I had replaced the right front caliper in November 2009 (and returned the core from the old one) and it fixed the problem, so I thought. The problem at that time was that the wheel would not turn freely. When I had the front wheels up on jacks and the car in gear; the right front wheel would not turn at all or very slowly compared to the left side.
I now have the problem (that may have existed prior to changing the caliper in November 2009, except I couldn’t have known as I only went on short (less than 7 km) trips in the car. My disk ( rotor ) heats up to the point of melting the plastic deflector and discoloring the metal (too hot to touch) and I probably wouldn’t have noticed this unless I went onto the freeway; I felt a chatter that turned into a knocking and then eventually I had to get off the freeway because of loss of power/speed, only to see and smell the plastic burning and realize that the caliper (the new one installed in November 2009) was probably seized yet again.
I have went to Canadian tire for a brake inspection and they have said I need to replace the calipers (May 2010). I have a parts car, so I decided to just put the one in from it and replace the rotor(disc) with a new one in case the old one had become warped (and was causing the chatter). I did this and bled the brake line and went for a 10 minute ride.
At first it seemed that the right front brake was not working as the vehicle was pulling strongly to the left when brakes were applied firmly. Then it seemed to be working fine(2 minutes) and then it seemed to be dragging on the right side as evidenced by when I would push down the clutch or put it in neutral to coast, it would slow down noticeably. The clatter or knock did not appear and when I was stopped, there was smoke visable from the wheel well and I could smell the plastic again.
I crawled under and it was definitely the new disk that was heating up. Any thoughts to what the problem could be? Aside from putting in yet another (fourth) caliper on that side.
Thanks for your comments,
Chris
Also, see other posts from ;
Thu Oct 08, 2009 10:04 pm
By jeepfan, Has a Wrench in Each Hand!
(112) Give Feedback | Votes: 7
sounds to me as though your brake caliper is sticking
Posted at Fri Oct 09, 2009 10:56 pm
By fixitmr, 2CarPros Level 1
(227) Give Feedback | Votes: 3
you can remove pads and pump out the caliper piston till the rubber bootseal is easy to pry/lift away from piston. See if rust/dust is visible and try lubing behind/under seal with a rust dissolver like WD40 or just use brake fluid. Use clamp to work piston back in. If too much resistance is found then maybe rubber brake hose is internally blocked/collapsed. Loosen bolt holding it to caliper and see if piston moves easier. If so, remove hose and test by having pedal pushed to see if fluid flows freely and easily.I f not replace hose/bleed caliper reassemble and do drive test.
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Friday, June 18th, 2010 AT 12:55 PM
