Dodge Sprinter Brakes

bspertybsperty Member Posts: 20
edited June 2014 in Dodge
I have 8,500.00 miles on my 2006 2500 Sprinter.After a few stops at stop signs closes together my brakes start a grinding noise like the brakes are metal to metal. I see no evidence of scoring on the rotors.
Does everyone experience this.

Comments

  • kenbakerkenbaker Member Posts: 239
    Yes, mine is now doing that, but I am at 20,000 miles... only recently it seems, and like you, it does not happen on "cool" brakes, or infrequent stops (or even every stop in a series of stops).

    It does not seem like a serious grind, but it can't be great for a vehicle to make sounds/vibrations like that...

    KenB :confuse:
  • 2000_valk2000_valk Member Posts: 67
    Count me in on the grinding thing. My first brake job was at 56k. It Started grinding. I was waiting for the " sensor" to show the little light on the dash. It didnt light up, so I Took it in to my trusted repair shop. Not the dealer. I needed two new rotors, and pads. 356.00. With original factory rotors.After market rotors would have been 625.00. In all my van has been running great. Now I need to get it in for my promised paint job. Tom :)
  • 2000_valk2000_valk Member Posts: 67
    Well this is really not about anything, But, I got hit today by a budwiser delivery truck. I was parked and just shut the sliding door when he side swiped me. You know the real long trailer ones. It went half of his trailer. Then reversed about six feet. He couldn't get off of me so just floored it forward, Oh the horror. It was like slow motion. We had parts everywhere. No sense in getting mad but, Its not my brand of beer.Guess I will get that warranty paint job a little sooner than I thought.Tom :mad: :cry:
  • kenbakerkenbaker Member Posts: 239
    Did he have the common sense to get out and see what he was hung up on, or did he just react to the bad situation with more bad driving?

    How much literal damage to your Sprinter? Obviously a beer company has insurance or an office/owner you can get the repairs paid for by, but ouch... Thank goodness it was not the Post Office... it takes forever to get repairs paid for by a government-like entity.

    KenB :cry: (crying with you)
  • 2000_valk2000_valk Member Posts: 67
    Well I tried to see what he was hung on. I didnt want to get to close, it happened so fast but seemed like slow motion.I was on an inside curve and with his long wheel base just closed right in, and wham. He parked and came over to me, he was already talking to his boss, he said (on the phone) bob I hit another car in town. Not real bad but bad enough. I guess any accident is bad, But you feel better knowing it wasn't my fault,and I was out of the van.Tom :mad: :(:cry:
  • sprinterdocsprinterdoc Member Posts: 11
    Do not worry about this noise. It will go away with higher milage. I see this complaint every day.(I work on them). Brakes are fine, posibly material on pads. DC has no answer for this noise.
  • keypontruckingkeypontrucking Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2007 Sprinter 3500 after driving when I apply the brakes I have a low pedal and poor braking. If I pump the pedal a couple of times brakes feel fine and truck stops very well without the nose diving. After having it checked at dealer I was told they all do that "vehical operating as designed" I feel this is crock. It feels like rear brakes are out of adjust but it is disc brakes no adjustment. Does any one else have this problem? I put on 150 miles a day stop and go ( Fed Ex route) and do not want to replace ft brakes every 15k.
  • kenbakerkenbaker Member Posts: 239
    I would say no, this is not normal, but you have the experience with pedal feel that is pretty hard to put into words... just as it may be hard for me to relate to you what I feel with mine (2004 2500 Passenger).

    Sprinter brakes to me seem to have soft pedal feel, easily feathered/modulated by driver input and feed-back from driving experience. I also have played with pedal ballistics (speed of pedal application) and can attest to the effectiveness of the brake boost that is supposed to happen when you get off the accelerator and onto the brakes quickly... it should provide stronger, faster, earlier braking.

    To conclude:

    easy braking seems a little soft, but should be effective as you press further/harder

    rapid pedal movement should be more "boosted" and the feeling of being captured and slowed by a hook can be there. The pedal may also feel harder and/or more resitant to movement at a higher pedal position... but with the additional boost, it might not.

