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Old 08-07-2015, 06:58 AM   #1
sambam
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Rotor replacement

I'm replacing the pads and rotors on the rear of my dually. I've always been a do-it-yourselfer, and have done brake jobs on several different vehicles over the years. Researching this job has convinced me it's no day at the beach. The dealership (and other shops), want a lot of money for the labor involved. I've looked on other forums and gotten some decent insight on the process and have looked at my Haynes manual for more information. Taking this on in the middle of a camping season isn't what I want, but this truck just doesn't have enough braking power and the rear rotors are toast.
Anyway, my question is, are the aftermarket, drilled and slotted rotors worth it, or stick with OEM?
Also, anyone who has performed this job, feel free to chime in on your opinions and suggestions.
 
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Old 08-07-2015, 09:02 AM   #2
bigskyjimmy
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YES sambam it is a pain in the buns,I found a good write up on how to do it,I would myself just stick with good quality stock(NAPA) or OEM pads or EBC Yellow pads and stock Rotors when I bought my 2007 it had new stock pads and rotors just put on it and they work great because I do not use them much going down big grades as the Allison "Grade Desend" feature works great ,I just put it in manual mode and downshift myself the motor revs to 4+grand and sounds bad but that is what it is designed for,Anyway here is the write-up on it that will help ya to do it yourself....Good luck my man................ I just did a complete brake job on my dually (rotors and pads) last weekend and I thought I would post a little info about it. Before I did them I had asked on here about how much work it would be and I got little or no info. Basically, a bunch of guys with 2500HD's telling me that it was not a big job.

This is why I posted this in the 3500 forum.

Rest assured, it is a big job. Don't let anyone with a 2500HD tell you it's not.

First, the caliper bolts were very tight, but the caliper bracket bolts were MEGA tight. It took a 1/2" drive breaker bar and a 30" long pipe to break them loose.

On the rears, the axles DO have to be removed. This is not a big deal though, as a 3/4" socket and a breaker bar will break them loose. The axles then slide right out. You will have only a small amount of gear oil that will come out with the axles. Not a big deal.

Once the axles are out, you can access the snap ring and hub nut. The ring pops right out and you should be able to unscrew the nut by hand. If it is a little tight, use the hub socket. (You will need to have the 6 pin hub socket for 3/4 and 1 ton trucks, to re-install the hub and tighten the nut when you are done. So you can use it to remove the nut also, if need be.)

With the nut removed, you can pull the rotor and hub assembly off. It will likely be tight, but a couple smacks with a hammer to the back side of the rotor should break it loose.

Once you have the hub and rotor off you will need to seperate them by removing all the wheel studs. I decided to sacrifice two lugnuts and use them to remove the studs. By screwing a lug onto the stud a little ways, you will be able to hit the lug several times with a good sized hammer and knock each stud out. I ended up using one lug per rotor, as each one took a pretty good beating and I didn't want to bend any studs. Go buy a couple new lugnuts before you start, if you do it this way.

You install the new rotors onto the hubs, by re-installing the studs. If you have a good strong impact wrench, you can probably draw them through with a lugnut. I do not have an impact, so I just pounded them back in with a hammer and an old socket extension. Some people may buy new studs and some may re-use the old ones. I re-used mine. They pounded in just as hard as they came out, so I'm not too concerned about it. The second time I do these though, I will replace them.

Now you will use that 6 pin hub socket to tighten the hub nut. The thread for the axle seal replacement has the torque spec. The calipers and caliper brackets go on as they came off. I replaced the axle flange gaskets and then re-installed the axles. They slide right in, no issues.

The only real trouble I had on the fronts, was getting the rotors off. After the calipers, caliper brackets and the wheel mounting adapter were off (8 nuts no trouble), I could only pull the rotors about a half inch off. There was a thick coating of rust and corrosion on the inside diameter of the rotor, around the flange, so I had to beat both rotors all the way off with a hammer. Once off though, everything went back together without issue.

Bottom line: it's a lot of work. Considering I spent just under $400 in parts, I would think it would cost over $1,000 including parts, to have a shop do it. You'll earn the money you save doing it yourself, though.

I would have liked to have had this info before I did mine, as it would have saved me some running around and extra time. Hope this helps any of you getting ready to do yours for the first time.

Good luck.
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Old 08-07-2015, 09:33 AM   #3
BB_TX
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If you google slotted rotors vs solid you will lots of articles advising against drilled or slotted rotors.
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Old 08-07-2015, 11:52 AM   #4
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It's been my experience through 100's of brake service jobs that one piece of iron (brake rotors) is as good as the next. There may be exceptions to this, but IMO buying OEM is absolutely not necessary. For brake pads, find someone near you that sells Performance Friction. They are used on HD trucks and for performance applications as well. I have them on my 2500HD and love them. The hotter they get, the better they bite!

