kadeas Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 I'm having trouble with my rear brakes, the passanger side locks up after driving for awhile, if you let it sit it works fine. I took off the tire and noticed the inside pad was worn much more than the outside one. I also took caliper off and tried to screw piston back in some, it was real tight, but it did turn in. Do I need a new caliper? Or is it an e/brake problem? I diconnected the cable from the caliper and it still did it, but I was told there is a pc. inside the rear rotor that sticks??? They said it was for the e/brake. Any help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Your sliders are seized. If your sliders were good, the park brake would extend the piston which should at the same time push the inner pad and outer pad into the rotor by sliding the caliper body along the sliders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdcutty Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Your sliders are seized. If your sliders were good, the park brake would extend the piston which should at the same time push the inner pad and outer pad into the rotor by sliding the caliper body along the sliders. Easy fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kadeas Posted May 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Well, I took the one bolt out uf the bottom of the caliper, and tilted it up, like to change the pads, and it slid off the one pin real easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19Cutlass94 Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 it could be deffective pads because one mine (even though it was up front) the inner pad was worn much much more than the outter pad. I had to buy new ones and I replaced them like last month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z34_nut Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 thats because your not replacing you caliper each time you do a brake job. Regardless of what people say, brake caliper should always be replaced with pads and rotors. If new pads are thrown on, and they wear differently, it's not always because of a frozen slider. Its because the piston isn't as effecient as it used to be. If you want to go as cheap as possible, buy a caliper rebuilt kit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19Cutlass94 Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 I check my brakes every 5,000 miles, (checking the brakes while rotating tires) lube the caliper slides, the pins everything, if I were to buy new calipers every 5,000, I be paying sooo much money. As long as you do the scheduled mantainance on your brakes, you shouldnt have a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kadeas Posted May 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Problem fixed. Got a j/y caliper for 35.00, and exchanged the warped rotor for a new one, it was still under warranty Works great now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z34_nut Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Ok...How many miles are on the calipers? Yes, you need to replace calipers regularly, not every 5,000 miles. You do not need new brakes every 5,000 miles. when the pads wear out, the calipers are at their life expectancy. they are not made to last any longer the the pads that came with the car OEM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THe_DeTAiL3R Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 I check my brakes every 5,000 miles, (checking the brakes while rotating tires) lube the caliper slides, the pins everything, if I were to buy new calipers every 5,000, I be paying sooo much money. As long as you do the scheduled mantainance on your brakes, you shouldnt have a problem. Ok...How many miles are on the calipers? Yes, you need to replace calipers regularly, not every 5,000 miles. You do not need new brakes every 5,000 miles. when the pads wear out, the calipers are at their life expectancy. they are not made to last any longer the the pads that came with the car OEM. I'm thinking that the pre-94s might need calipers replaced more often.. I dunno about every time you change pads but whatever. The newer brakes you shouldn't have to change them nearly as often. My rear caliper sliders were frozen when I got the car but my mechanic just lubed them up and they're fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19Cutlass94 Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Ive only replaced one caliper and that was the drivers side rear caliper, the rest are the original calipers. Im not saying I replaced the brakes every 5,000 but check them. I duno how many sets of pads Ive gone through. I just find it hard to believe that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kadeas Posted May 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Mine's a 95, and this was the first caliper go bad. The piston boot was tore up bad, that's why it failed, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GutlessSupreme Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 when the pads wear out, the calipers are at their life expectancy. they are not made to last any longer the the pads that came with the car OEM. Uh.. calipers generally have a pretty long life expentancy.. even our '88-'93 rears shouldn't need to be changed THAT often.. I'm pretty sure my '92 with 134k has all original calipers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z34_nut Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Yeah, its funny... No-one believes me that CALIPERS ARE NOT MADE TO LAST LONGER THEN PADS... damnit...I got my ASE certs in Hydraulic braking systems... Its been pounded into my head that a brake job consists of pads, rotots, and CALIPERS. Calipers wear out too you know!! They sell Caliper rebuild kits that should be done at the very least... