[sixto]

Gee, it's been a while - http://www.allpar.com/forums/topic/109191-97-gc-front-brakes-again

Guess what brings me back? Inside pad rivets gouged the rotors by the time we heard the indicators squeal. New pads and rotors after 31K miles. Wifey must be doing more freeway miles.

Otherwise it's been oil changes and topping the coolant (darn rear head gasket). Overdue for ATF and engine mounts. Don't know how long the coolant's been in there. I'll get to them yet. Front and rear crank seals weep but nothing hits the ground yet. And there are brakes on the rear wheels too, right?

Sixto
97 GC SE 3.3 217K miles

 

[sixto]

That didn't last. At 232K, the front left outer pad was worn to the backing just sparing the rotor. Autozone's records say they were premium ceramic pads with lifetime warranty so I get another set. Unfortunately, they're not in stock today and this is a rare opportunity to deal with it so I bought a set of lesser pads, saving the credit for the premium pads which I will need sooner than later :/ Or maybe not. I noticed the left outer CV boot starting to give, a gallon of coolant goes missing every couple of weeks, more than a quart of oil goes missing between 5K mile oil changes and the motor mounts are shot. The wifey loves it but it might be time to move on.

I don't buy the weight argument other than the brakes are under spec'd for the weight. Our Ford E150 weighs far more and front pads last far more than 30K miles. Maybe there's something wrong with the proportioning valve. I don't recall replacing the rear shoes in the last 100K miles.

Sixto
97 GC SE 3.3 232K miles
I should add, if these were ceramic pads, they're the dustiest ceramic pads I've ever known. I have Akebono ceramics on my clunker MB Diesel and the front alloy wheels look as clean as the rear wheels. They require more pedal pressure than OE dust monsters but the pedal doesn't go mushy after hard stops. I see Akebono makes ceramic pads for our van...

Sixto
97 GC SE 3.3 232K miles

 

[sixto]

Just commenting that some styles of driving wear brakes faster, just a simple matter of usage.

We could be abusive on the brakes that way but we don't drive the GC any differently than our other vehicles on which we get more than double that life from a set of front pads. The discrepancy between inner and outer pad wear suggests we could get another 15K miles out of them if the caliper weren't sticking - though 30K miles is still on the short side IMO. I cleaned the caliper sliding points which weren't dirty or gummy to begin with. Is there an appropriate lube? Should I try disc brake quiet or anti-seize paste?

Sixto
97 GC SE 3.3 232K miles

It is also possible that the fronts are doing all the stopping. If your rears haven't been looked at in 100K, the wheel cylinders and self-adjusters may be frozen.
The rears may contribute ~20% to stopping the vehicle and help the fronts last longer.

I replaced the rear pads, cylinders and hardware about 100K miles ago. I pull the drums when I rotate the tires which is maybe once before the set wears out They're wearing evenly with no indication of leaks. A brake shop would insist I replace the pads at this point but since the future of this van is iffy...

Sixto
97 GC SE 3.3 232K miles

 

[sixto]

Tell me more about mushy pedals with ceramic pads. I just got a 2003 GC that does this, a new thing to me.

I meant the brakes don't get mushy after hard stops. With the GC, I can't tell between organic, ceramic or whatever the brake material claims to be. The clunker MB has a sensitive and communicative brake pedal. Organic pads (MB brand, Pagid, Textar, etc.) grab nicely when cold but require more effort with repeated hard stops. You have to drive like an idiot to observe this and too often I am an idiot so I know of which I speak Ceramic pads seem slippery when cold but the same effort yields more linear stopping when warm and you can ride the pedal all the way down Pike's Peak with confidence. I can probably activate ABS on dry pavement

Sixto
97 GC SE 3.3 232K miles

 

[sixto]

I'm pretty sure I replaced the front brake lines at around 180K miles when I replaced the calipers.

I don't understand how the outer pad alone is taking the brunt if the piston is sticking. Makes more sense to me that the floating side of the caliper is sticking. The bellowed sliders and the bolts are absolutely clean. With no pads installed the floating side moves freely. There might be a tolerance stack problem with the aftermarket caliper and pads.

Sixto
97 GC SE 3.3 232K miles