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'06 2500HD Brakes

btfarm

America First!
Messages
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10,177
Location
Sandwich, Illinois
While doing maint. yesterday, I see the rear calipers are hung up and wearing out the piston side pad prematurely. With the driving I do 300k should have been easy to do on the factory brakes and would have been except for this deal...:mad2:
Seeking recommendations for replacement pads and who makes a T55 socket that will survive the torque to break the rear anchor pins loose. Any tricks to take this apart without resorting to a torch and pissed off gorilla?
 
For pads you can't go wrong with RAYBESTOS blues from CARQUEST. I got tired of replacing rotors on customers cars, and started using teh RAYBESTOS pads from CARQUEST. No more rotor trouble since.
 
Tool recommendation, S-K or Snap-On. I can look at Brandon's (07HDClassic) in a couple days, but I would definitely make sure GM didn't sneak a Torx PLUS fastener in there.

Esquema_362.jpg

I know GM has moved to those in a couple of applications and you will go through regular torx like a fiend and do nothing but get pissed and ruin the bits AND fasteners...ask me how I know. (Newer 4L60-E bellhousing.)
 
Last time I dealt with this I shattered 3 different wrenches before unscrewing the brake line and taking the whole assembly to the garbage and bought new everything. New stuff came with normal bolt head bolts. No more T55 crap.

I've said it before. There is something wrong/flawed in the design of the rear brakes. I've had more problems with the rear brakes on my '05 than ANY other vehicle I've owned (or ones Dad owned that I worked on too). Doesn't matter how much greasing, bleeding, or replacing parts I do. I'm not dumb when it comes to brake jobs, I've done tons of them with no problems. This truck is different. They start dragging and wearing the pads funny within a year or two. Which for my truck is a whopping 12,000 miles. I drove my truck today and got to listen to a nice squeal as I use the brakes stopping at intersections. Going to have to redo the rear brakes AGAIN.
 
If these had been properly assembled at the factory I would have easily done 300k so I'm not really complaining that much. Thanks for the tip Devin. I'll have to check that Torx out. I already have replacement hex Hd pins on hand thanks to a member here.
 
In this day and age, I am so surprised that the brakes are not 4 way disc all the way around. :mad2: GM had many issues with their rear drums.
 
Rear drum brakes also hold up much better if you live where the salt the roads in the winter. Disk brakes in general don't hold up well in road salt, but the rears especially take a beating.
 
For pads you can't go wrong with RAYBESTOS blues from CARQUEST. I got tired of replacing rotors on customers cars, and started using teh RAYBESTOS pads from CARQUEST. No more rotor trouble since.
You're talking the ceramic ones and not semi-metallic I presume. Carquest has both listed. Semi-Metallics tear up rotors. $71 each end for the Ceramic.
 
You're talking the ceramic ones and not semi-metallic I presume. Carquest has both listed. Semi-Metallics tear up rotors. $71 each end for the Ceramic.

Ceramics tear up rotors, semi metalics make alot of brake dust. CARQUEST also has an advanced technology line they sell just for trucks that see extreme useage and severe braking. I have them on my BURB, and have put them on a few trucks that run overweight all the time.
 
don't forget that you have the e brakes inside the rear rotors...they can cause problems sometimes...I haven't done a set of brakes with them yet...it would be interesting to see how much harder some claim it to be...
 
Ceramics tear up rotors, semi metalics make alot of brake dust. CARQUEST also has an advanced technology line they sell just for trucks that see extreme useage and severe braking. I have them on my BURB, and have put them on a few trucks that run overweight all the time.
I checked and the OEM ones were ceramic and since I'm so easy on brakes I went with the Carquest blue ceramic. I wouldn't even be replacing them if they were assembled properly at the factory.:mad2: I've had the fronts apart and lubed them. They could EASILY go 75k more but the rears are shot on the piston sides so I'll do both.

don't forget that you have the e brakes inside the rear rotors...they can cause problems sometimes...I haven't done a set of brakes with them yet...it would be interesting to see how much harder some claim it to be...
I've never used the parking brake on this truck so it's either gonna be a piece of cake to get them off or that other piece of ...well you know ;)

I've got rotors reserved at the store for saturday if I need 'em, (2) 1/2 dr T55 SnapOn sockets on order from the warehouse 50 miles north of me and an impact 3/8 dr T55 to go on the air ratchet once they are broke loose.

I'll try to remember to take some pics while we're at it. I 'convinced' my son to help since I did his timing belt with him last weekend. He's bigger than me and has more built in torque...:D
 
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You won't regret the RAYBESTOS pads from CARQUEST. You don't get that fancy lifetime replacement like you do at AZ, but what good is a lifetime warranty when you have to do rotors everytime because teh pads chewed em up. I still can't convince most to go with the better more expensive pads until the 2nd set of rotors go on in a year.
 
Back in the early '80s, when we first got married, we were very broke and I spent nearly every weekend doing brake jobs for people at retail parts cost, turning fee, and $10/wheel labor while she was doing typing for people in the house for $1 a page. That went on for a couple of years before we were able to do side jobs more 'occasionally'. I learned the value of quality brakes being the better value.
 
Is there a trick to taking the rear rotors off that are rusted inside where the P brake shoes are? I've struggled with a few of those in the past and was hoping somebody had a better solution than beat the piss out of it...
 
BFH. I normally use an air hammer myself to get frozen rotors off. Put a hammer bit in it, and go around the studs with it and it normally frees it right up in not ime.
 
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