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 No-one believes me that CALIPERS ARE NOT MADE TO LAST LONGER THEN PADS... Sorry man, but I don't believe you. My 89 has almost 200,000 on the front calipers which I can guarantee ARE original, and they work perfectly, better than most other W-body brakes I've experienced. The rears only needed to be replaced because they're the shitty 88-93 design. I've always believed decent calipers are designed to last the life of the car. Just like anything else designed to last the life of the car like timing chains, crankshafts and piston rings, there are always some who will have early failure. In general though, calipers should last like those parts do. I don't care what some certification book says about it, to replace properly functioning calipers at every pad change to me just sounds ludicrous. I've read the caliper section of the Service Manual many times, and I'm quite sure it doesn't say or even imply the calipers should be replaced at every pad change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z34_nut Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 If you don't beleive in it, then never go to a dealership to do you brakes, they will always quote you a price that include rotors, calipers, and pads. If you go to some small town garage it will be cheaper because they will usually find the easiest way around it. Brake shops always make great money. You get payed great with flat rate, because brakes are simple to do, and you can do several 400$+ jobs in one day. So who has accually gone to a good dealership, or professional garage and got a quote for a "brake job"? I'm willing to bet it was in the 350+ range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 People don't call them "stealerships" for nothing! :read: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z34_nut Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Coming from long training for ASE purposes, I now know why "stealerships" charge more then the local garage down the street. They do work to OEM spec, or greater, and replace all parts that should be replaced. If you want a vehical to run 100% you need to replace items that go along with the repair. The reason more cars don't last more then 200,000 miles is because of neglect of simple repairs that could have been replaced a long time ago for a cheap price. This is why I do not like buying a used car. If I do buy a used car, I always try to see that I replace every-thing that is in question. My white car is a great example. I may have been the 3rd owner of the car, but the only reason that 3.4 didn't last untill 300,000 is because of the neglect of the body that the previous owner had of the car. My white car simply stayed nearly stock for these reasons: I always kept up with repairing every little thing that was wrong with the engine. I have a book that is FILLED with reciepts. It was cheaper to replace small things that were wrong with the car, rather then buying a whole new car with a whole new set of problems. I dunno. I bought Michaels car because I know he has taken good/great care of it. I know that there are prolly a few stupid small things I will be doing to the car, but thats when I find them. I always try to keep up to spec on my cars, trying to keep them at 100% mechanical order. I guess I just don't understand people who don't take care of their cars. The ignorence of not replacing you calipers during a normal cycle just baffles me, simply because your not getting the most efficient/saftest braking conditions, along with price. If your caliper fails because its old, and it leads to an accedent, its going to be costly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5speedz34 Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Coming from long training for ASE purposes, I now know why "stealerships" charge more then the local garage down the street. They do work to OEM spec, or greater, and replace all parts that should be replaced. If you want a vehical to run 100% you need to replace items that go along with the repair. The reason more cars don't last more then 200,000 miles is because of neglect of simple repairs that could have been replaced a long time ago for a cheap price. This is why I do not like buying a used car. If I do buy a used car, I always try to see that I replace every-thing that is in question. My white car is a great example. I may have been the 3rd owner of the car, but the only reason that 3.4 didn't last untill 300,000 is because of the neglect of the body that the previous owner had of the car. My white car simply stayed nearly stock for these reasons: I always kept up with repairing every little thing that was wrong with the engine. I have a book that is FILLED with reciepts. It was cheaper to replace small things that were wrong with the car, rather then buying a whole new car with a whole new set of problems. I dunno. I bought Michaels car because I know he has taken good/great care of it. I know that there are prolly a few stupid small things I will be doing to the car, but thats when I find them. I always try to keep up to spec on my cars, trying to keep them at 100% mechanical order. I guess I just don't understand people who don't take care of their cars. The ignorence of not replacing you calipers during a normal cycle just baffles me, simply because your not getting the most efficient/saftest braking conditions, along with price. If your caliper fails because its old, and it leads to an accedent, its going to be costly. Wow, that is the best way to put buying used cars. I totally agree with that and that's what I'm finding out with Aarons car. But my dad, and grandpa have always had they're work done at the dealer, and NEVER has the calipers been replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Our Grand Am had every bit of it's work performed at the dealer. Including brakes. In the 75,000 miles we had it, they NEVER changed the calipers.. Only pads and rotors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z34_nut Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Well, I don't know what to say about the calipers. As I stated before, I have it in writing also, that caliper SHOULD be replaced every brake job, or rebuilt. Perhaps the calipers were rebuilt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5speedz34 Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 What calipers are you talking about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tru2Chevy Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 My '91 Lumina has 182k miles on it, has always been service by me or my ASE certified Master Tech. and still has the original front calipers. Each rear caliper has been replaced once.... - Justin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z34_nut Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 What calipers are you talking about? Just calipers in general, all four. I was talking to a friend of mine who is also certified. He states that a good probibilty on why some of you go to dealerships and come out with original calipers is simply because the dealer quoted the recipient