Pay attention to little maintenance issues.

[Slufoot733]

Several days ago while out running errands we found smoke coming from the passenger side rear wheel. A quick inspection revealed to me that my brakes were sticking and things in there were very hot. After a cool down I limped home and called my repair shop.

Well, guess what? Turns out that all four wheels were suffering sticking brakes. This is all because of everyone's old friend, RUST! The rust formed all over the calipers, and in the slot where the brake pads slide back and forth the rust locked the pads against the rotors. The hydraulic pressure in the brake system did push the pads in and the brakes stopped the truck. However, the pads stayed against the rotors and continued trying to stop the truck. This could explain the lousy fuel mileage I've been getting lately. A couple of the pads were very well worn but for the most part, the heat 'crystallized the pads and they just fell apart when removed. Fortunately the rotors were not damaged or warped. My service friends cleaned the calipers, lubricated the slots for the brake pads and installed new brake pads all around. The truck drives much better now, steers better, just feels better. I hope the fuel economy improves. I am very grateful to the gentleman in that beautiful F-650 pickup who got my attention and told me about the smoke.....which I did not see.

This maintenance issue is not new to me. In my younger days I probably would have caught this problem much earlier and taken care of it. But these days little things like this sometimes get by. I just wanted to mention this because as we age we kinda forget about little things that are improtant. This only cost me a little over $400 but could have cost much more if the brakes had failed out on the road.

Travle safe everyone.

Kevin

[Champ_49]

Good reminder Kevin. Maintenance is something we all like to keep on top of. But some things still get by us. Good heads up on something most of us wouldn't think of. My guess is the truck sit for a while allowing the calipers to rust over. Sometimes when we let our vehicles sit and only use for its intentions like only pulling the Monty its worse on them than using them frequently. And I suspect this is the case right here!

Dave

[1retired06]

I find a reason once a week to run my truck up to operating temperature. Some Ford Diesels have had problems with rust in the turbos; dont understand how, but they need to be run. Our subaru sits outside for six momths while we are in florida, and while the rotors will rust up, pads have not seized, and rotors clean up within a few miles; guess we have been lucky.

[DQDick]

What caused that amount of rust buildup. Did the truck sit for long periods, park near the ocean or what? What should you have done to prevent it. Just trying to learn. Thanks!

[southern thunder]

good info.Thanks

[BB_TX]

Must be one of those northern salt on the roads type problems. In all my years of driving, I have never had the problem or even heard of that here in Texas.

[Slufoot733]

Well yes and no. The truck was used during the winter (a very mild one this year) but not nearly as much as it used to be. Since I retired I don't drive it very much so sitting has been a problem. And it does sit outside, not in a garage so it's exposed to the humidity. We are not near the ocean (western PA) but it does get humid here. I had a similar issue on my '99 F250 but I used to mess with the vehicles more back then. I recall removing, cleaning and lubricating the calipers myself on that truck. I guess this is just an issue Fords seem to be prone to. My service guy told me they see this once in a while on other vehicles, but not all four at once. It's my fault really, I neglected to check for this; it simply slipped my mind (it's fun getting older). It passed inspection last June but it wasn't a problem back then. But I will have it checked every year from now on.

[lasater]

I want to know about the guy with the F-650. Actually, not the guy but the truck.... We have drooled over the bigger trucks for a long time but just couldn't justify the cost.

But, man, they are great to dream about.

[Slufoot733]

HA! Yeah, me too. Funny thing is I spotted that truck in a parking lot as we went by and pointed it out to my wife. Well, he must have pulled out a few cars behind me. When we stopped in the left turn lane at the light he pulled up on my right. I heard him immediately (big diesel!). When I looked over he was pointing at my wheel and that's when he pointed out my problem.

His F-650 was solid black, lots of chrome and had a regular Ford pickup bed. I wish I could have stopped to chat with him and see his truck. If I spot him again I will do just that, and thank him for alerting me about the brake problem.

[mobilcastle]

My prior truck was a Ford F250 V10. On the V10 forum many truck owners would find doing this maintenance increased there mileage. I bought this truck used from the west and when I broke it down it needed it-that surprised me.