This is the second day my driver rear brakes squeaked from 0-15 mph. I pulled off the wheel [first time I'm embarased to say] and pulled out the far pad. By my rough snapshots can anyone tell if its the brakes being worn down to much or a stuck piston? Brakes operate as normal but I do feel some form of dragging when starting out from a stand still. I did note much more heat from that wheel then the other side so I now its some form of excesive friction. Should I go ahead and pull the pads out and get new ones or is it posible the bearing is shot. I have replaced neither so I supose a full tear down is in order I need the car till this weekend, I have next week off from work and would like to postpone the work till then but I doubt thats wise. Please advise.

Oh, the wetnes is W40, not brake fluid.

If the calipers are original, or over maybe 20yrs. old, it may be time to look into rebuilt ones. I don't know exactly how long they usually last. The ones on my w116 were replaced in '98, and that was when they were 19 years old. Go to autozone.com, that is where I found the cheapest rebuilt ones for the 420 I did 2 weeks ago.
Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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It seems that the outside pad may be wearing faster than the inside pad, this would indicate a piston not working correctly. You should try to push the pads back and see if there is any noticeable difference between the two pistons friction wise.
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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Take the pads out, if it still drags, then it's the parking brake dragging inside, easiest fix is to turn the hub so a lug is at about 1:30 (45 degrees from 3:00). You should see a gear inside, with a flatblade screwdriver, turn it until resistance stops (if it increases you're going the wrong way).

You can take the hub off but then you need to take the caliper off - not really hard but not needed.

If it doesnt drag with the pads on but drags with them on, see if you can push the dragging pad in. They do look a bit uneven, it could be a stuck caliper.

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Current:
2021 Charger Scat Pack Widebody "Sinabee"
2018 Durango R/T

Previous:
1972 280SE 4.5
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited "Hefe", 1992 Jeep Cherokee Laredo "Jeepy", 2006 Charger R/T "Hemi"
1999 Chrysler 300M - RIP @ 221k

I hope you removed the pins and the spring for the purpose of taking the picture. The shoes should be held down with two pins going through those holes.

-CTH

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http://www.111lakeside.com/

Thanks for the replys,


Yes I had to drive both pins out before the pads would come out

Good suggestion on pulling the pads to see if it is even brake related..... and it ISN'T

With the pads out I used 2 lugs to bolt a 1 foot long pice of steel to the rotor to see if I could turn it. I am able to with one hand but it is quite hard and I hear a faint grinding noise.

I'm screwed or what? how hard is it to get to the bearing?

As a side note I can move the rotor back and forth about 1-2mm efortlesly. Does that mean the outter race of the bearing is loose in the axle tube? I'm only guessing i haven't gotten this deep in this part of her yet

The rotor is attatched to the hub by the lug bolts and 1 centering stud on the hub/hole on the rotor.
edit: Thus the hub and rotor move independently with the wheel off

Check the parking brake, see if it's dragging. If you hear grinding, it's pretty likely.

__________________
Current:
2021 Charger Scat Pack Widebody "Sinabee"
2018 Durango R/T

Previous:
1972 280SE 4.5
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited "Hefe", 1992 Jeep Cherokee Laredo "Jeepy", 2006 Charger R/T "Hemi"
1999 Chrysler 300M - RIP @ 221k

All: Thanks its solved

Tomyguy: You are a lifesaver. I went to the parts store since my last post an checked on the tools / part. Both the inner OR outer bearing kit was 29.99. the slide hammer was 102 and the spring compressor was 80! Holly molly I would have been in trouble if that was the fix. Fortunatly it was the parking brake as you suggested.

When engaged, the parking brake warning light no longer came on when the squeaking started. I supose that could be a posible warning sign of this condition. IS it that the cog turned it self in there or something else shifted? In any case I am happy!

the light is right by the handle, if the handle is in the resting position the light will be off no matter what (as long as you arent low on brake fluid) and will always be on when it isn't, even if the brake isn't engaged, unless the switch is shot or bulb dead.

It's possible your lever that transfers the pull from the handle's cable to the brake's cable got stuck or snagged on something in the engine compartment. When released, it should almost touch the fan shroud.

__________________
Current:
2021 Charger Scat Pack Widebody "Sinabee"
2018 Durango R/T

Previous:
1972 280SE 4.5
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited "Hefe", 1992 Jeep Cherokee Laredo "Jeepy", 2006 Charger R/T "Hemi"
1999 Chrysler 300M - RIP @ 221k

Pull the caliper and rotor and take a look at the parking brake shoes.

No telling what you will find, but the habit of using the cable to adjust the parking brake instead of the adjuster inside the rotor can cause all sorts of trouble. You could also have a brake shoe adrift, or an accumulation of crud and rust. I've seen just about everything in drum brakes over the years, and you won't know until you take a look.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Also check the rear parking brake cables. After many years, it's common for them to rust and seize.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW