Caliper pins

[baparish]

So i checking the air in my tires today and look at the calipers and see the lower pin on the drivers side is gone but the top is ok. so i think well must have fallen out. go to the other side and the lower one is gone and the top one is half out? I have five spoke wheels on the truck and it is fairly easy to get to them to drive them out. I am just wondering if this is something that is wear and tear type falling out or is someone trying to give me a one way ride to a dirt nap. the parts guy at napa has never seen a case where they just fell out. i hope that some ass would not do this to me but if that is the case i am definitely going to seek some answers

 

[lepp1892]

I've heard of them falling out b4... it happened to my friends 88 all the time

 

[kamps989]

About a week after I bought my truck I had one of the drivers side bolts FALL OUT as well. When mine went the caliper rode up on the rotor and gouged the shit out of it while traveling 75mph. I was pretty pissed since the guy I bought it from said he just did the brakes. I couldn't drive on mine so I had to go to park in a lot pull the tire and see what the problem was then get a ride to O'Reilly's. They had new ones with Loctite on them, I got a pack and installed it in the lot. since I replaced it no issue. I think the key here is Loctite, I know my brakes will be getting it from now on.

 

[MikeWild]

It does happen, not all that often, but it does happen. I've often thought about drilling out the ends and putting a cotter pin or something in there.

 

[AllanD]

About a week after I bought my truck I had one of the drivers side bolts FALL OUT as well. When mine went the caliper rode up on the rotor and gouged the shit out of it while traveling 75mph. I was pretty pissed since the guy I bought it from said he just did the brakes. I couldn't drive on mine so I had to go to park in a lot pull the tire and see what the problem was then get a ride to O'Reilly's. They had new ones with Loctite on them, I got a pack and installed it in the lot. since I replaced it no issue. I think the key here is Loctite, I know my brakes will be getting it from now on.

No, you don't need loctite to hold the caliper mounting bolts OR the caliper bracket bolts in place, all you NEED to do is properly TIGHTEN THEM like the previous owner of your truck obviously didn't do.

And BTW, your later truck uses a completely different caliper
setup from the earlier system with the rubber filled "split pins"
that Rangers used from 1983-94 that is being discussed here.

I retrofitted the '95-up brakes onto my truck when I was doing
my MASSIVE overhaul in '07

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[yodaman1151]

you can buy new caliper pins for less than $10. It is actually recommended that you grease the pins so your calipers float, preventing uneven wear on your pads. Buying the new pins will ensure that they will have enough pressure to keep them in.

 

[AllanD]

The pads will likely wear unevenly anyway, because the tab slot in the knuckle for the inboard pad's upper tab is usually hammered to shit.

And you can't do squat about it because it means the knuckle is "fooked"

That's why I went to the '95-97 system, the caliper bracket can
wear (or rust) and it it does I'll simply unbolt it and replace it.