2006 rear disc brake issue

[Mleroy]

Hey everyone.

I'm new to the forum and new to Dodge.

Recently bought an 06 ram 1500 4x4, hemi.

Issue with the brakes since I've had it seems to be 100% of my braking power is from the front brakes. Both front wheels get completely covered in brake dust after a day or two of very conservative driving, and at any braking level the truck nose dives.

I bled the brakes and ended up with a new rear caliper due to bleeder screw snapping off, but didn't help the issue at all.

I've never had rear disc brakes before and not sure what I should be looking for as for as fixing or adjusting from this point on. I've tried searching Google and the forum but only turned up results for drum Brakes and pedal bikes.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[xb1230]

to RF.

There is a lot involved in the behavior you are describing.

first off the brake dust can be "normal" depending on your brake pads material and also the steel the discs are made from. If you have organic brake pads they are very messy and wear very rapidly. Ceramic brake material can also be a little dirty, but lasts much longer and provide far better braking power. The discs have to match the pads you have. Organic pads with High End discs will have poor performance and be very dirty as well as wearing out faster than expected. Ceramic pads with discs made for use with organic pads will brake like hell, but your discs will wear crazy fast, melt down and warp from the heat generated by the braking friction.

Nose diving can be caused by worn out shocks/springs, or a problem with the proportioning system. If you have ABS, the proportioning system is electronically controlled (EVBP->Electronic Variable Brake Proportioning). You could also be looking at brake line failure. If you did your brakes in the rear, and have never changed the flexible brake lines, the rubber can expand under the braking pressure and not send the pressure to the rear wheel effectively. Changing the flex Hoses for steel braided flexible brake lines can correct this and provide a much stiffer braking experience. However if you do this only to the rear, the added resistance to the rear can have the reverse effect to the flex lines in the front.

I am about to do the brakes on my truck and will do a complete swap of pretty much everything between the wheels and the rigid lines : Flex Hoses, Calipers, discs, pads, etc. Some companies have complete kits you can buy and have all you need to do a complete brake job for very cheap. PowerStop have those kits and you can them from Rock Auto for around 300$ + shipping. The steel braided lines are not included but you have Discs, Pads and Calipers for all 4 wheels at that price and you are sure to get the appropriate pad material for the Discs you are buying, saving you from a lot of headaches.

Sorry if there is lot of information in there but this should provide you with the guidance you need to figure out your brake issue.

Good Luck!

 

[Mleroy]

Thanks for the reply. I'll be working on it in Tuesday. If I was to pump The brakes while visualizing the rubber hoses in the rear would I be able to see them bulging, or is it too subtle to notice? Id like to start there and probably replace the front pads and rotors with a kit like you suggested.

 

[xb1230]

I have never looked at a brake line while pumping the pedal... Not sure I would have appreciated the position it would have placed me in...

To be honest I'm not quite sure unless the line is really bad. But if you have a mushy pedal, and have already gone with flushing your brake fluid, changes are high that the lines are worn and would be worth replacing, if only pro-actively.

 

[LB3711]

also most of your braking is in front. the backs assist in braking. they will never be as full of brake dust as the fronts. Pretty much like most 4 disc vehicles work.

 

[Mleroy]

Thanks for all the replies. I know the front brakes supply most of the stopping power, but it seems as if I raised the rear wheels and tried to stop them in drive they wouldn't even slow down. I'm going to test that Monday or Tuesday when I get time.

This is a picture of my drivers front wheel after a few days of driving, covered in brake dust. I'm not stomping on the brakes or doing any city driving. My rear wheels still look clean.

I think my fix for the dust is going to be new pads and rotors as suggested, but still concerned that my actual issue something else.