New rotors - less braking (1 Viewer)

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Feb 9, 2007
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Nixa, MO
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www.whiteriverlawncare.com
here is the scenario. I replaced the rear drums several hundred miles ago. the pads seemed new so i left them on. still was having a bad pulsing problem when almost stopped. replaced the front rotors and pads. The pulsing is pretty much gone, unless you drive the rig all the time, then you know it is slightly there.

so, could the few hundred miles of pulsing on the front have caused the rear brakes to warp to the pulse of the front rotors?

could the tires have worn out over the many thousands of miles this pulse has been going on? if so, this could be my slight pulse i am still feeling, an out of round tire.

The other problem, before new front rotors, it had great stopping even with the severe pulse, but now, i feel like i am trying to stop with a load of bricks on a trailer. what's the deal? will these new pads have to break in?

btw - i read as many threads as i could find on getting into the brakes like that. couldn't have done it without you guys advice. thanks a million. saved some big bucks instead of taking it to a shop.

jeff
 
jfnall,

just to confirm; you replaced the rear drums but did not replace the shoes? if this is the case, this could be part of your problem. as a general rule whenever you replace drums or rotors, you should always replace the friction linings at the same time. (always a good idea to replace rear wheel cylinders whenever you do a drum brake job as well.)

as far as your rig being hard to stop, couple of things come to mind:

rear brakes misadjusted or old shoes on new drums not performing up to par.

perhaps your new front pads were/are not bedded in properly?

what brand pads and rotors are you running up front?
 
I'm with ellington. The rear drums and shoes wear together as a unit. Rear drums and shoes need to be round, worn shoes may not be round. Suggest you replace the shoes, then adjust.
 
thanks for the reply. i am running Wagner pads on the front. on the rear, i had the shoes and cylinders, but a guy that i wa relying on to help me not to screw up suggested i just wait. i will replace those shoes and cylinders. hadn't even thought about them being worn like that.

thanks
jeff
 
lack of braking with new pads and rotors up front is not uncommon. Go get em hot, with good cool down periods.
 
Could the brake booster be part of the problem? When mine went out, it was like trying to stop with a BIG trailer. ("Load of bricks" comment brought this to mind.)
 
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