Hot (temp) front wheels

[Garaugus]

I have a 91 S10, 4.3, Manual. The problem I am seeing is that the front wheels get rather hot while driving. I decieded to check them after I felt some hesitation going down the street, almost like the breaks were dragging. I pulled a front wheel, but found that simple bearing maintence is not really possible without some special tools. Does anyone know if it is the bearings generating all the heat or is it the breaks. Pads look fine and have been on for at least 5 years, so I am thinking it is not the breaks.

[BlazerLT]

front wheels will get hot when driving.

Disc brakes are always warm.

[sector95]

Originally Posted by Garaugus

I have a 91 S10, 4.3, Manual. The problem I am seeing is that the front wheels get rather hot while driving. I decieded to check them after I felt some hesitation going down the street, almost like the breaks were dragging. I pulled a front wheel, but found that simple bearing maintence is not really possible without some special tools. Does anyone know if it is the bearings generating all the heat or is it the breaks. Pads look fine and have been on for at least 5 years, so I am thinking it is not the breaks.

The truck is 13, almost 14 years old.... probably well over 100k on the odo with normal yearly mileage: have you *ever* repacked the front wheel bearings?

If you have the 2wd model, it should not require any special tools to remove the caliper from the mounting bracket, pop the bearing nut cover, remove the cotter pin and remove the bearing nut. Do all this and the disc simply slips off the stub axle.....

Then again the calipers could both be partially siezed.... when you jack up the front end, can you spin the front wheels freely? Might want to check those pads for wear...see how much material is left on them. Has the brake fluid ever been flushed? Over time the fluid will absorb water and can cause internal rust to develop in the wheel cylinders and calipers.

[movin2stereo]

If it is your brake calipers hanging up and you change them out,don't forget to change the hoses also.You can put new calipers on,but if you don't change the hoses they can still hang up.Generally your front wheels will get warm while driving,seeing how the front wheels do most of the stopping power.

[Mikado14]

If this is 4WD, you cannot pack the front wheel bearings.

[BlazerLT]

Originally Posted by Mikado14

If this is 4WD, you cannot pack the front wheel bearings.

What he said.^^^

[sector95]

[quote=movin2stereo]If it is your brake calipers hanging up and you change them out,don't forget to change the hoses also.You can put new calipers on,but if you don't change the hoses they can still hang up.


True.... the hose may look good on the outside but the inside will, over time, begin to close down; it's a reaction of the rubber to the brake fluid supposedly. Its akin to your arteries clogging. I didn't believe this until I had this happen on my '73 VW Beetle; the brakes would apply just fine but would not release fully or would lock. Culprit was the bake hoses: On the outside they looked fine but inside they had closed down enough to pass the fluid to the wheel cylinders under the the pressure applied by the brake pedal but would not allow the return of the fluid under the pressure supplied by the return springs.

[Garaugus]

Thanks for the info. After doing some temp testing on different parts of the front-end I too am concluding it is likely the brakes. Both wheels turn freely, but I can hear the brake pads rubbing. There is lots of pad left, but the back brakes are shot so I think a trip to Midas is in order. I will probably have them or someone else service the bearings as well. I was surprised to see how complicated the front axles are on the S10.

[Mikado14]

Boy oh boy, did you read the posts?

Do you have 4WD?

If you do, you cannot have the front wheel bearings serviced. Not sure about the 2WD but I believe that may also have sealed bearings.

If you take it to a garage and you pay for it, you just got ripped off.

[BlazerLT]

Front Brakes always get warm guys.

They supply most of the stopping force for any vehicle.

It is normal for them to be warm so stop tearing them apart thinking that it is odd or something.

[movin2stereo]

Originally Posted by BlazerLT

Front Brakes always get warm guys.

They supply most of the stopping force for any vehicle.

It is normal for them to be warm so stop tearing them apart thinking that it is odd or something.

Warm yes but not hot hot.

[BlazerLT]

We don't know what his version of "hot" is so lets not assume.

Chances are they were warm and that is practically normal.

[movin2stereo]

Originally Posted by BlazerLT

We don't know what his version of "hot" is so lets not assume.

Chances are they were warm and that is practically normal.

This is true.

[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

[movin2stereo]

You said you lubed the pistons.Do you mean the brake piston itself or the sliders?Make sure the sliders move freely.Also ,did you change the brake hoses?