of black dust. Your best option is to wait until the factory pads wear out and replace them with a better type of pad. I used the ceramic type pads on my '01 and they did not produce near the dust as the factory pads, plus the dust was a white color. I just changed out the pads on my '03 to EBCs that claim to produce 80% less dust. I only have 200 miles on these pads so only time will tell.

Joe

 

Originally posted by Wookie
Yes, the problem will correct itself..... sometime in the future your pads will wear out and you will change them. If you go with a pad that does not produce as much dust the problem will be corrected...

LMAO. Yep, welcome to F150online Joe.

 

thanks guys. Not any different from any other forum I guess.

I guess I will just wait til they wear out but man, that seems like alot of dust between now and then!

 

That's strange though. I've read threads about excessive brake dust but I've never had that problem. Maybe brake dust doesn't stick to chrome rims as well as they do stock ones. I also wash them weekly.

 

I know my '04 makes stupid amounts of brake dust from the fronts. I vaguely remember someone mentioning something about a service bulletin involving updated pads? I dunno.

It is kinda irritating, though.

 

I reccomend you get a set of Akebono Ceramic Pads, they will cure your ill's. The cheap pads Ford puts on are bad! Did you know most of the dust on the wheels is actually metal from the rotors! The OE semi-met pads grind you to a stop every time you brake.

You can get them at Rock Auto: www.rockauto.com
Had the same problem with my '03. All good now!

The '04 Akebono part number is ACT1011 for the front. It'll be the best $65.00 you ever spent, Good Luck!

 

well to save money,....i would just get some brake dust covers for now and then get some good brakes for your truck when it's time to replace the stock ones.....it seems Ford has always had that brake dust problem and with the amount of people that has commented on it, that maybe they can put some good brakes that don't produce as much dust....oh well....just my $.02....luckily i have the King Ranch Rims on my 02 and it doesnt' have as much opening in the wheels itself to allow a lot of dust thru......

 

I disagree. There are better semi-metallic pads availible that don't leave much dust availible for about te same cost as Kleen Wheels, $50/set. I would not put ceramic pads on an F-150 without getting better rotors.

 

APT, What is wrong with his OE rotors?

Ceramic Pads don't attack the rotors like semi-mets do. That is why semi-mets leave so much dust and cause RTV (rotor thickness variation) which will give you pedal pulsation sooner then later.

Ceramic pads ARE NOT harder than semi-mets. They brake more effectively because they compress and "grip" kind of like an eraser on a table, and also because of this they last longer than a semi-met.

I previously had a 2000 Jimmy it had Ceramic Pads OE and I just sold it with 50,000 city miles, and they were still going!

 

WTH? It most certainly is not, unless of course your pads have gone metal to metal. The wheel deposits are mostly-- and by mostly, I mean 95-99%--pad material. If it were the other way around, every one of us would have a coating of rust on our wheels at the start of each day. You CAN get super aggressive stopping pads that will burn through your rotors like mad, while leaving a nice mess of rotor dust on your wheels, but stock pads won't tear the rotors up like that if driven somewhat normally.

SL

 

Ok, maybe not "most" but "a lot" say 10-20% and if left on the wheels will etch and pit any set of nice wheels, heard of bi-metallic reaction I assume. Iron (from the rotors) and aluminum (the wheels).

I see snappy you have a 2003, the 2004 is a brand new truck with different brakes and braking system, and they are twice as dirty as my truck ever was, even before I changed my pads to Akebono.

 

Ceramic pads are designed to be efficient at higher temperatures than Semi-metallic pads. F-150 OE rotors are not designed for those higher temps. Thus, quick warping of the rotors.

 

Probably the cheapest way to reduce brake dust is to lighten up a little on the square pedal, which might necessitate lightening up a little on the skinny pedal. I know, I know...not the favorite option for many on these boards. Logic tells us, however, that the more dust you have, the faster you are wearing your pads away. If you have Heavy Brake Dust, you will probably need pads in 20,000 to 40,000 miles, compared to my Very Light Brake Dust, and 89,000 and going strong on all original brakes.

SM
'01 Screw

 

Please disregard APT's comments..............Actually it is the exact opposite. Ceramic pads work better at the lower temps and when you get them Real Hot they tend to fade and wear faster than a metallic.