brake grease
 

So, it's become an annual maintenance task to take the front brakes apart on my Ranger and free them up so they don't drag when I drive down the highway.

It's not really a bad job, and since I have to park the truck on grass all the time and don't always drive it much, it's probably unavoidable.

All the same...any suggestions of what kind of grease might actually stay on there and keep things from rusting up for more than a year? Where it seems to be binding is where the pads slide on the caliper bracket, but I always clean/grease the caliper slide pins, too, so it could be that both are causing problems.

Thanks!

What kind of grease are you using? Every time I touch brakes I slather any parts that move/touch any other parts in regular caliper grease.

Ryan

I've tried that.

Last time, it was a reddish colored one bought based on being the highest-temp rating of the greases available at the nearest Wal-Mart to where I was (which, unfortunately, was not particularly near where I live).

Try anti-sieze. Copper preferably

Mark is right, about the anti-sieze. I would caution people, tho, about using one that contains copper in the presence of aluminum.
Not that your ranger's calipers are aluminum, but those on some vehicles are. and the potential for corrosion is high, and higher when calcium chloride solution (road surface ice melt) is added.

I didn't know that. Thanks for adding that info
I couldn't find my copper last time I looked anyways [confused]

Where the pads slide on calipers you can file a little bit of the paint away on pad so it may not bind up as much. Then put any type of brake grease or anti-sieze and you should be good for awhile. For whatever reason some brands of pads get a little carried away with the paint.

After the third round of this, I'm pretty sure I've cleaned all the paint off, and it's just rust on there.

Used a wire wheel this time because it was there (and a little with the file); other times I've done it with a file because that's what's in my "carry" toolbox.

They're moving freely now; don't seem to have done any damage to the pads/rotors (didn't drive very far). Let's see how long they stay free, now...

Hopefully they stay free for awhile. Usually if you put grease there it takes awhile for any rust build up.

12 months seems to be the time frame on this truck.

'Least this time, I'm at home. Last year, it was on a 150 mile drive (followed by 350 two days later, as it turned out), and the only reason I even HAD the truck was that my sister's Saturn needed an e-brake cable and was dragging IT'S brakes. (Remember- $4/gallon gas last summer, hence wanting to be in the Saturn.)

On the bright side, I can do a front brake job on a Ranger about as fast as a professional now.