I replaced the brake pads and drivers side rotor on my '83 half ton and now the brakes on the drivers side won't release. what did I do wrong?

Try bleeding some brake fluid on that side. You may have a blockage. Also check if the rotor is in good condition, it may be warped. Good luck!

There are a number of issues that can cause overheating disc brakes. Disc brakes, when released, separate from the disc by the action of the rotor moving between them (since no rotor is perfectly true, there is a small about of wobble and it pushes the pads away from the rotor surface). Things that can cause this to go wrong are:

1. Caliper pistons that have rust rings that cause sticking. This most often will happen right after or shortly after replacing old, work out pads with new ones. Because the caliper piston was extended out farther with the worn pads, its surface may get rusty. This rust can cause sticking when the piston is pushed back into the bore with the new, thicker pads.
2. Caliper slide bolts will rust and get sticky, not allowing the caliper to release properly and re-center itself on the rotor. What you often see here is that one pad (inner or outer) is totally worn out and the other seems normal.
3. Rusty brake lines/caliper internals can cause restrictions in the flow of brake fluid and hold pressure after the brake pedal is released.

It is highly recommended that whenever you change your brake pads, you replace the caliper slide bolts use a new brake hardware kit when reinstalling. The additional cost is almost always saved in longer brake pad life, and fewer complications.

the brake drag could be caused by a brake caliper sticking and not releasing, which means replace both calipers and bleed system, as usually when one goes bad the other is not far behind. another thing is if a brake flex hose has collapsed internally it won`t allow the caliper to be released completely. the name for the bearing is called inner wheel bearing. as far as the rotors if they haven`t been changed or turned and have heated up enough that you could smell brake material then change them in pairs.

To me it seems like the brakes are heating up, after you drive for half an hour touch the wheel rims and see if they are hot and if they are hot then either you have the wrong rotors or wrong pads in.

HI your right the brake clapper is the problem put before replacing
check and make shore that pads are installed correctly.

Do you have a vacuum brake booster or on of the hydrovac brake assist units.

ADJUST THE BRAKE CLEARANCE ON ALL FOUR WHEELS.

caliper is sticking or pads are sticking ,proportioning valve with vehicle jacked up and supported and wheel removed inspect pads and rotor for damage excessive wear if good- turn hub/rotor by hand have someone assist u by stepping on brake observe brake caliper stop then release brake piston should release slightly from pad try turn hub again w/out touching brake if stuck in place replace and caliper released replace pads if caliper still clamped remove caliper and inspect for leak or damage compress caliper and try brake again if does if sticks again replace caliper

you need to grease the metal clips at the top and bottom of the pads (dont get grease on the rotor or pad though) and also spray some "disc brake quiet" on the back of the pads. it comes in a red can and the spray that comes out is like sticky red paint. do those 2 things and the squeals will be gone.

The binding of the brakes is causing the pads to overheat, which is causing the smoke. You need pull the wheel and check things out. Your caliper must be bad (not releasing). You need to replace the caliper, brake pads, and have the rotor cut (a full service parts store or shop cuts the rotor perfectly smooth on both sides), or replaced (it may be cheaper to just buy a new rotor). You should also always change the pads (and check everything else) on the opposite side. So, if u do the brakes on the driver side front, always do the front pass. side at the same time, likewise if u do rear brakes.
Whenever you do brakes u should also flush out the brake lines (by bleeding the brakes) until the brake fluid flows absolutely clear. Old brake fluid is the #1 reason for caliper failure. I've seen many times people replace brake components w/out changing the brake fluid, only to have the brakes wear out very quickly, or not function properly. good luck! hope this helps> please rate this!couontrycurt0