Parking Brake Pads @92K Miles

[NETim]

I just got done going through the brakes on my '14 with 92K miles on it. The front brakes had been done previously and still were in good shape. I cleaned them up and greased the appropriate spots.

The rear brake pads needed to be replaced. Appeared to be the original OEM stuff. The rotors were marked "TRW" anyway. My philosophy is when I replace pads I replace the rotors too, so I fought the rotors and finally got them pulled off.

The driver's side rear PB pad came off when I pried the rotor off with a crowbar. The passenger side rear PB pad fell off when I was simply brushing off the axle hub.

I am curious if anyone else has had this experience with the OEM PB pads. I've read a few accounts where one of the PB pads had broke loose and migrated on top of the other pad inside the rotor drum.

Something to be aware of anyway.

 

[BadHemi2014]

I bought my truck used with 106K and did the brakes not too long after. Had similar experience with what was left of the pad (shoe?) just falling off and I did have one that was loose inside the drum. They were toast and the hardware was a rusty mess.
That reminds me I need to do my annual brake check/ clean/ lube. And test that parking brake! I forget to use it regularly.

 

[Tom Davis]

Replaced mine this past May for the same reason, with just under 75k miles.

 

[rzr6-4]

Hit something in the road last winter that snapped off the knuckle where the PB cable attaches to the hub. When I saw that it was going to be $300 in parts to fix I decided that I had made it my entire life without using the PB, and as long as I have this vehicle it is going to have to stay that way.

 

[V-dawg]

Hit something in the road last winter that snapped off the knuckle where the PB cable attaches to the hub. When I saw that it was going to be $300 in parts to fix I decided that I had made it my entire life without using the PB, and as long as I have this vehicle it is going to have to stay that way.

Have you had any issues running it this way? I’m in the exact same spot mine are toast it took me 9 hours just to do pads and rotors yesterday mainly just fighting the rotors off I’ve never used a park break in my life and don’t plan on it but I’m new to these new trucks and especially to dodge/ram (much more used to 90’s chevys first dodge and newest) I was thinking mechanically o don’t see why just taking everything out of the hub would affect anything but I want to be sure before I do it

 

[04fxdwgi]

Parking brake is indeed essential in some circumstances, for safety reasons, and a requirement to get a pass on the state safety inspection on the vehicle..

That being said, in theory, the shoes should never wear out, unless you forget to release it and drive away. The hardware, on the other hand, rusts and seizes up, causing problems if not maintained properly. The parking brake should be "exercised" on a regular basis to keep everything, including the cable(s) from seizing up from lack of use.

 

[rzr6-4]

Have you had any issues running it this way? I’m in the exact same spot mine are toast it took me 9 hours just to do pads and rotors yesterday mainly just fighting the rotors off I’ve never used a park break in my life and don’t plan on it but I’m new to these new trucks and especially to dodge/ram (much more used to 90’s chevys first dodge and newest) I was thinking mechanically o don’t see why just taking everything out of the hub would affect anything but I want to be sure before I do it

So far so good, like I said I never use it. The cable was hanging down initially but I have it propped up now where it can't do that. Haven't had to think about it much since.

Parking brake is indeed essential in some circumstances, for safety reasons, and a requirement to get a pass on the state safety inspection on the vehicle..

Technically yes I should, but even if I was in a situation where I needed to use the park brake, I don't know that I would trust something I've never used before so I would figure something else out anyway. And my state doesn't have inspections.

 

[grocerygetter17]

I never used my PB for the most part unless I had the vehicle on a jack just for safety reasons. I put a set of longtube headers on last summer and I used the PB for 3 days straight while truck wasn't completely finished yet. Once I finished, I released the PB and couldn't move anywhere. Hardware was so rusty, everything jammed up. Had to tap on the brake mechanism enough to loosen up. Once it was loose enough, you could see the whole PB cable was sagging so low it almost hit the ground. So I zip tied it up and there it sits to this day. Planned on fixing it soon after but you know how life gets in the way and you just put it on the back burner. Making a note to myself to get my lazy ass out there and fix it.

Some advice I heard awhile back: if you don't normally use it, then don't. It will probably get stuck. If you do use it once in awhile or know forsure the hardware isn't too rusty, start using it more often!