Back left emergency brake pad wore out? Any suggestions?

[Rizzo]

Just wondering if this has ever happened to anyone before?. I went to drive the Viper yesterday and heard what sounded like a worn brake pad. I turned around and went home and took the back rims off. The inside pad on the back left emergency brake is worn to the metal. Nothing left. The other side looks like new. The passenger side is perfect on both sides and the pads all look like new other than the one pad which is shot. I've never driven with the ebrake on so Im guessing something is goofy with the mechanism. Of course everything looks perfect so I cant find anything wrong. I also dont know how to adjust the ebrake. Is there an adjustment in the handle or from underneath or right at the pads themself? Just checking to see if anybody else has any ideas before I tear in to it. Thanks.

 

[bluesrt]

i would wonder if the mechanism arm that actuates the caliper is not 100 percent releasing at that little caliper? sticky from weather

 

[LifeIsGood]

How about replacing both with new ones. I just installed these on my brake upgrade...

Viper Mechanical Parking Brake Kit

 

[Black Moon]

Both sides of mine are like that. Almost nothing on inner pad. Looking to replace soon. Another $100

 

[Darbgnik]

I've heard this is quite common, and what some guys do is periodically swap the inner and outer pads on the ebrakes to wear out a full set before replacement.

If I remember correctly mine wear unevenly as well.

 

[GDog]

It's a known issue, the insides wear faster then the outside ones. I flipped mine around before leaving for VOI (the pads are identical from side to side)

 

[Rizzo]

I can understand one side wearing faster but what I find weird is that both right side pads look like new? Why do emergency brake pads wear out anyway? They arent on and dont get used unless you are stopped? They should last forever unless you're using the ebrake for brakes? I guess I'll replace them and see what happens but I was sure there must be a problem as its only doing it on one side.

 

[colo08]

The problem is with the factory parking brake they are self adjusting so every time you put on the parking brake the self adjusting piston in the caliper try's to adjust out so that the inside pad is as close to the rotor as it can be. Then when you drive the inside pad is dragging against the rotor and wears out. The out side pad only see wear if you have the parking brake on and the car moving. The caliper is a fulling design such that when the inside presses against the rotor the housing floats to the inside causing the outside pad to press or pinch the rotor.

 

[2003 Viper]

Rizzo, I also heard grinding and had my local brake shop take a look. The inside pass. side was down to the metal. I replaced both sides and thought how weird. Now seeing this thread I see I am not alone. If it happens again I will remove the inner pad.

 

[ulllose]

My 03 did the same and the dealer replaced the whole e-brake caliper and pads on the drivers side when it was still under warranty. It was the inside pad only also. Car maybe had 10K on it,,,,now at 20K i hear a squeak from the same wheel at low speeds while turning in parking lots so my guess is that same pad is still rubbing

 

[JonB]

Common Prob. The Year Matters. Why? May be a warrantee issue.......

OCCASIONALLY CHECK YOUR E-BRAKE CALIPER TEMPS AFTER LONGER DRIVES, MULTI-STOP DRIVES! THEY SHOULD BE -COOL- VS PRIMARY REAR CALIPER.

Inner rear E-pad can RUIN the rotor and diminish brake rotor effectiveness....and also slow your lap / strip times!

 

[Tom Sessions]

I think the main problem is the parking brake cable. It is positioned is such a way that it pushes the caliper into the rotor. As the caliper is fullfloating just a little bit of pressure will keep the inboard pad touching the rotor.Its not so much a caliper sitcking as it is a mispositioned cable.

 

[ViperGeorge]

Just had to change the Driver's side inner parking brake pad on my 09 ACR. It has 7000 miles on it. I asked a friend of mine about it (he's an SRT Viper engineer) and he suspected hub deflection when tracking the car. After pulling the parking brake caliper off (what a pain, those bolts were really f'ing tight) I would however have to agree with Tom. The actuator cable applies quite a bit of pressure on the inside of the caliper. Seems like a design defect. I checked my 08 Convertible and the cable seemed to hang a bit lower down, kind of in a little arc. The pads on the convertible were fine. I don't think the cable on the vert is putting as much pressure on the caliper as it does on my ACR. If it was hub deflection from tracking the car it would effect both left and right sides equally. It didn't.

Morale of the story - CHECK YOUR INNER PARKING BRAKE PADS!!! If they wear completely out the rotors are toast. Mine had about 1/32 of an inch left, maybe less. Got to it just in time.