Crappy glued brake pads

[Kejar7]

Another pair of poorly glued ebrake pads. Seems real common on these 4th gen rams.
My 15 ram only has 50000km on it and I noticed it would occasionally lock up when reversing, someone on this site suggested this may be because of shoe material separation and I believe they were right.
Not that I am cheap but replacing these with more of the same junk seems redundant.
I have done this in the past with satisfactory results so I am going to try it again.

 

[Jeepwalker]

That should work. I would *grind* as much of that rust away with a grinder and a metal disc (not a wire wheel)...it'll get rid of the rust better and give the adhesive more texture to 'bite' onto. The rust will just come back anyway if you don't remove it. If you have a belt sander, remove the shoe from the vehicle and run it over the belt sander, with a course grit belt.

I'm with you ...riveted or 'spiked' backing is a good way to go. But good luck finding riveted pads/shoes anymore.

(..that's a 'shoe' btw...he he)

 

[NETim]

I don't know what they use for adhesive but whatever it is it's not very good stuff.

 

[Jeepwalker]

It's a special adhesive used for brake linings & clutch lining.

Big Container

Small Amount

I've used the 'small amount' above. I used a couple tubes 2yrs ago to custom re-line a clutch which is no longer available. The machine has been in use for 2 years and still holding good. It cures to an almost glass-like hardness. Doesn't seem affected by temperature. But for $25 you might as well buy new brake shoes. The large container I believe you have to heat-cure. That's extra work. And gives off an odor.

The epoxy you have will probably work just fine. But do a real good job prepping the surfaces. You can't apply glue over rust and expect it to last.

.

 

[caulk04]

Don't blame the adhesive, it's not it's fault.

It's called rust jacking and it's a symptom of the environment. If they were riveted SHOES they likely would hold on a touch longer but then break into several pieces.

 

[18CrewDually]

Don't blame the adhesive, it's not it's fault.

It's called rust jacking and it's a symptom of the environment. If they were riveted SHOES they likely would hold on a touch longer but then break into several pieces.

Came here to say this^^, as soon as I saw his picture. Rust jacking is exactly what's going on here. And 8-9 yrs of winters didn't help.

 

[NETim]

My opinion FWIW is anyone planning on doing a brake job on the rear brakes on older Rams should probably plan on replacing the parking brake shoes as well. (The PB hardware should probably be replaced as well.)

This rust jacking bit appears to be a common issue.

 

[18CrewDually]

Since parking brakes are rarely used plus they don't make heat to boil off the moisture that the organic compounds absorb, you could probably say it's the nature of the beast. Some hold up longer if they're coated when manufactured.

 

[Jeepwalker]

OReillys and Autozone will literally replace brake shoes like that with a smile on their face if you bought them there. Maybe other parts stores will too. The same thing orccurs with brake "pads" too. Esp rear wheel brake pads here in the salty north.

I've literally brought it up to the OReilly's counter guy in passing conversation as I was buying something once, long time ago. How the pad friction material rusted off the backing plate and he tapped away on the computer (I wasn't sure what he was doing), walked back and then handed me a new of 'same quality' pads w/o ever asking to see my old ones. (he did verify that I bought them there). No questions asked, smile on their face. "Here you go, so sorry to hear about your old pads, hopefully you'll have better luck with these.

None of the usual stammering that NAPA around here gives ya: "....ohhh I don't knoooooww [deep sigh] ...we really don't usually do that. Do you have your receipt (from 4yrs ago??, I have an account and getting them to look someting up more than 2 weeks old is like pulling teeth), ...Bring them in, so we can look them over ...I'll have to ask my manager when he's in here tomorrow afternoon." None of that from OReilly's. I love OReilly's for that reason ...and Autozone seems to be as good IME. On returns, they don't make you feel like you're taking warm milk away from a starving baby like NAPA does (Napa around here anyway). That's why I buy a lot more from them than Napa nowadays.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Ultimately if ya buy pads from mfgrs where the friction material is "pressed" onto steel fingers/barbs (and glued), the 'barbs' keep the friction material from falling off as quick. I honestly don't know which companies are doing that nowadays and which don't anymore. I think Raybestos does. Maybe someone else can chime in.

