Dodge 1998 diesel brakes..........

[ddestruel]

I am going to change the front axle out in my 1998 12v.

1st is there a benefit to using the larger 2001-2002 master cylinder in place of my current one?

2nd i will be going to dual piston calipers up front, wither ford Super duty, 2002 Dodge or pre 1997 ford calipers, will the current master cylinder be able to keep up or will i have issues with braking converting from single piston to dual psiton calipers?

3rd im looking at two combinations on the truck for the rear axle either converting to rear disks via a 2002 rear axle or keeping the existing drum brakes and large wheel cylinders (gm 1 ton cylinders) and refreshing the axle bearings as they seem to work just fine. Any proportioning valve issues anyone has runinto with converting to the dual piston calipers in front and not having the rear brake grabbing appropriately?

[pcorssmit]

Only thing I can tell you is a '98 will already have the Ø1-1/16 wheel cylinders. My '97 had them, I think it was the first year. You can upgrade to Ø1-1/8 cylinders, but they are about double the price and a special order item.

Pete

[Foolish]

the GM 1 ton rear cylinders are the 1 1/8 ones.

[ddestruel]

$14 a piece already have them GM buggers in there

more concerned on the potential benefits drawbacks of the mastercylinder swap and the potential issues with the dual piston calipers

Foolish you did the ford front axle swap didnt you, what if any were your braking issues

[Foolish]

$14 a piece already have them in there

more concerned on the potential benefits drawbacks of the mastercylinder swap and the potential issues with the dual piston calipers

Foolish you did the ford front axle swap didnt you, what if any were your braking issues
No I never did the swap :( I forked over the $$$ for new unit bearings.

I honestly don't think you are gonna have braking issues at all.

As far as rear brakes there is a height sensing porportioning valve in the rear of your truck. If your truck rears lock up or don't grab at all you can either replace it with a wilwood unit or tie wrap the arm in the appropiate position so it doesn't lockup or so it grabs better.

I would go ahead with the 1 1/8" cylinder and some porterfield brake pads :) Fuck Glen@EGR (he is nothing more than a overpriced reseller). *if you are a TDR member porterfield gives a discount :smokin:

EDIT: BTW I have to ask...are you just horribly dissapointed in your braking and that being the sole reason for swapping front axles?

[ddestruel]

Nah, not disappointed too much, the rear GM 30mm wheel cylinders made a nice difference over the stock 27's. especially when i replaced the proportioning valve with just a straight brake line.

my issue in front is i broke an inner axle shaft which also at the same moment stripped my spider gear. i have two unit bearings that are dust, i need front brakes pads and rotors and the shift for for the axle disconnect also got bent when that axle shaft let loose.


And on top of that i gotta do axle seals on the damn thing so i have been putting it off for awhile and now im on teh fence as to what i plan of doing but something is going to be done. even considering dropping the coin on a custom axle next year and just limping by on a 2002 front axle in the mean while.

Im also fed up with the rotors on these early dodges, my 02 has towed twice as much as the 98 and i dont roach rotors at all. nor did i roach rotors on my old 96 cummins powered ford with a dana 60 and ford pin brakes so. also even with new rotors this truck always seems to develop a pull so im just now exploring more successful options and considering the cost of each as right now im probably close to a 1500 price tag on teh front axle if i really play my cards right. so another 1000 and im getting pretty close to looking a different direction

[Foolish]

If you are contemplating on going with a custom axle. I would strip both inner axleshafts and just leave the outer stub shafts (so the unit bearings stay together). 2wd it until you get the new axle. The axles you want to swap in aren't much better than the one you have in there now.

[Foolish]

BTW as far as brake pull, think about rebuilding the calipers yourself. I did it once and now do it every brake pad change- no problems since. For about 50k I had horrible brake pull, replaced calipers, rotors, etc then realized the rebuilt calipers from Raybestos were seizing up after 3000 miles. :shaking:

On my 98 ram they put a 1/8" spacer on the right front wheel (brake pull bandaid). I have since discarded mine after solving my brake pull. Just curious if all 98 rams came with them. Did yours?

[pcorssmit]

My '97 had a spacer on the right front, ~1/8" thick. I removed it at the suggestion of a mechanic friend; I kept breaking wheel studs on just that wheel. I did have aftermarket aluminum wheels on it. Anyway, since I removed the spacer, no more broken studs. I can't tell any difference in the pull, it still drives like a Dodge. Hell I get concerned that something may be wrong if the brakes don't pull one way or the other. :D

Pete

[SeahawkDodge]

I fixed the brake pull on my 98 for a while, by bleeding the hell out of the system. A month later it is pulling again :rolleyes: I was considering changing all of the bleed screws, thinking maybe they weren't sealing as well as they should.

Ddestruel, what about running aftermarket rotors? The cross drilled and slotted ones. Looks like about $250 a pair for the front through tire rack.

[Foolish]

I fixed the brake pull on my 98 for a while, by bleeding the hell out of the system. A month later it is pulling again :rolleyes: I was considering changing all of the bleed screws, thinking maybe they weren't sealing as well as they should.

Ddestruel, what about running aftermarket rotors? The cross drilled and slotted ones. Looks like about $250 a pair for the front through tire rack.
I have the EBC slotted and "dimpled" rotors (not drilled all the way through). Stopping greatly increased! HOWEVER the dimples make the rotor make this annoying "bird chirping" noise when driving at anything below 45 mph.