http://www.pfcbrakes.com/Parts-Finder.aspx

I would also add that pulling the studs through with a lug nut will stretch the threads. They should be driven through from the back side or "staked" in. When the stud is seated, your hammer will bounce back.
Pulling the studs through is akin to over-torqueing.
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Old 08-07-2015, 12:35 PM   #5
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Thanks everyone for sharing. Jimmy, I actually found that same article on DP. It was the first thing I read in my quest. Everyone, everywhere says the caliper bolts are super-tight. So, I'm expecting a dogfight. Bill, I am considering the slotted rotors only for the supposed cooling aspect, but to be honest, I think with the Speedbrake, combined with the grade-braking, I may not need all that.
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Old 08-07-2015, 04:42 PM   #6
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Yep those Forums are really a big help to us "do it yourselfers" as is You Tube,have fun with that my friend....and by the way Go Luck to your Patriots!! unless we meet again in the Big Show
Quote:
quote:Originally posted by sambam

Thanks everyone for sharing. Jimmy, I actually found that same article on DP. It was the first thing I read in my quest. Everyone, everywhere says the caliper bolts are super-tight. So, I'm expecting a dogfight. Bill, I am considering the slotted rotors only for the supposed cooling aspect, but to be honest, I think with the Speedbrake, combined with the grade-braking, I may not need all that.
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Old 08-07-2015, 06:54 PM   #7
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[quote]Originally posted by bigskyjimmy

Yep those Forums are really a big help to us "do it yourselfers" as is You Tube,have fun with that my friend....and by the way Go Luck to your Patriots!! unless we meet again in the Big Show[quote]
Thanks, same to you and your 'hawks. Another season already. Personally, I think the Pats are going to miss their secondary from last year. Browner and Revis are both gone. But, I digress... It's bittersweet for us, as football season means the winding down of camping season around here.
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Old 08-07-2015, 08:41 PM   #8
Artemus Gordon
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Had then on my former F450. They make a big difference in heat reduction. Plan to do the same with this truck in the future.
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Old 08-09-2015, 01:49 PM   #9
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Update on this project: After spending several hours Saturday removing the passenger side rotor, I was able to use the knowledge gained to do the drivers side this morning in only a couple of hours. This is removal only. I haven't gotten my rotors yet. They'll be delivered mid-week. I can attest to the caliper bracket bolts being as tight or tighter than any bolt I've ever had to remove. I found that the above post, by bigskyjimmy, was spot on. I used a 15", 1/2" drive breaker bar with a 32" pipe slid onto the end. They still put up a struggle, but are all off now. Removing the axle shafts was easy enough, but the passenger side rotor put up a huge struggle until I pulled out a 3lb. sledge. Driving the studs out of the back of the rotor was easy with a piece of brass for the first 6 but the last 2 wouldn't budge and bent under the pounding they were getting. I had to get my dremel out with a cut-off wheel and cut the bent part off. After that, somehow they went quietly. This was yesterday. Today all 8 on the driver side came out without any trouble with just the brass. So, everything is clean and only waiting for the rotors to begin the install. I have some towing-specific pads and will get 2 new studs this week. Probably do the job on Saturday, uninterrupted. If I knew how, I'd post pix of the rotors here because they are BAD. No doubt where my braking problems were coming from. I expect the install to go easier than the removal, but this is indeed a big job for a backyard mechanic, although not undo-able.
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Old 08-09-2015, 01:55 PM   #10
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Looks like you will accomplish your brake and rotor replacement job. The nice thing is not having to do it in a short period of time. I also have found YouTube and the internet in General have great information for people that do this stuff themselves.

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Old 08-10-2015, 03:21 AM   #11
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Dam Worker

...The nice thing is not having to do it in a short period of time.

Tom Marty
That's true. I have the luxury of a Toyota Corolla for a daily driver, which means I can take my time with this repair and still get around.
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Old 09-17-2017, 11:37 AM   #12
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This thread is over a year old. Not trying to rehash what was said above. I was actually searching for trailer brakes and assemblies.
On my dually F350 I ended up replacing a rotor almost every year. They were phonolic pistons on the caliper pistons. I tired autozone, napa, vip and internet.
For some reason there was always a problem with the seals and piston incompatibility.
I've priced the seal kit from rock auto and they were cheap.
I had ordered slotted and dimpled rotors as well as just slotted rotors from brake.com on the internet. I also ordered brake calipers from amazon.com

I could not find any difference in any of them from the local auto part stores.

When I traded in the truck. I had a beef with auto zone. I had 2 sets of front pads and 2 sets of rear pads to turn in. They were gold pads with a life time warranty. I could only find receipts for 3 sets found in the back of the garage.
In time of panic you forget what you actually own. Anyway I did end up getting credit for the one set I did not have a receipt for.
All the calipers were re manufactured were crap. I had a front wheel bearing failure. ABS sensor dash sensor was on. Looked on the web and stories were the bearing was failing. Break down on the highway going to work. Limped it to a friend of a friends shop. Still cost almost a grand. But he put on a ford factory caliper. Yes stamped with the ford name and logo. But that didn't last more than 2 years.

Maybe it was a long term defect in the production line of calipers. But buyer be ware.
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