replaced rear brakes

[GunsOfNavarone]

Just replaced rear rotors and pads. The newly purchased Bravada had 62k miles on it. Was making a horrible sound from the rear, made the sound without the brakes applied. I thought it was the brakes.

Tools needed:
17mm closed end wrench
15mm closed end wrench
12 mm closed end wrench
caliper compressor

also used silicone cream

Took off the caliper and discovered the inside break pad was half missing. The inside of the rotor was much thinner than the outside of the rotor. When I did tjhe other side- no such damage. I will be tracking the side with the pad half missing to see if the caliper is sticking.

A few more notes- I used Raybestos rotors and pads. What a quality product and they even provide excellent color service documentation. This stuff is made in the USA. It cost about 250% more than the cheapest Chinese equivelant- but I am confident it is worth the extra bucks for two reasons (not counting safety). Bravadas and most real wheel drive GM vehicles seem to be subject to rotor warp. Going with a very high quality product might reduce the exposure to this problem. The second reason is on my 1997 Bravada I had to have the rear brakes replaced while I was traveling for the Army. The shop used the cheap Chines stuff and the brakes never stopped squeeking. It was brutal. After many adjustments and no noise supplements added to the back of the brake pads, the shop had to change both the rotors and pads to a better brand to address the noise. I don't want to risk that noise problem and do the job twice- so Raybestos it was, purchased the parts online from rockauto.

Overall- very simple job for any backyard mechanic- jhust be sure to only do one side at a time (if you are like me) so you can look at the other side when it is time to reasssemble.

[GunsOfNavarone]

Posted to soon. When on a long test drive and rear brakes are practically stuck. Feels like I am towing a trailer. Rear brake rotors are sizzling hot, front rotors are cool to the touch.

Any thoughts on what I did wrong or what the problem may be?

[duke350]

The newer ones have a disk brake for service brake and drum for parking brake.You didn't specify the year ( I assume you are meaning the 97 you referred to), but if it is a newer one, is it the service brake or parking brake that is sticking? If it is the service brake make sure the piston and slides are all free and there is no excessive wear on the caliper or any of the guides. If it is the parking brake it may be out of adjustment. I have seen lots of cars where the pads/shoes were changed, but the hardware was neglected.

[GunsOfNavarone]

Duke,

Thanks for the reply. It is a 1999. I just replaced the calipers but am missing parts to the one man bleeder- so it will have to wait till the morning. With the calipers in place- i can turn the rear wheels- so I am hoping it is not the emergency brake- I have no idea where it is at or how it works with rear wheel disk brakes. I read on the blazer forum that calipers should always be changed when changing the rotors due to a noise. First I have heard of that but I did run to AutoZOne and got replacement calipers.

[duke350]

The drum brake part, the parking brake should be visible with the rotor off. The rotor is actually a rotor and a drum in one. If you look at the pic here http://partimages2.genpt.com/partimages/667714.jpg you can kind of see how big the rotor is. The drum is the upper part in the pic. The shoe is a one piece shoe that fits inside the drum. It looks almost like an omega symbol or sort of like a horseshoe. But, if the wheels spin free with the service brake removed it is probably more likely service brake related. Sticky slides or pistons are the likely culprits.

[GunsOfNavarone]

It was the calipers. Did a quick test before replacing the calipers, simply turned the rear wheels (with tires off) and they turned. Applied the parking brake and they would not turn. Also inspected the old rotors for any signs of a problem in the drum area. After replacing the calipers did a test drive and no issue. I will drive it 500 miles this weekend and will be looking for issues.

A few notes. A 10mm wrench is required to bleed the rear brakes. The auto part stores make a special wrench, but it is to long/ Simply use a small 10mm closed end wrench. Bought the calipers from AutoZone. Big mistake. Drove 15 miles to Autozone, bought the calipers and inspected them when I got home. Both calipers were tampered with and although they were the same model, they were not a matching pair. I called Autozone and they stated they were the last two and to go to another Autozone. I drove 30 miles to the next Autozone and the puleed two more calipers. They were not matching sets either. 4 rear Bravada calipers and none of them matched sets (all four from different rebuild shops and all four from different GM generations for this caliper). Two of the calipers were remanufactured so badly that the brake line bolt could bot be inserted without stripping the threads. If you buy calipers from Autozone I suggest inspecting them prior to purchase and to bring along a brake line bolt to confirm it does thread.

[glgz]

Originally Posted by GunsOfNavarone

It was the calipers. Did a quick test before replacing the calipers, simply turned the rear wheels (with tires off) and they turned. Applied the parking brake and they would not turn. Also inspected the old rotors for any signs of a problem in the drum area. After replacing the calipers did a test drive and no issue. I will drive it 500 miles this weekend and will be looking for issues.

A few notes. A 10mm wrench is required to bleed the rear brakes. The auto part stores make a special wrench, but it is to long/ Simply use a small 10mm closed end wrench. Bought the calipers from AutoZone. Big mistake. Drove 15 miles to Autozone, bought the calipers and inspected them when I got home. Both calipers were tampered with and although they were the same model, they were not a matching pair. I called Autozone and they stated they were the last two and to go to another Autozone. I drove 30 miles to the next Autozone and the puleed two more calipers. They were not matching sets either. 4 rear Bravada calipers and none of them matched sets (all four from different rebuild shops and all four from different GM generations for this caliper). Two of the calipers were remanufactured so badly that the brake line bolt could bot be inserted without stripping the threads. If you buy calipers from Autozone I suggest inspecting them prior to purchase and to bring along a brake line bolt to confirm it does thread.

Funny thing is I had almost the same problems. I replaced all four calipers. I think both back ones would stick on me. I too had Autozone try to give my parts that were not the best. One was used and one I the brake hose would leak no matter what. I had good luck with Advance's website. Free shipping better price then Autozone and lifetime warrenty.

[Scrapper]

that's one thing i will not buy brake parts from auto zone and if you see the box has already been opened that's a bad sign. i get mine at car quest or nappa because auto zone don't care how they stack rotors there for they get warped before you get them.

[Chris Stewart]

Good thread, thanks fella's!