I noticed that my right front wheel had a lot more brake pad dust on it than the left, and also the truck pulled to the right when the brakes were applied for a quicker stop. I saw that the outer brake pad was worn thinner on one side, but the inner pad appears to be even. If the inner pad was wearing uneven I'd suspect a caliper piston binding, but what can cause the outer pad to wear unevenly? Obviously it's something with the 'sliding' bracket but what should I look for? When I bought the truck 30,000 miles ago, the brakes had been completely rebuilt with new calipers, rotors, and pads.

 

I’d suspect the caliper wasn’t sliding/binding. All the slide surfaces are rust and debris free, lubed?
When the piston applies, the caliper outer is pulled against the rotor face as well as the inner. If the guides don’t slide and hydraulic pressure is released on the piston side,, caliper to mounting bracket hang can result and pressure remains somewhat on the outer pad. If both inner/outer are worn excessive, more likely a piston hanging..

Ive seen mismatched linings used, anti rattle/squeal shims wad up causing uneven wear as well.

 

I wasn't 100% correct when I left the symptoms. The pad that was worn was the inner pad, and the brakes didn't look all that fresh when I took them apart. The outer pad has about 5/16" of material left, and it's even. I was fooled by looking at the thickness of the center of the pad and comparing it to the edge that is tapered. You can see the top edge, but the bottom isn't as easy to see. I suspect that the problem is 100% crud and no grease where the pads slide.

It's a good thing the brakes were demanding attention. The outer wheel bearing was almost dry.

 

I'm pretty sure you will be doing both wheels everything! A caliper on the other side not doing it's share causes the working one to do all the work, and maybe casing it to pull to the right.

Rotors that are tapered will provide a false picture looking at just the outside of the pad where it looks like plenty of pad material is left when the inside is ready for the pad metal to start contacting the rotor. If you see this pattern on the pads you remove ,it is wise to either have the rotors trued if enough material is still left on them or just replace them.
Also, don't fall for the easy way to remove the pads by just forcing the piston back into the caliper , open the bleeder screw and push the dirty fluid out the bleeder instead of pushing the dirty fluid back into the ABS system and creating other problems. A word to the wise , do it all and do it right ! Caliper replacement can provide you with full piece of mind . Any grease or lubricant applied to where the pads slide on the stainless steel clips is not recommended since it attracts dirt and dust/grit and makes it difficult for the pads to retract. Some caliper mounts have a special corrosion resistant coating under the steel clips , so only clean those surfaces with a clean rag.

 

I just got the rotors back from being trued, and I agree 100% with opening the bleeder, not putting the cruddy brake fluid back into the system. And yes, I AM doing both sides. I also believe that using grease on the slides will attract dirt. I'll have it done this afternoon or tomorrow morning.

Thanks both of you for your input.

 

My truck is 2 wheel drive so it has conventional tapered front wheel bearings except a whole lot bigger than I'm used to seeing. I've got the bearings packed and one inner bearing in place ready for the seal. The seal is just shy of 3" diameter and the sealing surface is on the outside of the rotor so a piece of wood would probably damage the lip. I tried to use one of the old seals to drive it in, but I couldn't get the new seal completely flat with it and ended up destroying the new seal. I looked at the seal installation kit at our local O'Reilly's but it's made to install seals with the sealing surface inward of the seal. I went up to our tiny Home Depot to see if I could find a pipe fitting of the correct size. All they had was PVC pipe and nothing was the correct size. They didn't have any steel pipe, but when our local Ace Hardware opens tomorrow I'll see what they have. I thought of using a punch, but the seal doesn't want to start when you're not pushing on the whole seal.

What do you use to drive the seal in?

 

Well, the seals are in the rotors, the rotors on the truck, and the left brake assembled. Last night I got the brilliant idea that maybe the seal OD was too big. This morning I got out my digital caliper and measured the diameter of the area of the rotor that holds the seal, it was 2.985". The old seal measured 3.002" and the new ones measured 3.000. I only had a .0015 interference fit. I held one side in by hand and using a small piece of wood I tapped the new seal in most of the way and then used a punch to insert the seal to the stop.

On the left side I had one caliper pin the was a little tight, but on the right I've got one that is frozen with a capital 'F'. I'm soaking it in penetrating oil, and now I'm going to start heating the area and see if that will work.

 

From what you stated, I would be inclined to say you have a pretty good handle on things.

There is one thing that I am not sure I understood correctly. That is the direction of the seal lip. If I misunderstood so be it , if not, lets see what is what.
The seal lip, the higher part, should be on the inside so any pressure created will force the seal lip against the spindle.surface. If that is the way you installed it good, if not, not good.
Those frozen pins can be a real problem. Just make sure you lubricate them with synthetic grease because any other mineral base grease will attack the rubber boots.
Sometimes a healthy pipe wrench will allow the force needed to break the pin loose.and if rusted enough , replacement is best. A good cleaning of the pocket the pin slides in is very important.
A little trick, some seals will have a garter spring behind the lip to insure the lip stays snug against the spindle surface. When installing the seal the garter spring will have a tendency to come off and since you can't see it you are not aware it has come off. If you pack grease behind the seal lip over the garter spring , that will keep it from coming off when striking the tool to install the seal.

 

Hanky,
You made me go out and look at the old seals.......There is lip that is outside of the seal as installed, but there is a second lip on the inside. It's the metal frame of the seal that determines which way it is installed. The back side is recessed so you'd destroy the seal putting it in backwards. If I'm not writing this correctly I'll take a picture.

I heated the area of the caliper bracket that is around the pin, but couldn't budge it, even with a pipe wrench plus a pipe on the handle. I don't have an acetylene torch, but I used 2 propane torches. No go. Then I went online to look up the pin and rubber boot and I saw that for $20, Oreiley's had rebuilt brackets. Now I just have to put the right brake together.

 

Most of the time the correct direction is with the mfg or seal # on the outside. Sorry for the confusion, sounds like your vehicle is in very good hands.