    Do NOT accept poor braking under easy pedal pressure... that is NOT as designed. Insist on a ride with the technician/service writer. If all they do is rapid stops and rapid pedal movements, then they are using the enhanced boost mode and the test drive is not a good indicator of Sprinter braking performance.

    Thanks,
    KenB :confuse:
  • sppspp Member Posts: 13
    Post #1
    I have the original front brake pads and rotors on my 06 sprinter. I have 28k on them. I had a dealer check my brakes and he told me I have about 2k left on the front pads and about 5k left on the rears. The front rotors have never been cut and the pads still have life and have not gone metal to metal, however, the dealer tells me I need new front rotors! I have never heard of this before. Is it possible to need new front rotors even if they have never been cut or the pads have never worn down to metal to metal? The dealer further states that if I choose not to replace the rotors but only the pads, that he can't guarantee that the brakes would not pulse and that they probably would not have the expected life. Am I being scammed. I hear the dealers get more training on scams then they do on vehicle maintenance!
  • kenbakerkenbaker Member Posts: 239
    spp,
    It is reported that the pads and rotors have a similar lifespan on some Mercedes products. Not surprised that they (Dodge) would recommend this as it is easy (and expensive)...

    Also, you should know that the brake job should be very simple for you to do yourself if you are handy with wrenches... the rotors are not a part of the hub, so the hub stays intact/in-place and the pads and rotors are pretty simple to change out together...(no new sensor required if you have not worn down too far. If you are concerned about dealer prices, look into a change by Midas, Meineke, or similar and get estimates (this should be very easy apple-to-apples as you are asking for the same exact service at all places).

    SHOULD YOU DO THE JOB, REMEMBER TO OBSERVE TORQUE SPECS ON ALL HUB/BRAKE FASTENERS... Also, at this low mileage/age, you don't yet need new brake fluid or even a flush unless something drastic has gone wrong. :shades:

    If your rotors can't be turned, but they are very flatly worn, it could still be just a matter of pad replacement anyway, I have done it this way... and it was OK, but it will not always be so. I have also been told that I needed new rotors (rotors were part of hub, GMC) and still just did the job myself at a far lower price (parts change-out, plus new bearings/hubs/races, etc. is still quite simple).

    Do you NOT downshift to slow down? Do you run alot of stop and go? Do you run heavy in your Sprinter? If none of the above, I am very surprised that you need brakes anytime soon, at this low mileage.

    Personally my first guess would be to change the pads myself, inspect the rotors closely, and then, if the brakes pulse I would change rotors too. This is, however, not perfect and your mileage may vary... brakes can be easy to work on, or fool even a professional. For example, I had a friend with a first generation 300Z (Nissan) that had lots of brake problems (pulsing, bad wear, overheated brakes, warpage, etc.) and the technician had a horrible time getting his ride straightened out. I think he finally got better running out of ventilated disc rotors, but he probably also had problems with the car using only the front brakes...

    KenB
  • vpracegasatlvpracegasatl Member Posts: 15
    I noticed mine would do that (even on a fresh brakejob) if I had a lot of weight in the van and I were riding the brakes a lot in traffic or down steep hills.

    I think it's just something in the brake material or something.

    Add it to the LIST of strange things on Sprinters.
  • kenbakerkenbaker Member Posts: 239
    About how many miles per brake set did you get?

    Did you have to replace pads and rotors as pairs?

    KenB :shades:
  • vpracegasatlvpracegasatl Member Posts: 15
    Well, I do a lot of highway miles so I don't use my brakes very much.

    I got 100,000 miles out of my original set. But the brakes were totally gone at that time. Rotors were destroyed (cracked, broken- literally) and everything. But I knew there were going to do a complete brakejob anyway so I ran the original brakes into the ground. LOL

    I am told that it's best to just replace pads, rotors, sensors, brake fluid all at the same time. I rarely "turn" rotors. Heck, it usually costs almost the same to just put new rotors on most vehicles I have owned.
  • kenbakerkenbaker Member Posts: 239
    I am actually looking forward to a brake job that only requires (pads/rotors) parts swap, not packing bearings/turning discs/installing new seals and bearings/etc.

