Jim Grant's Tech Tips
'90
Dodge Pick-up, Front Brake Lock-up
Q:
The front brake on the passenger side of my ‘90 Dodge Pick-up locked
up. I replaced the caliper, the brake line and pads still looked good.
After a short drive it still feels as if the pads are hitting the rotor
and the front wheel gets extremely hot. What’s next?
A:
Have you ever had your brake fluid flushed? Read on and you’ll understand
the question. I would suggest replacing the flexible rubber brake hose
to that brake caliper. Moisture gets into everything, and brake fluid
is no exception. Brake fluid absorbs moisture, it’s designed to do
this and it is a must for our safety in a vehicle’s braking system.
But, moisture/water contains oxygen. Oxygen is needed for us to breathe
and the engine to run. In the braking system the contamination of the
fluid by this oxygen makes bad things happen. The fluid becomes corrosive
and starts damaging the braking system from the inside out. Just one of
the many components that can fail to this inside attack are the rubber
brake hoses. The inside of the hose will start breaking apart and actually
block/restrict the flow of brake fluid. When you step on the brake pedal
you easily create hundreds of pounds of pressure. This pressure will push
through a restricted brake hose. But when you release the brake not all
the pressure is released. It only takes a few pounds of residual pressure
to cause a disc brake caliper to drag, resulting in heating. If replacing
the brake hose is the fix, I suggest replacing the others, because they
have been under attack as well. In our shop we have easy to use test strips
and electronic brake fluid testers. You can buy the test strips in a parts
store. You’d be surprised how many vehicles are in need of a brake
fluid change/flush.
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