DonM3Z
TYF Newbie
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2016
- Posts
- 13
- Reaction score
- 15
Recently I noticed that my 2005 Yukon SLT would brake less efficiently and behaved strangely when the brakes were applied at higher speeds. Particularly when coming off the highway or stopping from 40 MPH the Yukon would drag itself to a stop. When I hit the brakes you would feel that initial bite of the brakes, but then it felt as though the caliper was releasing pressure from the pads causing the car to rock itself back and forth to a complete stop. All of the following items below came to mind and I was able to rule them out as I diagnosed each item. It turned out to be item 4 on the list or a rear brake caliper pin that was completely dry and would not permit the caliper to slide smoothly back and forth. Below I will cover some of the steps I performed to rule out the first few items and what I did to finally resolve the problem and also significantly improve the braking on the Yukon.
I had recently changed the front rotors and pads 10,000 miles ago with Wagner Thermoquiet pads and premium Wagner e-coated rotors. Performed a visual inspection and the rotors and pads still looked great. I recall bedding the pads and cleaning and lubing everything properly during the installation. I then tested the calipers to ensure they were not sticking. I raised the front of the Yukon and then pressed and held the brake pedal for a few seconds and checked the calipers. The wheels did not lock up, which indicated that the calipers were releasing with no issues. I should also mention that two months ago, I removed, cleaned and lubed the front brake caliper pins. Therefore, this was sufficient for me to rule out any front calipers or brake component issues. Furthermore, I was convinced that the problem was not with the from brakes since front brake problems will usually produce shaking or vibrations through the steering wheel or pedal. This, however, was not the case with the Yukon.
Rotors , Calipers, Brake Components Inspection (Rear)
I performed the same tests as above on the rear brakes, but while the calipers were indeed releasing properly, a visual inspection revealed the following. The driver's side rear rotor was quite marred and had deep grooves in it, but the passenger rotor was fine. I also removed and inspected the caliper pins on both sides. The driver side pins were fine, but the top pin on the passenger side was stuck and would not come out. After a little persuasion from my pry par the pin came out. I noticed that the pin was dry and at the end had a little rubber boot that looked quite swollen compared to the driver side. I recall that Honda also uses these rubber boots, which will swell if the wrong type of brake lube is used.
Solution
I was quite convinced that the issue was this pin and decided to refresh the rear brakes by replacing the rubber sleeves on the pins, rubber boot covers, brake pads, hardware and clean and re-lube all the rear brake components. I should note that I only replaced the driver's side rear rotor. While It's a good idea to replace rotors in pairs, the difference in thickness between the new and old rotors was not very much - good enough for a 14 year old car. I also removed the passenger caliper bracket and cleaned a bunch of old gunk from the pin holes, which was also preventing the pins from sliding smoothly. I then installed new hardware, new brake pads and used CRC Synthetic Brake lube (#5359) for everything. This stuff is amazing and works very well. It does not dry up, does not swell rubber and is long lasting.
Extra
While I had the rear wheels off, I decided to also replace the brake fluid as it also can make a big difference and it has been 3 years since I changed it. With the help of the wifey pumping and holding the brake pedal, bled the passenger rear caliper first, then driver rear caliper and finally the front calipers. For the front I did not even have to remove the front wheels to bleed the calipers. Just turn the wheels and the bleeder valve is accessible. Fresh fluid, check!
Result
After completing that service and bedding the brake pads, the difference in braking on the Yukon is night and day. That thing stops on a dime and there are no more vibrations or rocking back and forth to stop! It's fun to drive again and inspires confidence on more spirited driving.
- Warped Rotors
- Failing calipers
- Contaminated Brake Components
- Dry brake pins
- Suspension problems
I had recently changed the front rotors and pads 10,000 miles ago with Wagner Thermoquiet pads and premium Wagner e-coated rotors. Performed a visual inspection and the rotors and pads still looked great. I recall bedding the pads and cleaning and lubing everything properly during the installation. I then tested the calipers to ensure they were not sticking. I raised the front of the Yukon and then pressed and held the brake pedal for a few seconds and checked the calipers. The wheels did not lock up, which indicated that the calipers were releasing with no issues. I should also mention that two months ago, I removed, cleaned and lubed the front brake caliper pins. Therefore, this was sufficient for me to rule out any front calipers or brake component issues. Furthermore, I was convinced that the problem was not with the from brakes since front brake problems will usually produce shaking or vibrations through the steering wheel or pedal. This, however, was not the case with the Yukon.
Rotors , Calipers, Brake Components Inspection (Rear)
I performed the same tests as above on the rear brakes, but while the calipers were indeed releasing properly, a visual inspection revealed the following. The driver's side rear rotor was quite marred and had deep grooves in it, but the passenger rotor was fine. I also removed and inspected the caliper pins on both sides. The driver side pins were fine, but the top pin on the passenger side was stuck and would not come out. After a little persuasion from my pry par the pin came out. I noticed that the pin was dry and at the end had a little rubber boot that looked quite swollen compared to the driver side. I recall that Honda also uses these rubber boots, which will swell if the wrong type of brake lube is used.
Solution
I was quite convinced that the issue was this pin and decided to refresh the rear brakes by replacing the rubber sleeves on the pins, rubber boot covers, brake pads, hardware and clean and re-lube all the rear brake components. I should note that I only replaced the driver's side rear rotor. While It's a good idea to replace rotors in pairs, the difference in thickness between the new and old rotors was not very much - good enough for a 14 year old car. I also removed the passenger caliper bracket and cleaned a bunch of old gunk from the pin holes, which was also preventing the pins from sliding smoothly. I then installed new hardware, new brake pads and used CRC Synthetic Brake lube (#5359) for everything. This stuff is amazing and works very well. It does not dry up, does not swell rubber and is long lasting.
Extra
While I had the rear wheels off, I decided to also replace the brake fluid as it also can make a big difference and it has been 3 years since I changed it. With the help of the wifey pumping and holding the brake pedal, bled the passenger rear caliper first, then driver rear caliper and finally the front calipers. For the front I did not even have to remove the front wheels to bleed the calipers. Just turn the wheels and the bleeder valve is accessible. Fresh fluid, check!
Result
After completing that service and bedding the brake pads, the difference in braking on the Yukon is night and day. That thing stops on a dime and there are no more vibrations or rocking back and forth to stop! It's fun to drive again and inspires confidence on more spirited driving.
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