Outboard Pad Wear and/or Brake Pull

Outboard Pad Wear and/or Brake Pull

If you've read any of our other articles, you'll know that we've got a mechanical tip for just about all things brake. This article is no different. We'll be going over one common cause for outboard pad wear and/or brake pull.

On Chevy and GM trucks it can be common to experience brake pull, and/or outboard premature pad wear. This article will go over the problem, cause, and solution for anyone that might have come across this problem. As suggested above this article will be applicable to anyone working on Chevy and GM trucks. We've tried our best to help you be able to fix the problem, but if you find yourself needing more help, check out the buttons at the bottom of the page.

Brake Pull From Steering Knuckle

This problem is caused by having insufficient clearance between the caliper and steering knuckle (see below). Heat expansion causes the caliper to bind in the knuckle, causing side to side brake imbalance. This condition will also prevent proper outboard pad release and will result in premature outboard pad wear as well.

Caliper Clearance

Solution:

If one of these trucks presents itself with the symptom of brake lead or pull and/or premature outboard pad wear the caliper to knuckle clearance should be checked. Follow the steps below:

1. Measure the clearance individually and add the two values together. Total clearance should be greater than .010". If clearances are not within the tolerances go to the next step.

2. Correct clearances by filing metal off of the knuckle stops in order to achieve a total clearance between .010" and .024" (See image below).

Checking GM Caliper Clearance

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