[Guzzi Guy]

I've replaced my front brake calipers along with new ceramic pads and have noticed that after getting home from a 3-4 mile trip with some stop and go that the front wheels and calipers are hot to the touch. I never really noticed this before and am a little concerned and hesitant to go any real distance with it. I jacked up the front on both sides and they do rotate with a little effort but do not spin. The rears are noticeably cooler and can be touched.
Any and all suggestions/ideas are welcome.
Thanks,
Dave

 

[Guzzi Guy]

I should add that I did clean the master cylinder and flushed the brake lines prior to the replacement of the calipers, flex hoses and pads.

Dave

 

[Gr8XLr8r]

First a few questions? Have you tried applying the brakes slowly with hands off the wheel? No pulling slowly to the left or right? Next, have you tried activating the ABS system? Lastly, is the pedal firm and where you expect it to be?The first thing that came to mind reading your post is that it sounds like the pistons aren't drawing back, indicating air in the system. Further, do the front brakes seem the same degree of hotness from one side to the other? The front to rear temp difference isn't necessarily wrong as their is a proportioning system. I asked the GM dealer About changing my break fluid using the gravity method and was told it's best to use a vacuum pump, starting with the wheel furthest away from the master cylinder. Someone may have already diagnosed your situation in the time it has taken me to type my response. My moto " Nothing money won't fix, but always do the least expensive things first ").

 

[Texasbaehr]

I've replaced my front brake calipers along with new ceramic pads and have noticed that after getting home from a 3-4 mile trip with some stop and go that the front wheels and calipers are hot to the touch. I never really noticed this before and am a little concerned and hesitant to go any real distance with it. I jacked up the front on both sides and they do rotate with a little effort but do not spin. The rears are noticeably cooler and can be touched.
Any and all suggestions/ideas are welcome.
Thanks,
Dave

Dave, the front brakes do most of the stopping of that 4800lb+ truck so they will get much hotter than the rear brakes.
DOT 4 Dry Boiling point (fresh fluid) is 446 deg F. Calipers will never see that high of temperature on a passenger vehicle. If the fluid boils the brakes will lock up. Old fluid has moisture in it and the boiling point for that "wet" fluid degrades to 311F.
The calipers are cast iron which will hold heat longer than the aluminum racing calipers. If you shoot your front calipers with an IR heat gun after some very aggressive hard braking runs you may see front caliper body temps up to 250 -275 deg F. The rotors will be 400 deg F plus and can get to 800-900 F if really burdened. Ceramic pads can get a bit hotter than the composite OEM pads. Touching the disk or caliper after driving can leave some skin behind and make for a really bad day.
Greg

 

[Guzzi Guy]

Thank you Greg and Gr8XLr8r for your responses. I'm thinking firstly (and cheaply), I'm going to re-bleed the brakes and see if there is any difference in braking and heat buildup and go from there. Wish me luck!

Dave