2001 Ram 2500 front brakes/whl bearings..??

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gccsteve - 19 Feb 2007 22:32 GMT

This truck has the Cummins diesel and 96k miles, second owner since
86k.
Rotors were obviously never turned, just pads replaced since the 4
retaining sheet nuts were still on the studs and the bolts holding the
shoe carrier still had the factory loctite on them. Both rotors are
scored but more on the driver's caliper side. Pads are also worn 2
times as much on the caliper side versus outboard.
I know this truck is real heavy on the front end due to the diesel but
could there be another problem lurking and can the OEM brakes be
upgraded without spending a ton of money?? Or is this common to the
2500 series with the Cummins?
2nd question.... I must also assume the sealed wheel bearings are
original, they don't rumble or have any end play but since I've got
the rest apart should I replace them now or will they last another
50k?.
The bearings are not available from Napa, I was told you had to buy
the complete hub assembly from Dodge. Has anyone got a source for the
bearings only as I don't want to get raped from the dealer if I need
to press new ones in?
Thanks,
I love this truck.

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TBone - 19 Feb 2007 23:08 GMT

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. As for the pad wear, that may be due to
the calipers not sliding properly due to lack of maintenance.

Signature

If at first you don't succeed, you're not cut out for skydiving

> This truck has the Cummins diesel and 96k miles, second owner since
> 86k.
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> Thanks,
> I love this truck.

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gccsteve - 19 Feb 2007 23:30 GMT

> If it ain't broke, don't fix it. As for the pad wear, that may be due to
> the calipers not sliding properly due to lack of maintenance.
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
> > Thanks,
> > I love this truck.

Thanks Tbone,
The caliper sleeve was free and the boots and retaining bolts both had
anti sieze on them.
The "anti rattle" hardware for the pads did not have any kind of
lube. could this be the cause?

Reply to this Message

TBone - 20 Feb 2007 22:52 GMT

The anti-rattle parts should not have any lube on them so that is not the
problem. Since they are the factory rotors and have never been turned, it
sounds more like normal wear to me as the piston side tends to wear more.
If they are badly scored, I would replace them without even bothering to get
them turned as turning them makes them too thin. As for the bearings, with
the high cost, I would leave well enough alone.

Signature

If at first you don't succeed, you're not cut out for skydiving

> > If it ain't broke, don't fix it. As for the pad wear, that may be due to
> > the calipers not sliding properly due to lack of maintenance.
[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]
> The "anti rattle" hardware for the pads did not have any kind of
> lube. could this be the cause?

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gccsteve - 20 Feb 2007 22:54 GMT

Tbone is correct regarding the no maintenance thing or probably the
"Midas" or Johny homeowner brake job. These dual piston calipers
actually slide along the brake pad carrier as well as the retaining
sleeves/bolts. Yep, I greased them up.
A totally different braking setup than I'm used to.
I can't point fingers at the previous owner; either a DIY or where-
ever he took the truck for a brake job; but somebody was not paying
attention.

New rotors and pads and done the right way = PRICELESS.

Again
Thanks Tbone and all that replied to my original post.

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Roy - 19 Feb 2007 23:34 GMT

> This truck has the Cummins diesel and 96k miles, second owner since
> 86k.
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> Thanks,
> I love this truck.

It is a dealer item and comes as a package. At least it did a year ago.

Reply to this Message

Tom Lawrence - 20 Feb 2007 01:36 GMT

> I know this truck is real heavy on the front end due to the diesel but
> could there be another problem lurking and can the OEM brakes be
> upgraded without spending a ton of money?? Or is this common to the
> 2500 series with the Cummins?

The uneven wear could be the result of the pads hanging up (grease the slide
points for the pads), the caliper hanging up (clean, inspect, and re-grease
the caliper slide pins), or residual pressure being held in the caliper due
to deteriorating brake lines (replace the rubber brake lines).

To determine which of the above, pump the brakes several times, release
them, then open up a caliper bleeder screw. If fluid dribbles out, you're
OK. If it shoots out like a squirt gun, you've got bad brake lines.

> 2nd question.... I must also assume the sealed wheel bearings are
> original, they don't rumble or have any end play but since I've got
> the rest apart should I replace them now or will they last another
> 50k?.

If you're not detecting any noise or play, they're most likely fine.

> The bearings are not available from Napa, I was told you had to buy
> the complete hub assembly from Dodge. Has anyone got a source for the
> bearings only as I don't want to get raped from the dealer if I need
> to press new ones in?

The bearings are in a sealed hub unit - you can't service them if you wanted
to. And yes, this is a dealer-only item (3/4 and 1-ton truck hub bearings
aren't available aftermarket, only the 1/2-ton units are available). Dealer
MSRP is $360 each. If your dealer won't do $250 on them, order them from
Tenafly Chrysler (use a search engine to look them up) - they'll sell them
for $248.40

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BigIronRam - 20 Feb 2007 02:56 GMT

A friend of mine has the Timken number for the hub bearings. Timken has
them down as for OEM or rebuilder only so we're stuck paying big bucks for
the time being.

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