a certain amount of money. The customer then asks what he/she can do to lower the price, and they might say something along these lines. "Well your calipers look decent, and might be able to be re-used, would you like to do this? It would save some money." If the customer then answers yes, the dealership will have the customer signing liability papers. Usually in small print it will note "this person(s) refused to place new parts on the vehical that corrospond with job procedures. The customer is liable for all damages that occure after procedure is finished. Vehical is drivable, but is against suggesting of ASE procedure" Something along those lines. Don't quote me word for word, blah de blah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 The ignorence of not replacing you calipers during a normal cycle just baffles me, simply because your not getting the most efficient/saftest braking conditions, along with price. If your caliper fails because its old, and it leads to an accedent, its going to be costly. I think you must have misunderstood something in class, because that makes absolutely ZERO sense. Just to make sure, I've checked GM ESI... that's what the GM Dealer Service Techs use. NOWHERE in the pad changing instructions does it say to replace calipers as normal procedure to pad changes! You won't see that in GM ESI, Service Manuals, Haynes manuals, Chilton's, Mitchell's, or anywhere, because it's just absurd to replace the calipers as a normal part of changing pads. If that were normal procedure, they wouldn't even bother with instructions on how to push in a caliper piston because it would never be needed. They wouldn't tell you to avoid damaging the piston or boot, because it wouldn't matter. It just flies in the face of logic. That would be like replacing a windshield every time you change wiper blades, or replacing a taillamp housing every time you need to replace the bulbs. Mechanics wanting to replace a ton of stuff that doesn't need replacing is one big reason a lot of people think mechanics are crooks. Brake Pads Replacement - Front Removal Procedure GM replacement brake lining material (or equivalent) is recommended for all GM vehicles in order to maintain the balance between front and rear brake performance. GM replacement brake parts have been carefully selected in order to provide the proper brake balance for purposes of both stopping distance and control over the full range of operation conditions. Installation of the front or rear brake lining material that has performance different than that of the GM replacement parts recommended for this vehicle may change the intended brake balance of this vehicle. Remove one-third of the brake fluid from the master cylinder. Raise and suitably support the vehicle. Refer to Lifting and Jacking the Vehicle in General Information. Mark the relationship of the wheel to the hub. Remove the tire and the wheel. Refer to Tire and Wheel Removal and Installation in Tires and Wheels. Install two wheel nuts in order to retain the rotor. Push the piston onto the caliper bore in order to provide clearance between the pads and the rotor. Complete the following steps: Install a large C-clamp (2) over the top of the caliper housing (1) and against the back of the old outboard pad. Slowly tighten the C-clamp (2) until the piston pushes into the caliper bore enough to slide the caliper (1) off the rotor. Remove the lower caliper bolt (1). Notice Use care to avoid damaging pin boot when rotating caliper. Rotate the caliper upward in order to access the pads. Remove the pads from the caliper bracket. Remove the two retainers from the caliper bracket. Inspect the following parts for cuts, tears, or deterioration. Replace any damaged parts: The bolt boots. The piston boot.. The bolt boots in the caliper bracket. Refer to Brake Caliper Replacement - Front . Inspect the caliper bolts for corrosion or damage. If corrosion is found, use new parts, including bushings, when installing the caliper. Do not attempt to polish away corrosion. Installation Procedure Important Before installing new brake pads, wipe the outside surface of the caliper boot clean. Use denatured alcohol. Bottom the piston into the caliper bore. If installing new brake pads, use a C-clamp in order to clamp the piston at the same time. Use a metal plate or wooden block across the face of the piston. Do not damage the piston or the caliper boot. Important Lift the inner edge caliper boot next to the piston. Press out any trapped air. The boot must lay flat below the level of the piston face. Install the two retainers to the caliper bracket. Notice Inner and outer brake pads must be new or parallel. Parking brake adjustment is not valid with tapered pads, and may cause caliper/parking brake binding. This will result in overheating and possible damage of the brake linings, rotor, and/or caliper. Important The wear sensor is on the outside pad. The sensor is positioned at the leading edge (upward) of the pad during forward wheel rotation. Install the pads (5) to the caliper anchor bracket (3). Notice Use care to avoid damaging pin boot when rotating caliper. Swing the caliper (2) down onto the pads. Notice Use the correct fastener in the correct location. Replacement fasteners must be the correct part number for that application. Fasteners requiring replacement or fasteners requiring the use of thread locking compound or sealant are identified in the service procedure. Do not use paints, lubricants, or corrosion inhibitors on fasteners or fastener joint surfaces unless specified. These coatings affect fastener torque and joint clamping force and may damage the fastener. Use the correct tightening sequence and specifications when installing fasteners in order to avoid damage to parts and systems. Install the lower caliper bolt(1). Tighten Tighten the caliper bolts to 85 N·m (63 lb ft). Remove the wheel nuts securing the rotor to the hub. Install the tires and the wheels. Refer to Tire and Wheel Removal and Installation in Tires and Wheels. Align the previous marks on the wheel and the hub. Lower the vehicle. Fill the master cylinder to the proper level with clean brake fluid. Refer to Master Cylinder Reservoir Filling in Hydraulic Brakes. Firmly apply the brake pedal three times in order to seat the pads against the rotor. Burnish the pads and the rotors. Refer to Burnishing Pads and Rotors . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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