I drove Anya on Wednesday afternoon and no issues. Friday evening, I was headed to work and pushed the brake pedal down to shift out of park. It went to the floor as if I had just changed brake pads. I pushed a couple more times and the pedal came back to it's normal position. I thought all was well. I started rolling backwards and I heard a scraping, but I was running behind for work so I pressed on.

While applying the brakes after that, I heard a nasty scrape and as soon as I got to work, I grabbed the flashlight and checked all four rotors and brake pads (it was after 8PM and dark). All looked fine. Decided to drive the Durango the next couple days.

I took the wheel, caliper, and rotor off and saw that the inside of the rotor was scraped and grooved all around. The pad had become separated from the bracket and was the cause of the scraping and the reason I had play in the pedal at first. I looked in the driveway and there it was at the end of the drive. Being an XJR, on New Years day, I called around and the earliest anyone could get the shoes here was today, Saturday. I even called the local import shop and, of course, the weren't open, so I called them the day after and they said that the only time he's heard of this happening was on OEM brake pads.

I used a large file to make level the grooves on the rotor a bit as I plan to change them all to vented in the spring anyway. I got the new pads installed today, but that's not the odd part. The outside pad was 50% thicker than the inside. I've added some pics of the separated pad and then the set for comparison. It was nice weather on Thur and Fri and rain all day today, so I didn't get the left side yet, but I plan to change the pads ASAP just in case they wore the same as the right side.

Take a look and add anything you've seen and/or heard about this in the past.

 

Brake caliper pistons are sticking on one side of the caliper. That is one educated guess. Has the brake system been flushed regularly or recently?

 

To add make sure the caliper slide pins are properly lubricated with copper grease and slide smoothly...

 

You have my sympathy, as early in 2014, I had a rear caliper stick partly on which wore away a pad to metal, and wrecked the disc. So I had to have new discs and pads, and a new caliper, as it was a stuck handbrake mechanism in the caliper cylinder assembly. Not cheap !! With labour charges even at the levels of my independent shop, it was still cheaper to swap out the caliper rather than repair the mechanism.

 

+1 on Lagonia and Abonano's comments

 

Thanks! I have not been on here much in the last few days so this is my first chance to reply. I have only had her for a couple months and the CarFax showed a brake replacement in 08, but the brake pads looked like they were only a year old (ish). it was a one owner car before I got her. It didn't show a brake line flush, but the fluid still looks good in reservoir from a dip test (index finger). I used a HQ Anti-Seize on it to keep the metal-on-metal moving where it should.

I still need to do the left side to see if the other side has worn in a similar fashion. Even if it hasn't, I need to change both sets at the same time. 47 deg F and sunny today, so it could be WAY worse out there.

The inside of the rotor had some scarring all around it and I could have replaced it, but I used a large, flat steel file and knocked down the higher points to make it as smooth as I could without going too far. I plan to put vented rotors on all four this spring, so I think it'll be fine for a few months.

The pistons were the 2nd biggest surprise for me. Usually, I would compress the one side and it'd go in. As I couldn't use my reg C-clamp and had to use my ratchet clamps on each individual one as I would compress one and another would come up. I know why, just hadn't ever dealt with these types of calipers in the past and wasn't prepared for it. lol

 

Bad news today. I was having a look around the car, (as you do) , and noticed a funny wear pattern on the rear offside disc. Got a torch out only to find the outer pad down to the metal !! Yet this side had the new caliper 12 months ago. I am taking the car in on Wednesday for a check, but I think I have caught it in time before the disc is wrecked; I hope so anyway. However minimum is going to be a new set of rear pads. Thinking about matters, I am wondering whether the handbrake cable that connects the actuator to the caliper might be rusted up and sticking as suggested for our other member. Of course it may be the caliper, in which case, I hope it is still in warranty.