$800 to change brake calipers and hoses

I'll read the rest in a little, but I'd like to address this as well.


Bought my truck broken and well used. Long story short (after rebuilding engine and transmission) the guy I bought my truck from said "you'll probably need to get the passenger caliper rebuilt, when you hit the brakes, it pulls to the right real bad."

I rebuilt the calipers and changed pads and rotors at the same time. The problem was EXACTLY as bad as it was when I was first able to drive it. Replaced all the ball joints (they weren't that bad) and then inner and outer tie rods. Both tie rod sets were shot, and it helped the problem a little. Then moved on and changed the steering rack and it's bushings because the rack was leaking and the center (main body) bushing was practically falling apart from the engine oil leak (they get real soft and useless from oil degradation if a valve cover or rear main seal leaks. Like mine was.) That helped a lot, but still pulled to the right if I really stabbed the brakes.

Finally rebuilt the lower and upper control arms and replaced their bushings. The lower control arm bushings were the ultimate culprit. I can now brake in a straight line.





The point of me sharing all that, is to express the point that you have a 20+ yr old vehicle. It could be legitimately anything causing your truck to pull right when you brake.






If it were my truck and i was you, I would take a prybar (one about 18" long, cause its a real cheap size found at harbor freight) and pry in any direction i could, anywhere rubber met metal. If there's movement more than a few mm, I would replace whatever component I was pressing against with the prybar.

Is there anyone of your friends or family that is car savvy? Have them look it over with you doing what I described and get their opinions

 

$800 plus? I spent half that and did the tundra upgrade with new oem rotors and pads, and some fresh reman calipers. It took me a few hours to do, but very straightforward and simple.

 

I just came here to say this... Replacing brake calipers and pads is just about the easiest thing you can do with regards to maintenance items other than maybe windshield wipers.. I just did the Tundra upgrade a few weeks ago and WOW, what a difference in braking for my truck. It's easy for me to spend your money though.... It's all up to you as to whether or not you have the time and skillset. To just R&R the calipers and put new pads on, you can do that easy. Just do one side at a time so you can look at the other side if you get confused Take pictures of everything before you start taking things off so you know the orientation of everything. Buy yourself a can or two of brake Cleaner and some good synthetic grease for the slide pins and slap some new pads on. Then have the wife come out and give her leg a good workout by pumping the brake pedal for the Brake bleeding Party... It's good bonding time... Seriously, you can do this yourself and save a few bucks to put towards paint. But again, if you don't have time, then pay to have it done. Just make sure you find a reputable mechanic. Ask your friends, coworkers, anybody you know, and you will get good referrals for guys that know what they are doing and don't charge ridiculous prices.

 

I grew up in MD and was a heavy equipment mechanic in PA. Rust is a real bitch ... would you mind snapping some photos of your calipers and break area so we could give a better idea?

It's easy for alot of us to say you'll have no trouble, but I broken bolt can make an easy 2 hour job turn into a grueling 2 day ordeal, especially if you're not mechanically savvy

 

Just a short piece of tubing I used aquarium air line tube but any clear tube that fits the bleeder head. clear so you see the bubbles if there are any left.

BTW 600-800 dollar brake jobs are normal price here in NJ. Seems the going rate even if I can do it myself for like 100 bucks but I will say some are a major PITA. Some may take 1-2 hours but here is a brake job that took me a week of rust penetrant and banging with a sledgehammer to get the disc off. Of course the new stuff looks beautiful! BTW this is only a 2011 vehicle, your's has 10 years more of rust from our northeast salt! Guaranteed a major PITA for the mechanic.

 

Abeyancer, you are absolutely right, I forgot that he was in Maryland. Sorry. Rust is not your friend and I totally agree. I'm in Colorado but used to be in Illinois and I still have nightmares about rust after 30 years.

 

Ya Im just dont have the time of day right now to do the brakes. I have to fix the paint issues on both trucks and i have to do a little work on the 5 lug so I can sell it. Additionally, im still finishing up my 67 Bug. Still gotta do the carpet and interior installation as well as some electrical work on it before I can drive it. Meanwhile I'm in the middle of DIY installing a bathroom in my basement as well and it has to be done before the end of June. Working a full time job means I dont get too many hours in a day to work on this stuff. So many projects, not enough time to complete them!

 

When I get a chance to go over these different mechanisms, I definitely will. It is very possible its not the brakes causing this pull to the right. I think when I turn the wheels very far to the right or left at slow speeds the right wheel makes a squeaking/rubbing sound. That just so happens to the be the same side braking pulls to. Coincidence?

 

Wheel bearings. It's likely that you'll need a complete front end refresh (bearings, bushings, ball joints, tie rods, etc...) at some point.

 

You literally said it "was braking crappy". Pulling to one side during a panic stop is not "just fine" and an obvious safety hazard.

People complain about the gooberment in CA, but they don't even do brake inspections here, all they really care about is the sniff test. So if you want to drive a truck with crappy brakes, just move out here, lol. But don't expect shop labor costs to be any better. *Everything* is expensive right now.

But no one is forcing you to pay the mechanics. If that's too much then do it yourself. More than likely your calipers can just be rebuilt with new o-rings - probably $20 in parts including new brake fluid.

 

Where in MD are you? Id do it for $100 and your help. Then you can learn from me, and do it yourself the next time

 

Then you do like the previous owner of my house: Fill garage. Build barn. Fill barn. Build 2nd garage.

I have yet to (re)fill the barn, so I've got a little while before I need to worry about a 3rd garage at least.

 

Crownsville. Are you familiar with tinkering with the front end?

 

Looks like youre about an hour and a half from me. I have replaced suspension, brake pads, brake lines, ball joints, etc. Very familiar and can be done with some basic hand tools and not too much time.

Just replaced a caliper on my truck last year. I think took 10 minutes, plus the time to bleed brakes, so in total maybe 30 min?

 

Prioritize! Bad paint won’t get you or someone else killed. Fix your brakes.

 

Yeah the brakes are just the down payment.....these trucks are senior citizens......
........hip replacement..........


Seriously.....5 lugs......cant get any easier to work on......
........have pity for those 4X4'ers.........moneypits.....

My daily commute does not require 4wd......
......cherokee sport is my play thing......

 

The global supply chain issue is making *everything* expensive right now. So not only are shops inundated with more repairs because supply chains have made new/used cars more expensive and harder to find (like the chip shortage), all the parts the shops need to do those repairs are also more expensive.

Another reason to DIY. At least then you're only paying once for the increases costs.

 

Only real difference between the 5 and 6 lugs are the presence of a front diff, t-case, and CVs. Parts that aren't exactly falling to pieces under normal driving.

They're money pits because we choose to modify them and beat on them.

 

Disagree little with you there.....front bearings way easier....
LCA way easy.....no seized cam adjusters......drop in struts...
Weaker design......shorter service intervals...

Dont have to remove front drive to access steer rack or oil pan....
...the list goes on.....

I misspoke, labor eaters.......

I'm shooting for max milage, not clearance.....


but
Everybody needs a hobby.....