Pro tip: using a laser thermometer on brake drums saved me 2 hours yesterday

I was at a shop outside Denver last month chasing a brake pull on a F-250. The customer said it only acted up after highway driving. Instead of pulling everything apart, I grabbed my laser thermometer and checked each drum after a test drive. Found the left rear was 80 degrees hotter than the right side, so I knew the adjuster was seized. Has anyone else found a quick temp check to catch problems before you dig in?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade5175d ago

Saved me 2 hours" is a nice way of saying "I looked like a wizard in front of my customer." In my experience, half the battle is just proving the thing is broken before you start swearing at rusted bolts, so a temp gun is basically a cheat code. Your mileage may vary on the F-250 though, those drums can hold heat weird if the parking brake cable is hanging up too.

wilson.joseph5d ago

Wait, the parking brake cable can fake a bad hub?

wren6384d ago

Buddy of mine down in Colorado Springs found this out the hard way. He was fighting a pull on a Ram 3500, replaced calipers and hoses, was about to do the master cylinder when he remembered @jade517 talking about checking temps. After a quick heat check on the highway, right rear drum was way hotter than the rest. Turned out the parking brake cable was rusted tight, keeping the shoes dragging. He said he wasted three hours and 200 bucks on parts he didn't need because he didn't grab a temp gun first. Now he keeps one in his tool bag for every brake job.