Tire or Brake problem on my 96 Z71

[davidfite1978]

So I just got my 96 Z71 last week and it's got a problem I'm trying to diagnose.

The PO was in the national guard so it sat for periods at a time un-driven. When I bought it, it was in the middle of weeks of snow/ice/cold and it hadn't been driven in 3 weeks. There was a wobble of some type, and I figured it was flat spots on the tires. They were under-inflated and stuck to the ice for weeks. The tires are almost brand new so I had good hopes that they would rebound. I filled them up, but still didn't fix the problem.

You can feel the problem at all speeds, but most noticeably at super slow speeds and from 40-45mph. It's definitely something "round" because you feel it every rotation. The cab just about shakes apart at 45mph. However, if I hit the gas hard, or hit the brake hard when slowing, I don't feel it much at all, if any.

Starting last Friday I noticed a burning smell. Seems to be coming from the driver front wheel.

Then I start doing some testing. I can stop in my driveway completely, then left off the brake so as to idle forward 2-3mph (like normal...). It'll sit there stuck, and then you'll hear a creaking sound, just like you would hear when you're slowly letting off the brake, and then enough idle power builds up and it breaks free and rolls forward.

So now what I'm thinking is that the tires are probably OK, and the problem is a rotor or a stuck caliper. My plan is to replace brakes/rotors/calipers on front this weekend regardless. Only thing left after that is tires.

What do you guys think?

 

[IOWNJUNK]

You described a stuck caliper, replace both. The tires are done. Nothing worse than leaving them flat for long periods of time. Might get lucky with only having to replace one or two.

 

[davidfite1978]

You described a stuck caliper, replace both. The tires are done. Nothing worse than leaving them flat for long periods of time. Might get lucky with only having to replace one or two.

Gonna do the brakes/rotors/calipers first this weekend before I jump into new tires. They don't look bad, no dry rot, and no visible flat spots so I'll put a little faith in them before I go spend 300-600 more bucks that I might not need to.

 

[IOWNJUNK]

Let me retract my "tires are done", if youve never driven a truck with big mud or allterrain tires, they may seem like they are flat spotted.

 

[98_k1500]

You have a rubber brake hose swelled shut on the left front wheel. No need whatsoever to replace anything but the rubber brake hoses. The shake sure sounds like a bad tire.

 

[davidfite1978]

The tires are Goodyear AT/S. Never had them before but they don't seem too off road? More like a good mid-range of road/off-road. I went ahead and ordered a set of hoses for both front brakes. Might as well have them both completely new so I can cross all that stuff off the list. I know there's a brake problem for sure. I guess I'm just hoping that it's the cause of the wobble too and not the tires so I don't have to spend more on those too right off the bat.

 

[98_k1500]

Hopefully that will fix all your problems. I am pretty skeptical about it fixing the shake tho. If this fixes your brake problem but not the shake, I would have the tires balanced before i just bought new ones. May have a bent wheel or something.

 

[davidfite1978]

Got the truck fixed this weekend!

The passenger caliper was completely frozen solid, causing it to brake 100% of the time. The pad was worn down to almost nothing. This was apparently causing the rotor to get hot enough to warp, which was causing all of my wobble/vibration/shake problems. The driver side wasn't much better. It only had about 20% of travel left in the piston. Changed out both pads/rotors/calipers (didn't do the hoses) and all my problems went away. Rides like a cadillac now. The rears need to be replaced too, but that's a project for another day...

PS > I put some pics in my build thread (link in my sig)

 

[98_k1500]

Glad you got it fixed. I'm surprised that the caliper was frozen. Usually when it locks when you use the brakes, then several seconds later they release, the rubber hose is to blame. Truck looks good btw.

 

[IOWNJUNK]

Most every brake job I do anymore requires new calipers. Replace your pads on time (60,000 mi) and its no issue, but it seems everytime someone brings me a vehicle to work on they have waited till metal on metal. If the piston has been extended that long there is usually enough rust on it that it will never compress back into the caliper without sticking.