2002 Rear Disc Issues

LS1_Silverado · February 24, 2009

2002 Sierra GT just did rear rotors and pads, lubed sliders and pad guides. Calipers pushed back in easy. Brakes are dragging badly, wearing evenly but the rotors are blue! When I took the calipers back off (once they cooled down) they came off easily without prying. The pads move easily in the guides. This is happening on both sides. I jacked the truck up, took the tires off, started it, put it in drive. The rotors turned at idle speed, I depressed the brake pedal and they stopped, they then began to spin again when I released the pedal. I shut the truck off, went to turn the rotors and they won't turn? Could both calipers be bad? They seemed to move freely when I pushed them back in. I also lightly pushed the pedal with the calipers off and they push back out fine as well.

Smitty00Z71 · February 25, 2009

just had this issue with my 2002 on one side... yes calipers would be my guess... it was the issue with mine.

LS1_Silverado · February 25, 2009

just had this issue with my 2002 on one side... yes calipers would be my guess... it was the issue with mine.

It was the calipers, they were sticky just at the beginning of the stroke otherwise they were fine, tore them down and rebuilt them.

Thanks.

CapitalTruck · February 26, 2009

How did you know they were dragging, did you lose MPG or could you feel it? Also, on an unrelated note, back in the day people used to wonder about why the rear pads on these four wheel disc trucks would wear down faster than the front. A local D.C. autowriter/radio show host (Pat Goss) recently addressed this issue in one of his columns and suggested that in many cases the rear pads of a four wheel disc set up are organic whereas the fronts are semi-metallic. Because they are softer materials they wear faster.

Smitty00Z71 · February 26, 2009

I knew mine was sticking when I pulled into the gas station to fill up.... I could smell a very weird burning smell - mine was sticking bad. I noticed it was coming from the rear tire. I spit on the rotor and it sizzled ( I knew the rotors wernt that hot because I had barley been using the breaks and I also split on the other rotor and no sizzle! )