 

[18CrewDually]

This could easily turn into a thread like the ones about oil.
Personally I use Akenobo when I can. Just so happens my Napa sells them.
When buying pads, take them out of the box and look at the metal backer. I like to see painted or E-coated smooth steel with the isolators attached.
My opinion is if a store sees the used pad you brought in and automaically turns over a fresh box of pads, as if it is a common problem, I'd request to put the value of those pads towards an upgraded quality pad. I don't know O'Reilly quality or brands since we don't have them around here.
Just my thought.
But yeah, anything with steel can rust so it happens.

 

[NETim]

My local independent parts house had Power Stop PB shoes, so that's what I went with.

 

[Scottly]

None of the usual stammering that NAPA around here gives ya: "....

There was a time when you could walk into NAPA and get a better quality part than the other stores, if you elected to purchase the higher end quality stuff....Not any more. NAPA = Not Another Part Again

 

[Jeepwalker]

Personally I use Akenobo when I can.

Supposedly their "premium" pads are what OEM Mopar uses. Low noise/low dust. They cost more but seem to last a long time. I've heard lot of great things.

I would prefer pad backing plates which are yellow cad plated. Yellow cadmium plating has self-healing properties & withstands salt effects a lot better. E-coated...salt will get under and spread underneath. Creating a mess. I don't remember in the 'old days' any brake pads with friction material riveted to yellow cad backing plates ever rusting like they do now. I'm sure Yellow cad is more expensive and more regulations, which is why most aren't Y/C plated anymore.

 

[Ralph Mauro]

How is everyone replacing their parking brake shoes? I pulled mine off to free up parking brake cable that was seized in the shoe, and glued the lining back on the metal backing because it was also coming apart. It took two of us hours to remove free and lube everything up and reassemble the shoes. I'm wondering if it would be a lot easier to drain the rear diff and pull the axles out to change the parking brakes. That way one could replace rear seals and diff fluid at the same time. It's a really tight spot to get into without stretching springs.

 

[NETim]

How is everyone replacing their parking brake shoes? I pulled mine off to free up parking brake cable that was seized in the shoe, and glued the lining back on the metal backing because it was also coming apart. It took two of us hours to remove free and lube everything up and reassemble the shoes. I'm wondering if it would be a lot easier to drain the rear diff and pull the axles out to change the parking brakes. That way one could replace rear seals and diff fluid at the same time. It's a really tight spot to get into without stretching springs.

When I replaced the PB shoes, I relied heavily on the brute strength and ignorance technique. There are some YT videos that help naturally.

Basically, you have to get the spring and adjuster off the one side of the shoes first. Then using pry bars, you pull the other end of one shoe out away from the pivot point. You'll be working against the two springs but it can be done. I had a good assortment of small pry bars on hand which allowed me to get in there and move one shoe off the pivot point on the backing plate. Once that's done, you can slide and wiggle the two shoes out to the side while the two springs are still attached. They will fight you all the way but eventually everything will come out.

Be sure to note how it's put together before you start pulling it apart. Take pics.

Re-assembly is basically the reverse of the disassembly. Pry bars are needed here again. You'll want to connect the two springs on the shoes before installing the shoes.

Once you've done one side, the other side is much easier. At least it was for me. I would recommend having the PB hardware kit on hand as well. The springs and stuff will be all kinds of rusty.

Edited to add: I forgot about the retaining clips. They are little (*&^&()&RE*@ to remove and replace. Those are no fun but can be done with nimble fingers and screwdrivers. Worst part of the job IMHO.

 

[Davis MacD]

I bought a power brake aftermarket setup in 2020, drums, discs and pads. They were the 1st set I ever bought that had breakin instructions that said to go easy the first 1000 miles to allow the adhesive to complete a heat bond to the metal shoe. I went easy for 20 miles and have had no problems but I'm not towing boats & trailers.

 

[2Tallguy]

That should work. I would *grind* as much of that rust away with a grinder and a metal disc (not a wire wheel)...it'll get rid of the rust better and give the adhesive more texture to 'bite' onto. The rust will just come back anyway if you don't remove it. If you have a belt sander, remove the shoe from the vehicle and run it over the belt sander, with a course grit belt.

I'm with you ...riveted or 'spiked' backing is a good way to go. But good luck finding riveted pads/shoes anymore.

(..that's a 'shoe' btw...he he)

The rivets destroy the pad if not maintained.