Mechanic says front brakes seizing up...ideas?

[Flame]

Blue,when you say you got the whole new front end what are you talking about? As you know when we broke down in Key West we had complete brakes done including calipers and brake hoses and bearings. also ended up changing all 4 ball joints and a front end alignment. Also changed all 6 tires and all 4 shocks and a front steering dampner. And ….on a trip this weekend when you first hit the brakes they pull like crazy to the left again!!!! What did you change to that made everything better?? Mine worked good for a few hundred miles but pulls like crazy again.

[chin_k]

Flame, sorry to hear you still having problem with the caliber after all the work you did already. Too bad that the shop was so far away, otherwise, I would definitely bring it back and ask them what is going on.

[sm350bl]

I think you did the right thing by not agreeing to let them do the work and spend some time researching and seeing what other options you have. Them telling you they cannot lube caliper slides cause its " something they don't do" it a load of nonsense. As per the condition of your front brakes, lots of heat can fatigue and cause cracks on the rotors, same principal applies to flywheels from the old days, if you ever pulled one out you'd see cracking on it. This could be caused by long light to moderate brake applications ( like going down a long grade just riding the brake enough to hold your speed constant instead of oscillating brakes on and off) of towing extra, or in some cases the caliper slides and or the pistons get sticky in the caliper and keep pressure on the pad. if you rig is pulling when you hit the brake , that indicates something is going on. I think you said it pulls to the left? so that would point to a problem on the right side typically, the left is working which is why you get the pull to left. As for the price, its in the ballpark of what to expect form changing everything out. parts are big and expensive, but I would want people more orientated towards heavier equipment working on a coach like that and not tire shop kids.

[Astrodokk]

I spoke with the big rig mechanic about upgrading brakes and he said that for liability reasons, they will not change anything from stock OEM, except for using better upgraded heavy duty pads. They said that they do not change what the original engineers designed. Unfortunately, the design is specifically for a van or pick up, not a heavy coach, but I didn't argue.
So I'm just going to get the brake job done as indicated. To be honest, I never noticed the braking to be inadequate, just needing extra time and pressure.

[Chinnin-about]

So I'm just going to get the brake job done as indicated. To be honest, I never noticed the braking to be inadequate, just needing extra time and pressure.

If I recall correctly, Blue Go found a front end out of a 2008 or newer Ford one ton chassis, which has the larger disks and calipers. The cost was very similar to a brake job on the existing front end. As far as being original equipment, the 2008 IS original equipment from Ford, only better.

I would continue to research this option. I'm pretty sure I would choose this if faced with a brake issue on a Chinook ever again.

[Astrodokk]

Well, I did think about that option as well, and sent an email to Quadvan in Oregon early last week. I have not heard back from them.
Might as well call them to see what's up.

[sm350bl]

If you don't do the retrofit this time around, A good upgrade option would be drilled/slotted rotors for the front, it would help keep them cool and help the pads off gas. I have done this with a couple of my E450's here at work. I have been pretty happy with them.

[Blue~Go]

Being in Seattle I wouldn't do anything but go to Quadvan for the front end, if they have one. I went from AZ and would do same again.

What was included.

1) Complete new front takeoff from 2014 E-350 (was in 2014 so brand new).

--front axle, hubs, etc.
--brakes, every part to do with them is new (massive compared to our stock ones)
-- control arms etc. (again, larger, plus Ford made some design improvements to the front suspension in around 2008 or 2009)
-- tie rods, ball joints, etc. IIRC
- wheel bearings, etc.

Basically everything is new but you keep your shocks, springs and wheels.

2) You have to buy a new front anti-sway bar because the attachment is different. I think that would have added around $100. I chose instead to put on the beefier Roadmaster bar (Quadvan can source and install that one or the Ford one). I did try it with both (Quadvan rocks) and liked the Roadmaster one much better. Unlike with the rear of our rigs in general (which is prone to harshness), there was no similar penalty for the larger bar in front.

3) You also need a front end alignment afterward.

Quadvan was great (and I am particular). They are familiar with the Chinook as they did some of the Baja 4WD conversions for them back in the day. No problem to park in front overnight for an early AM appointment (street parking, light industrial neighborhood). I think it was around $1000 (a bit more for me due to the Roadmaster bar).

The brakes are orders of magnitude better. No more fear of the stale green light turning yellow. Would do again 100% for sure.

[chin_k]

I wish I have a seized caliber so that I can bring mine to Portland and get this done too!

Seriously, even with the expected price due to inflation, the "regular" brake job is not much cheaper than the front end transplant. Not a fan of throw things away if it can be fixed, but this is one of the exceptions that it make more sense to swap out due to the ridiculous cost just to fix a caliber.

[Astrodokk]

Well I spoke with the owner of Quadvan, John, and he said due to the influx of so much Transit 4x4 work, they don't do this swap in their shop anymore.
He does have a brand new 2019 E-450 front end that he will sell me, and he has a local Les Schwab mechanic that he's known for years who can install it.
So I called the mechanic and he is looking into when they can do the swap. He said he's only done one so far. I'm a little disappointed that it can't be done by the pros at Quadvan, and skittish on a Les Schwab shop doing this, but John vouched for him.
It does make sense to do this upgrade though, so I'm thinking of just trusting them and going for it once Les Schwab gets back to me.
John said that the only parts that will be reused are the coils, wheels (he suggested new tires to match the new rears since mine are 4 years old), and the sway bar if I buy the new style linkage (vs older design bushings).
Not sure if I would upgrade the bar to a bigger one yet.