[RocktimusPryme]

I did brake pads on my daily driver Ram 1500 last weekend. Was being cheap and just replacing the pads. All was fine until the last wheel.

The right rear, for some reason, had super uneven wear on the pads, so much so that it had started to run metal to metal in one place. There was no other signs of issue during the life of these pads and rotors (about 70k miles since I last changed both) Nothing appeared to be mis-installed, though Im not prepared to rule that out. Im the one who did it and Im far from infallible. But nothing seemed loose or missing.

Im really curious how this happens and what I should do to prevent it, since Im probably going to go in and change the rotors now, one is jacked up might as well replace them all. If something is wrong I would like to fix it so it doesn't happen again

FWIW, while Im a professional aifraft mechanic, and happily wrench away on my hobby vehicles, I despise working on my daily driver type cars. Absolutely loathe, so I always have a vehicle under warranty. But Im not about to pay dealership prices to change disc pads. This isn't my first brake job, but I know some of the pros have done thousands and seen a lot more issues than me.

[Dennis H.]

I would check the caliper pins to make sure the caliper moves freely, clean and grease pins with caliper pin grease, could also be a bad caliper(piston sticking and not allowing caliper to return after engaging brakes) and lastly bad brake hose. How many miles overall on your Dodge?

[RocktimusPryme]

Originally Posted by Dennis H.

I would check the caliper pins to make sure the caliper moves freely, clean and grease pins with caliper pin grease, could also be a bad caliper(piston sticking and not allowing caliper to return after engaging brakes) and lastly bad brake hose. How many miles overall on your Dodge?

160K. I have a strange warranty. A million miles that Dodge was offering at the time, I was talking to a tech at my last oil change and he said they have started buying their way out of them on some vehicles. It doesn't cover wear items, but if I could prove the caliper was actually bad it might cover that.

The rears are single piston calipers. A caliper issue was my first guess, but with only one piston I don't see how it would have caused uneven wear. Pins didn't fight me coming out, but I did re-grease them going back in.

[Lemans64]

Most likely a Pin problem, or a rock got stuck inside the area where pin is, one side sticks and causes calmer to pivot and wear pads like that.
GM had issues with the right rear on some of older trucks, 99 + up. pads wore out like that but nothing found. Was alway right rear. Put it to
gravel roads and rocks getting in there. Most were off highway Logging company trucks.

[Sirrotica]

The pins/bolts don't allow the caliper to move, the metal sleeves that the pin goes through the casting, and move on an O ring usually inside of the caliper casting.

You can slide the pins in and out all day long, but the sleeve that they go through is likely bound up, likely only one is seized.

About a year ago my neighbor across the street was swearing up a storm and beating the hell out of something inside the fender. I walked over there to find he had already replaced the brake pads on the passenger side, but after putting the new pads in the drivers side he couldn't get the caliper back on over the rotor, He is far from mechanically inclined, he is a maintenance man in an apartment complex, mostly painting, hanging new doors etc.

I found one of the slide sleeves was so badly frozen I had to beat it out of the caliper with a hammer. Took it back to my garage and wire brushed it so it was again shiney, and slide in the O ring in the caliper. Slopped some silicone grease on the sleeves, and down the road it went. 2010 K1500 with about 3 feet of the frame missing due to rust under the cab. Told me he sold it to a new american from south of the border.

Anyway whenever doing a brake job those sleeves should be removed and cleaned up, then coated with brake caliper lube before reassembly, replacing the O rings isn't a bad idea either.

I hope this helps you out...........

[RocktimusPryme]

Cool. I’ll watch a YouTube video on servicing the sliders on this particular model before I go back at it.

I did not have a problem compressing the caliper back down with my ratcheting caliper tool. But I’m not sure that would affect what we are talking about.

[BB70]

All what was said above about the caliper pins and sleeves, but also where the ears of the pad slide into the bracket need to move free. Rust will build up and lock up the pad.

[RocktimusPryme]

Yeah the more Im thinking about it, I either unfroze it be manipulating it, or it was a rock as mentioned. Because I had to move/compress those sleeves a little bit to get the caliper back installed over the holes for the pins. They both moved freely. But when I get around to replacing the rotors, ill clean and lube the sliders/orings.

[Half-Inch Stud]

I can only suspect the wrong grease was used, to cause a stuck caliper for uneven wear.

Just maybe the E-brake played a role?