Rear brake pads worn out before front

[starkey188]

05 H2, truck has been steering or turning hard like when in 4 wheel drive lock on asphalt. Took tires off to rotate tires and have a look and noticed rear brake pads are worn a lot more than the front. I jacked up front end to make sure front diff wasn,t locked and it is free. when I put into 4 high lock and turn on asphalt the tires really grab so I think 4 wheel drive is fucntioning ok. Maybe the rear brakes are draging on turns somehow and and causing the hard turns. I checked e brake line for any damage and found none. I need to change rear pads today but would like to fix other problem first. Any help would be appreciated. I drive this truck mostly on dirt roads.

[Scarsman]

When you jacked it up do the rear wheels spin freely? Can you feel any drag at all?

I would just point out that the rear pads are actually thinner than the front ones right from brand new. This is because the fronts do about 80% of the braking. So it is normal for the rears to look "more worn" than the fronts.

Calipers can stick, which will cause premature wear. Bad brake hoses can do the same thing. Try this:

Jack up the rear, truck in neutral. Spin wheels by hand and see if there is any drag. If they spin free, then start the truck and have someone apply the brake hard and then release. Now see if they still spins free.

If they drag after the brake had been applied and released then either the caliper or the hose is bad.

Now find the bleeder on the caliper. It looks sort of like a grease zerk. Crack it loose and see if it spurts brake fluid under high pressure. Watch your eyes! If it does, then the wheel should now be free, and you have a bad hose. If it doesn't, then your caliper is sticking. Could be the piston in the cylinder or the caliper not sliding freely in its mount.

Hope this helps! Usually if you have a bad hose or caliper it is just one. It is not common for two hoses or calipers to go bad at the same time. If you don't feel any drag when you jack it up, then I would guess you are just seeing the difference between front and rear pads.

[starkey188]

I just jacked back end up and tested for drag and everything seams fine. I went ahead and changed pads everything is alright. Still not sure why there is drag when turning tight on asphalt when not in 4 wheel drive lock. I sure don't remember there ever being that much before. truck has 50,000 miles. I tested brakes on dirt drive and all brakes are grabing on hard brake.

[Scarsman]

Originally Posted by starkey188

I just jacked back end up and tested for drag and everything seams fine. I went ahead and changed pads everything is alright. Still not sure why there is drag when turning tight on asphalt when not in 4 wheel drive lock. I sure don't remember there ever being that much before. truck has 50,000 miles. I tested brakes on dirt drive and all brakes are grabing on hard brake.

Well, maybe your locker is stuck engaged? That would for sure cause it to feel like it is binding up while turning sharp on high traction surfaces. Here is how you can check it:

With truck in neutral and 4HI, jack up the back end so both wheels are off the ground. Try spinning one wheel. The other wheel should turn the opposite direction. If the opposite wheel turns the same direction as the one you are spinning by hand, then your locker is engaged.

On an open differential if both wheels are in the air and you turn one, the other one will turn the opposite way. If the differential is locked, then they will both turn the same direction.

Our differentials are just a normal open diff in 4HI and 4HI Lock. The E-Locker should only engage in 4LO Lock, but it could be possible for something to be wrong and keeping it engaged when it should not be.

[starkey188]

When I tested the brake drag I watched the other tire move the opposite direction. Something I've noticed before is the bushing on the front diff in worn, maybe too much slop and something (cv joints) is binding when turning.

[starkey188]

Just got truck aligned and it was way out of specs. Also before I had it aligned I adjusted the torq bar to raise vehicle back up to factory height. Makes a big difference and makes stance look better.