    Brake Fluid replacement at 100K is OK by me too... DOT4 is so much dryer than DOT3 that it lasts longer and fades less under hard braking.

    I need to replace my box of nitrile gloves so the chemicals/grime don't trash out my hands...

    KenB :)
  • vpracegasatlvpracegasatl Member Posts: 15
    Well, the TRICK is how EXPENSIVE that Sprinter brakejob is. HOLY COWABUNGA...

    Just like everything else on the SPR. $$$$$$$$$$

    Yet another reason why I'm getting out.
  • jugeojugeo Member Posts: 2
    My 05 Sprinte 3500 brake pedal falls all the way to the floor with engine running. It is firm with engine off. Thought it was Master Cyl, but service manual test expects the pedal to fall with engine off if MC is bad. The van has 40K miles and I just replaced all pads and rotors. Could have gone another 10K, but planning long trip. (this is a Winnebago on a Sprinter 3500 chassis). Brakes felt a little mushy before the work, but I thought that was normal since stopping was good. After the work, still mushy, but firmed up when I bled the brakes. So brakes are firm with engine off, but pedal falls with even light pressure with engine on.
    PS-got a fantastic complete service manual on CD from secondnaturedesign on eBay.
  • kenbakerkenbaker Member Posts: 239
    All 4 wheels had new brakes/rotors? Bled all four?

    In what order do you bleed?

    I usually do left front, right front, then each rear (closest to MC, then progress to farthest from MC... and bleed a lot of fluid at each wheel, at least a cup in the bleeder bottle/bag each time). Certainly must keep the reservoir full, and use DOT4 (highest temp traditional fluid)...

    I have heard that Mercedes and BMW favor a pressure method bleeding system, but I have never seen/used one.

    Thanks,
    Kenneth
  • bspertybsperty Member Posts: 20
    This problem started last summer and after 3 or 4 attempts at repair by DC the problem stopped when fall came and i suspected it may be temperature related. Now it is 75 degrees and it is starting again.I loose power assist when i step on brake pedal the ABS,ESP and the tire symbol come on. Last year it got to a point where they would not re set when ignition turned off and re started. I had brakes , pads and rotors replaced this winter. I currently have 42, 000 miles.
    Any ideas?
  • jugeojugeo Member Posts: 2
    Just saw your message. Will go back and bleed again and let you know what happens.
  • malexandmalexand Member Posts: 3
    I have the biggest, baddest one of them all, carrying over 2 tons of cargo, and I have a few tips for extended brake pad wear and fuel mileage.

    First of all these vans don't have any de-acceleration at speed. The trick is to coast as much as possible and accelerate as slowly as possible. I know it's hard when you let off the gas at 60mph and after a half mile you're still going 40mph. But, if you watch your trip computer, you'll see the mpg go up quite a bit and that means less brake wear, also. I've seen mileage from 16 to 23.9mpg so far and my average for 8500 miles is 18.8. The trip computer is a little off as I am getting18.2 by the fuel tickets.
  • sjrupssjrups Member Posts: 1
    I also have an 05 sprinter 3500 that is taking new pads and rotors every 15k-fedex ground 250 miles a day.
  • thomas208thomas208 Member Posts: 2
    Does anyone know where to find the axle codes on a 2005
    Sprinter Cargo?
  • awideawide Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2007 Dodge Sprinter that I have to change the front and back brakes entirely to frequently. They are wearing every 2000 miles does anyone have any suggestions. I do short haul so there is alot of stop and go but this is riduclus">
  • sprintergurusprinterguru Member Posts: 24
    What brand of brakes are you using? Sprinter brakes are small but 2000 miles is not much. We use Performance Friction pads and Hawkhead rotors at FedEx. They seem to work really well for our guys that do stop and go all day.
  • valdas66valdas66 Member Posts: 2
    what brand of brakes would you recommend for 2008 Sprinter Van 2500 diesel??
    its time for me to change, and theres so many different brands, and everyone is "the best" ..
This discussion has been closed.