One of the front wheel bearings is howling. So I am going to replace both bearings, the front pads, and rotors. I am wanting to replace the half shafts while I am there as well. The boots look worn but nothing is wrong with them. But my Denali has almost 180k miles so I figured why not go ahead and replace the axleshafts as well. ****** weather is gonna be coming down the pike at some point.
My question is.........
does anyone have a brand they like more than the other? is there one that I need to stay away from at all costs?
I'll never forget the time I asked the mechanic my buddies and I used [whenever we broke something we couldn't fix] about installing drilled slotted vented rotors on my '95 Explorer? He was in the process of removing the creek water I had sucked up into my intake. He paused, looked up at me shaking his head in disbelief that I would even ask such a question, and grumbled "that's a bad idea, real bad! You boys would have 'em so full of mud and rock" he said as he rang out his rag... (now I know)He said that because we were rough on ____(everything).
Fast forward through 20yrs of living in Texas and/or driving sports cars and I found myself back in WV, back in another situation with a vehicle in need of brakes, and again knowing that the OE setup wasn't stout enough for my driving style on these roads. I also would've only been thinking rotors and pads as well had I not just finished replacing the passenger side bearing and driver side axle seal. During those jobs I discovered one sticking caliper piston on each side. **Couldn't hurt for you to check yours before buying also??** So I did some research and settled on the Power Stop Z36 Truck and Tow kit. Full kit comes w/rebuilt hi temp painted calipers, rotors, pads, & hardware. Back then, the full kit was cheaper than most rotor pad only sets. Pads are claimed to be carbon fiber infused and designed to work some unique way w/rotors? Not here to vouch for corporate claims but will say they work......very well. So well that I put a Z23 Evolution kit on my ladies Mercedes.
That axle seal happened right at 100k(or maybe I put it off till then lol) so I went ahead and did my 100k service on the front diff. Had to pump the new oil in through the axle shaft hole because the 18mm fill hole plug bolt rounded off before breaking loose. **something to be cautious of** That fill hole plug was(is) fused. It even delivered the first ever loss to a pipe wrench bequeathed to me by my grandfather...that wrench had never even been in a close match before that
edit= totally forgot to attach Z36 pics....they came red....I'm more of a velocity yellow fan
