umm what happens when you drive without brakepads for a while?

my front brakes went out about 2-3 months ago and i havent had the money or time to fix it...unfortunately i think the more i go without fixing it will only make it worse. Can someone tell me what can happen, which probably already has, or if i can kust put new pads on and no problem...

I assume your pads are squealing. GM puts a wear indicator on the pads and they start rubbing the rotor and make an anoying noise when you push the brakes. If you let them go, they start rubbing all the time and your pads wear down to bare metal. the rotors will be gouged, sometimes so badly they can't be turned and you wind up replacing both pads and rotors. I see people put pads on and do nothing else, and, if you are real lucky you can too. But, usually the rotors are uneven and sometimes too thin if old so they need to be trued(turned) if still thick enough, or replaced. Can be dangerous to let them go, as the front brakes do most of the stopping. On Ford Explorers, the darn pads can actually fall out if run too long(I saw this happen). Get em' fixed, do not delay!!!

On top of what js said, you also run the risk of overheating the calipers and having the cylinder warp. If that happenes you will also have to replace the calipers...For the amount it costs to throw on a set of brakes, you can't not afford to. Cmon, 20 bucks for a set of pads, 5 bux a rotor to turn (if they're not to far gone) or 28 bux per rotor to replace and a 3 dollar bottle of brake fluid handy.....

are changing the rotors really that cheap? if thats the case im not gonna worry about it too much...

oh i forgot to mention that the noise was driving me crazy, so i decided to shut it up with some wd-40. i told my dad if i could borrow some after i ran out, and after it told him why i needed he flipped and told me how much of a dumbass i was...lol so i take it that was a bad idea?

You've probably destroyed the ability for what's left of the pads to work properly... Pads soak up lubricants, that's why they make break clean. Also a lubricant like that on the disc makes your brakes next to useless.

Actually, my brake pads were worn out, and it most times (not ALL the time) it would make an annoying and embarassing sqeaky noise while driving, but it quit when I put on the brakes. The mechanic said my brake pads/shoes were worn out. I did not notice anything wrong with the way my brakes worked when slowing down.

Well now we know how you got your name :grinno:

Welcome to the board YDW, and please fix those brakes before you drive.

Or your name might be based on fact.

Thats because there is still a little meat left... When you hear scraping stop driving...

yep the same thing happened to me, noisy when driving and quiet when braking...now i think ive let it go for so long i dont hear much anymore haha. Yea i have a lot to learn, so u guys gotta help me out b4 i do something stupid ;) i really want to know more about this kinda stuff tho its interesting

I don't know why buy I kinda like this guy.

Now I guess that we have to help him out, so he sees his next birthday :biggrin:

I'm no handyman myself. I hardly know anything about automotive; I just come on here to ask questions when I have any. I take the advice, not give it. :(

I'm no handyman myself. I hardly know anything about automotive; I just come on here to ask questions when I have any. I take the advice, not give it. :(


I've seen you give lots of helpfull advice!

I don't think that your giving yourself the credit that you deserve.

Sorry I can't help you with your smoking dash. I just don't know

And YDW, I'm sure that your father would pay for any safety related parts that your truck needs.

At least I would if I had a kid

unfortunately he doesnt. not cuz he cant either (bastard make like 45 an hour and constantly working overtime...) but because he chooses not to. hes even making me pay for it, and i guess it shows "responsibilty" but i dunno i need a break...or in this case some breaks arghh i pulled a funny

I've seen you give lots of helpfull advice!

I don't think that your giving yourself the credit that you deserve.

Sorry I can't help you with your smoking dash. I just don't know

It's true. I'm the offical-question asker. And that smoking dash topic is not a troll topic or anything. There really is a tiny bit of smoke that's coming from my dash and I don't know how to explain it...

I would get those brakes fixed ASAP, especially if you have sprayed stuff on them. As to the noise and still working OK, the pads still have some material on them as stated, as you are being warned that the pads are getting thin. When they keep making noise you have waited a bit too long and need to fix ASAP. They will wear to rivets and then steel. the calipers will adjust downward as the pads get thinner, so it may seem they are OK, just noisy. Anyway, best to get them fixed, buu good pads, take the rotors to any good shop and get them turned or buy new ones.
As far as "smoke" goes, could this be steam from a leaky heater core? Wouldn't be a GM product without a leaky heater core.

YDW
Well I won't say anything bad about your dad, just because I don't know his side of the story.

But I think that resposibility comes in many ways.
In my opinion he's responsible for taking some time to teach you the basics, when it comes to keeping your truck safe.

Plus what's wrong with him asking you to do some chores in exchange for some parts

I'm more concerned about the people you could injure...