Brink that brings back nightmares of the past week! Old man said the brakes went out on his 2006 Chevy one ton. Called the mobile mechanic to come look at them.
I took the 2012 Chevy to lunch that day, mud in the rear wheels was causing a little shake. While washing rear wheels out, noticed both rear rotors were scarred up. Told him to call the mechanic back, and add brake job on that one to the list.
Mechanic got out here, decided to check the Dodge, 138,000 miles, never had a set of brakes put on it. Front brakes were getting a little close on it too.
Started on the 06... rotors on the front, debated the rear, but it doesn't get used for a lot of heavy hauling, and it just had new rotors on the rear a couple years ago, so they were in acceptable tolerances and we left them. Pads all the way around. Done pretty quick with that one.
2012 Chevy... Caliper was hung up on left side rear, inside pad was broke in the middle, back side of rotor was way worse than it appeared, outside was worse than it appeared too, right side wasn't exactly pretty, so it was getting rotors on the rear, which he had ordered and picked up. Tore the right side seal pulling the rotor, rusted to the axle, nothing we could have done different. And, the parking brake shoes were pretty much gone, so we added rear axle seals, and parking brakes to that job. Along with the rear rotors and pads all the way around. Had to wait on parts, supposed to be in first thing the next morning, finally arrived 2:30 in the afternoon. Got it back together pretty quick, although the engineer that designed that set up was obviously high on crack when he designed all of that.
5 pm we started on the Dodge thinking that one was gonna be a quick pads only job, and we were gonna wrap it all up and be done if we worked a little late the second night... Yeah right! Mechanic I was assisting, pulled the right caliper and set it up on top of the rotor, and I saw the rotor move. Told him to pick the caliper back up, grabbed the lugs and I could wiggle the hub about a 1/4" up and down. He wasn't impressed!!
Then I told him, "If you don't like that one, you really don't want to look at the end of the axle tube!"
Seal was out and it was leaking gear lube. Went to the left side, started tearing it down; it was leaking worse. Bearings are a sealed hub unit on that one, $300 each, left side had to come out to replace the seal anyhow, and the old man said to replace both. So that one went from just pads all the way around to pads, hubs, axle seals, and more waiting on more parts. Advanced Auto had one hub coming out of Jacksonville, the other out of Lakeland, one was here first thing in the morning, the other arrived 1:45 that afternoon.
Seals were dealer item only, closest we could find those was Palatka 90 miles away. Parts truck had already left when we found them, so since we were waiting on parts anyhow, I jumped in the car and drove 90 miles down there after them. Got back with that, and was almost to the shop, 15 miles out in the country, when the old man called and queen bees were in at the post office, and the other hub was in. Dropped the seals, back to town, pick up bugs and parts; flooded in there! Had to pick up other parts and drop at dealership for the mechanic, then back to the house, where he was cussing the hub for being wrong part, while trying to get things back together before it rained out there, since we were working on the concrete slab in the front yard. NOT inside.
He said it bottomed out 1/4" before seating, was trying to show me what was going on, I'm looking. Told him to get me his caliper.
I measured it, told him, "there's only .002" difference."
He said, "that's it!"
I told him, "the new part is smaller."
He said, "it's that shoulder, has to be!!"
I measured it, told him, "there's about .002" difference."
He said, "that's it."
I told him, "the new part is smaller."
I measured it every way under the sun, and aside from rust and grime on the old part making it about .002" difference every direction I measured, the two parts were identical. And, in every case the new part was smaller. He started to walk off, and proceeded to cuss like a sailor, which was odd, since he's former Army.
I didn't even have to turn around, I just kinda laughed and said... "Forgot to put the rotor on behind it; didn't you!
So, we put it back together, in the rain! And, finished up late Thursday, so he could get back to the other job he was supposed to be on 2 days earlier.
and that pepper spray...I always seem to get the worse end of any deployment. The taser, however, is a good tool for an old man like me who doesn't much run these days 
