So last weekend while heading to Maine for the long weekend I was stuck in holiday traffic. My passenger brake started to grab and squeak. When I got off the highway I could see the rotor starting to score. So I did not drive it till I had to make it back home. Got the parts to do the brakes last night. When I took the passenger side caliper off the both pistons crumble to dust and small chunks. I wish it had not been dark so I could have taken a picture for you guys but now it is in the core box off to be rebuilt. Has anyone seen this before? I have seen a cracked piston when the caliper has frozen but I have never seen one crumble. The truck did not act like the caliper was frozen. Just wondering if you guys have seen it before.

 

What year & how many miles are on the truck?

 

It is a 2004 Screw 5.4 with 199,000 miles.

 

I have never seen the pistons crack, or crumble to pieces.

 

I would think that enough heat to do that kind of damage would have been noticed a long time ago.
Even Hellen Keller had her sense of smell. ( I think anyway...)

 

They never smelled, never squealed. It was the strangest thing. I tow and transport my family in this truck. Would not be that dumb not to check things out if I smelled or felt something.

 

i would do the brake hose on that side.... it might not be pulling alot but maybe enough to drag the brake and cause some serious heat. and caused the pistons to crack... orrr the pads were ready to go and when it hit metal on metal it just super heated teh piston...

 

check for recalls on that. i never heard of that ever happening even on a drag racer.

 

Wow, perhaps in extreme cold with high usage of brakes may create enough stress to wreck your pistons but I have never seen that. What did the shop say?

 

I think I saw a ray gun that did something similar in an episode of StarTrek.