I got to doing my first 4 wheel brake job on my 04 2500HD with 4 wheel disc. Planning on buying Bendix pads? any tips or things to remember when doing these brakes? I have done lots of car brakes, late model trucks, and drum air brakes, so i know how to do them i just want to do it right, cause i love my truck.

And on another note I pulled a gooseneck horse trailer the other day and my brakes seemed softer then normal. Not like scaring "I CANT STOP" soft just different then last time i pulled the same trailer. I used electric trailer brakes of course. Its just my brakes use to be a little stiffer. Pad related or something else? is the hydrobooster recall have anything to do with my truck?

I did my trucks brakes and the fronts were like any other brakes that I've done.
The rears are a little tough being the torques nuts were tough to undo. Dont know if the '04 is like the '02 as far as the rear brake bolts. I didnt take the rear caliper off, just took out the lower bolt and flipped it up.

The rotors were in good shape so I didnt do anything with them as far as getting them turned.

As far as doing them right, they stop the truck.

Maybe you should consider getting factory brakes or at least the high dollar NAPA brakes. They last a long time and right now I haven't changed mine at all and I have over 185k miles on my brakes. They are still the factory brakes

Maybe oyu should consider getting factory brakes or atleast the high dollar NAPA brakes. They last a long time and right now I haven't changed mine at all and I have over 185k miles on my brakes

Like Napa Severe Duty Metallic Pads? And 185k on the same brakes? holy crap batman.

I'll give another plug for oem brake pads . . . just replaced my fronts with 104,000 miles . . . left the rears alone . . . plenty of pad life left.

Just a couple of notes to help you out. My truck is a 2006; some of these hints may be slightly different if you have a different year model.

You'll probably need to go to Napa (or some other good auto supply store) and get some tools. You'll need a T-55 Torx bit (get two, in case you twist one; don't ask how i know ...) and you'll need good 17mm and 19mm and 21mm sockets. Get 6 points if you can. I'm not sure as it's been several months since I've done mine, but IIRC those are the sizes needed.

You can remove pads easily by just unbolting the lower bolts on each caliper, and flipping it upwards out of the way to pull the pads. If you have to change rotors, then the whole caliper mounting bracket will need to come off as well. The calipers and mounting brackets can sometimes be VERY hard to remove due to the extreme gorilla torque they use to install at the factory.

Make sure to clean all the rust off of the upper and lower rails where the ears of the pads slide back and forth, especially under the little stainless steel formed shim. Cleaning this, and applying a small amount of brake grease to retard future rusting, goes a LONG way to keeping you brakes operating properly. The caliper floats on pins for a reason, and if it can't float because the pads are bound up, you'll not get good braking action.

I believe you can do a search in the "maintenance" forum and get the torque values; I don't recall them offhand.

If you do a good job cleaning and lubing before you install new pads/rotors, you'll be AMAZED on how well these huge trucks will stop.

I was never a big fan of factory pads, but the factory has finally got it right and thats what I'll replace mine with when the time comes.

When you remove the pads NOTE the location of the warning rivited metal tabs.
why you ask ??? the fitting of the pads to the calapers is such that when installing or fitting the pads they dont want to fit then they want to fall out.
changing pads is easy, BUTTTT
Also get 2 containers of brake fluid. suck out the fluid in the master cylinder plastic holder and fill with new fluid. and pump clean fluid to each wheel cylinder.
I installed new ceramic pads, the test will be when I start towing in another month .

good luck
drive safe

abrown8100 wrote:

Like Napa Severe Duty Metallic Pads? And 185k on the same brakes? holy crap batman!

Some folks on here have over 200K on their stock brakes. Mine is at 178K

Mine has 68000 miles on them probley about 5-10k of them is stand still burnouts. Stock pads have my vote

abrown8100 wrote:

Like Napa Severe Duty Metallic Pads? And 185k on the same brakes? holy crap batman!

Some folks on here have over 200K on their stock brakes. Mine is at 178K


What do you do Tolli, drag your feet? :D

Just a couple of notes to help you out. My truck is a 2006; some of these hints may be slightly different if you have a different year model.

You'll probably need to go to Napa (or some other good auto supply store) and get some tools. You'll need a T-55 Torx bit (get two, in case you twist one; don't ask how i know ...) and you'll need good 17mm and 19mm and 21mm sockets. Get 6 points if you can. I'm not sure as it's been several months since I've done mine, but IIRC those are the sizes needed.

You can remove pads easily by just unbolting the lower bolts on each caliper, and flipping it upwards out of the way to pull the pads. If you have to change rotors, then the whole caliper mounting bracket will need to come off as well. The calipers and mounting brackets can sometimes be VERY hard to remove due to the extreme gorilla torque they use to install at the factory.

Make sure to clean all the rust off of the upper and lower rails where the ears of the pads slide back and forth, especially under the little stainless steel formed shim. Cleaning this, and applying a small amount of brake grease to retard future rusting, goes a LONG way to keeping you brakes operating properly. The caliper floats on pins for a reason, and if it can't float because the pads are bound up, you'll not get good braking action.

I believe you can do a search in the "maintenance" forum and get the torque values; I don't recall them offhand.

If you do a good job cleaning and lubing before you install new pads/rotors, you'll be AMAZED on how well these huge trucks will stop.

When you remove the pads NOTE the location of the warning rivited metal tabs.
why you ask ??? the fitting of the pads to the calapers is such that when installing or fitting the pads they dont want to fit then they want to fall out.
changing pads is easy, BUTTTT
Also get 2 containers of brake fluid. suck out the fluid in the master cylinder plastic holder and fill with new fluid. and pump clean fluid to each wheel cylinder.
I installed new ceramic pads, the test will be when I start towing in another month .

good luck
drive safe

I Have the tools, so thats not a problem (use to be a heavy truck mechanic) And i guess I will be using factory brakes. =)

As far as replacing the fliud. If i do this method, will it screw up my ABS system? I no you need something special to get air out of those ABS controllers. And what fuild should i use, Synthetic? And is the Factory already synthetic?

Thanks for everyone input, that why i love this site :)

Holes in the floorboards, and THICK SOLES on the boots!

With the truck being this new, with this many miles, it is alot of highway driving, and that is not using the brake pedal that often, so the mile thing can be misleading.....

ABS BRAKES this is my method for changing brake fluid, suck the fluid out of the master cylinder to within 1/4" of bottom, pore new fluid in slowly (do not want air bubbles).
when ready to blead the furthest cylinder get your helper (lady of the house) she pushes the brake pedal slowly as you open the bleed nut allowing fluid to flow through a clear plastic 1/4" hose into a jar with a 1/2" of fluid in the bottom (this will prevent air bubbles) when helpers foot reaches the floor close the bleed nut, helper then allows pedal to return, perform this operation untill you see clear fluid and no air bubbles.

easy

good luck
drive safe

spray everythign down real well w/brake clean to get the grease off and you dont get a pull to one side