EBC Yellowstuff Brake Pads - Worth It?

[andy396]

I may have to try this. I was concerned that the dead spot in the bearing might be hard to hear/feel without a load on it but it's worth a shot.

I was also considering trying to use a piece of hose like a ghetto mechanic's stethoscope. I should probably buy one of those too, I just looked them up and they're like $10.

Go for it! You got this. Just make sure the belt is back in all the pulley groves correctly when you're done. Not so sure about the hose as a stethoscope idea...

 

[454cid]

Not so sure about the hose as a stethoscope idea...

My uncle does that. One of the great things about it, is that if it gets caught in a belt it's less likely do do the damage something like a long screw driver would do.

 

[454cid]

I
The belt looks OK but to be honest I can't remember how old it is. Same goes for the tensioner and idler, I'm not sure if they've ever been changed. I've been suspicious of the alternator for quite a while due to voltage fluctuation when it's cold, all my cables look fine. I guess that could be a belt slip issue although I've never heard it.

I'm pushing 300K miles, and I just changed my tensioner pulley. It was a little notchy, but not really loose. The original idler was a brass bushing that got eaten up many many miles ago. The OEM replacement is a ball bearing and has many more miles on it than the original. One the other hand the idler arm on my dad's old 350 seized, so I replaced the whole thing, where I only did the pulley itself on mine.

 

[df2x4]

So update... It's the alternator for sure.

Going with the stethoscope idea I put a couple wraps of masking tape around the handle of a screwdriver and jammed it into the small end of a giant funnel. Kind of acts like a phonograph. I poked around and found that the noise seemed amplified the most when I touched the tip of the screwdriver to the alternator case. After I found that I popped the belt off and spun it by hand, it had a very audible squeak at one point in the rotation. I checked the idler and tensioner pulleys but they both seemed fine, along with the belt. Looks like I'm ordering a new alternator.

Thanks to @andy396 for encouraging me to get off my ass and go check it, and to @454cid for giving me some hope that a ghetto stethoscope/megaphone might help.

 

[df2x4]

I went ahead and ordered an ACDelco Professional 3351068 105A alternator from RockAuto. $99 shipped after the forum discount. Made in China but it's new production. The only other ACDelco alternators available are twice the price and remanufactured.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

Going with the stethoscope idea I put a couple wraps of masking tape around the handle of a screwdriver and jammed it into the small end of a giant funnel. Kind of acts like a phonograph

I've never tried that, I've done the screwdriver and, at one time, I had a mechanic's stethoscope (someone wanted it more than me). A buddy of mine, years ago, had an old earpiece from a crank up telephone screwed on to a piece of threaded rod. I could hear the main and rod bearings with that thing.

Anyway, good to see you got it before firing off the parts cannon.

 

[df2x4]

I've never tried that, I've done the screwdriver and, at one time, I had a mechanic's stethoscope (someone wanted it more than me). A buddy of mine, years ago, had an old earpiece from a crank up telephone screwed on to a piece of threaded rod. I could hear the main and rod bearings with that thing.

Anyway, good to see you got it before firing off the parts cannon.

I'm thinking about picking this one up in my next Amazon order, a Lisle 52750. For $18 it seems like a really handy thing to have around.

https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-52750-Stethoscope-Kit/dp/B0015DLMOO

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

I'm thinking about picking this one up in my next Amazon order, a Lisle 52750. For $18 it seems like a really handy thing to have around.

That's like the one I had except mine didn't come with the funnel - even better.

 

[df2x4]

Finally made the appointment to get everything installed, it's going in first thing on Monday morning.

 

[df2x4]

Got everything installed today. I haven't smashed on the brakes hard yet because I'm trying to let them bed in a little before I test them (And I still had a bunch of stuff in the seats that I didn't want to go flying) but my first impressions are very good. You can feel everything working with much less pressure on the pedal than before. The slotted rotors don't make any noise that you can hear from inside. I'll stomp on them a little harder tomorrow and update. Everything went together fine, the only other thing my mechanic did was replace the rear wheel cylinders as one of them was leaking a tiny bit.

For those interested who don't feel like skimming back over 14 pages, here's a complete parts list of what I used minus the wheel cylinders as I'm not sure what brand my mechanic used. Once again this was for a '97 K1500 Suburban with the JB6 RPO code and 11" drums, 10 bolt, six lug.

1.) EBC GD7013 rotors
2.) Raybestos EHT369H pads
3.) ACDelco Professional 18B275 drums
4.) OEM GM/ACDelco 19150002 shoes
5.) ACDelco Professional 18K560 drum hardware kit

I also bought an ACDelco Professional 18K271X disc hardware kit but the Raybestos pads came with hardware so I threw it on my parts pile it as it wasn't needed.