Hot (temp) front wheels

[cobra1]

Originally Posted by maubur

I am new to this forum and not a native english speaker so please have patience. My issue is related to this thread so I thought I would post here instead of starting a new one.

I own a 95 4X4 automatic S10 Blazer with 65K miles on the odo. It sits during the week and is used only on weekends. About two and a half years ago I changed the front brake pads. Imediately after that I started hearing a strong intermitent grinding noise from the front and the wheels became very hot (a large vapor cloud came out when the FR wheel got wet). A couple of days later I installed another brand of pads and had my disks shaved. No more grinding noise.

I went on for the next two years during which my brakes would squeal quite a bit when hot. A couple of months ago I started hearing the grinding noise again so I changed pads once more, took apart the calipers, changed the dust covers, lubricated the pistons and replaced the fluid (DOT 4). As long as I drive without using the brakes too much everything is OK. However when I drive on twisties, down hill or in heavy stop and go traffic (moderate to heavy braking), after a while I start getting the grinding noise. It shows up when I RELEASE the brakes as an intermitent grinding noise coming mainly from the FR. When I press the brakes the noise disappears. I jacked up the front and both wheels move freely albeit a little tight. With the wheel off, the hub can barely be moved applying foot pressure.

I really don't think bearings would behave like this, much less on a low milage car. In my whereabouts the hub/bearing combo costs upwards of US $300.00 for each side so I don't want to change that unless I'm really sure. Both front wheels seem to heat up at the same rate. After heavy use I can touch them for a couple of seconds without burning my hand. Any ideas?

Sorry for extending myself and I will appreciate any suggestions.

Mauricio

it sounds like your caliper piston is sticking when it heats up.

[maubur]

I appreciate the feedback. Yes, I lubricated the sliders and spread some parafin on the outer surface of the pistons.

That's exactly the problem, my caliper seems to seize when hot. I did not change the hoses. I guess that will be my next step. I was also thinking, could this be related to wear of the bushes in the sliders leading to angling of the caliper? Is there a way to test piston return with the caliper off the disk?

Thanks,

Mauricio