uneven wear on disc pads

2004 Dodge Caravan, 120k miles. front disc , rear drum. Recurring problem with driver side disc brake. Driver side pad will wear down completely while passenger side shows normal wear. only 6k on this set of pads and driver's side needs to be replaced. A couple times in past, driver side will smoke, but then after a few minutes returns to normal. Any help is greatly appreciated. Sam

Did you clean and properly lube the guide pins when you replaced the pads? Is the caliper not releasing? Check my other post named "Too hot brakes" and watch for updates. I will likely be replacing both flexible brake lines for the front brakes in the next week or so. I always replace what ever is in a "hardware kit" when I replace brakes. The small price you pay for it will get a long way down the road.

Sticking slider pins, sticking piston, indvertent "check valve" formed in flex line. To fix it and be done change the caliper and the rubber flex line to the caliper. If you like to fiddle, lube the slider pins, pop the piston out of the caliper and clean the cyclinder walls, change the flex line. Really like to fiddle? Try these one at a time.

Just curious. Are both the inner and outer pads on the left front wearing the same or are they different? Depending on which pad is worn worst it indicates sticking pins or pistons. Trouble is I don't recall which applies for which pad.

The inner and outer pads are both worn down evenly. Max of 1/32th inch left on each. The passenger side still looks good , maybe 3/8th inch on both pads. This has been an ongoing problem. I changed pads again, and greased the pins. How difficult is it to change the flexible lines and is there anywhere on the net I could find instructions? Thanks again for your help. It is greatly appreciated. Sam

The Haynes manual does a good job describing the replacement of the flexible lines. Make sure you torque things properly so nothing leaks.

The pads are worn down to only 1/32"? The recommended minimum is 1/8".

In all my years of doing my own brakes, my daughters brakes, both of my sons brakes, my son in laws brakes and others, I have never run into the internally collapsed brake line issue. In your case, if it were my brakes, I would have replaced the caliper. And considering how relatively inexpensive they are I would have replaced both left and right and pumped fresh fluid through it all. In every case of my replacing them as well as the hardware kit and properly lubing everything that needed it, it fixed the problem of the brakes not releasing.

I'm dealing with new, but hot, brakes with my van and am still on the fence with replacing the calipers or flexible brake lines.