When is a brake dragging?

[Rebeldad1]

some hubs will click. If in doubt pull the hub.

 

[the old grind]

A wheel bearing can feel tight and still run out just enough for the caliper to rub on the rotor and heat it up, but I doubt that this time. Can't spin fast by hand, can we. If there is loud rubbing it's at faster rpm and with weight of the truck flexing it much farther than our arms could. (mere .00x" but real)

Brake hoses can de-laminate internally and show no outward signs of leakage, etc. (inside layer goes first) A bubble of fluid can become trapped between the layers of fiber and rubber under hard braking. This bubble can block the normal flow path and trap a lesser but unwanted pressure in the caliper and cause some brake drag. As the disc and caliper heat up they tighten up when the bubble is 'filled' from the caliper side.

This is a common repair when replacing a caliper didn't cure the similar symptom(s). Clue is usually that the other side caliper works fine. I've even had this happen on my own truck or two, but because I drive so few miles in them. The new-bought truck I sold 2 yrs ago had 38k mi on it and just replaced the OEM tires but was still an '99 underneath, and 'aged' accordingly.

 

[Rebeldad1]

You can speculate all you want but you need to pull the caliper. (2 bolts)
noise stopped? then its in the pads/caliper.

 

[4570Man]

I think it’s dragging. It should turn easier than firm hand pressure. Drive around using the brakes as little as possible and then check that rotor temp compared to the other side. I had a brake dragging hard on one of my trucks and I had to put a caliper on it.

 

[polo1665]

Pretty sure that if it is the wheel bearing, and you can here it grinding, your hub will get very hot as you drive it. You can check that after driving it for a bit.

Of course that might also be true if the breaks are dragging.

 

[ruffdog]

Sometimes pads do not wear evenly and you may be looking at the side that still has material. If the caliper can't float freely, then one pad will wear out quickly. You can pull the wheel and use a large c-clamp on the caliper to push the piston back slightly and recheck your rolling wheel test. As "the old grind" stated above, sometimes old brake hoses get an internal bubble that holds pressure.

 

[CobyRupert]

If it was the brake hose holding pressure, wouldn’t I notice an increased resistance to spinning after I pressed on brakes?

 

[ruffdog]

Normally, yes.

 

[4570Man]

When my truck had a dragging brake pulling the brake hoses off made no difference and fluid was gravity flowing through the hose so it wasn’t bad. At an expense way higher than a hose a new caliper fixed the problem. A simple heat test on the rotors is the easiest trouble shooting you can do.

 

[Clint S]

Does it get worse around slow curves? Does it get better when you you apply the brakes? Does it feel hotter after driving? I have had rust build up and cause a scraping, backing plate scraping. Your best bet has t ok disassemble, clean, inspect and reassemble and go from there