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1996 Plymouth Neon Left front caliper does not release imed

Tiny
MODENIII
  • MEMBER
  • 1996 PLYMOUTH NEON
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 200,000 MILES
After coming to a stop, the left front caliper does not release. This puts extra load on engine and wear on clutch to pull away from stop sign. Time for brake to release is about 15 seconds. Replaced both front calipers and master cylinder. This car does not have ABS. It has proportioning valves. New parts have not improved the problem. When bleeding the front brakes it takes considerable peddle effort to bleed the left front. The hose and tube from the caliper to the master cylinder look undamaged but I have not tried to blow air thru it yet. Could the flex tube be breaking down inside and show no signs of cracking on the outside?
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Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 AT 4:19 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,871 POSTS
REAL easy fix. This happened to my '89 Voyager after it sat all winter, and it happened to a student's Neon two weeks later. Those are the only two I saw in 16 years as a mechanic.

Oh; I suppose you'd like to know the answer! Take a channel lock pliers and open the crimp on the metal bracket holding the center of the left front brake hose just a little. Rust buildup between the bracket and hose pinches off the hose. Yours is the first one that I've read about that just releases slowly. Most lock up and don't release at all until you open the bleeder screw.

Caradiodoc
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Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 AT 3:24 AM
Tiny
MODENIII
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Thanks, but there was no sign of rust in the lines however the hose was definitely blocked. A new hose solved the problem. I dissected the old hose and found that it was blocked at the midpoint where the support bracket was pinch clamped to the hose. I could see that the clamp was crushing the hose a little and when I stuck a wire into the hose I found that it was blocked for the entire half inch where the clamp pinched down on it. There was no debris, just rubber that may have swelled enough to close off the passage.
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Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 AT 7:16 AM
Tiny
MODENIII
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Oops, my mistake, I see that you were not talking about rust in the lines but between the pinch clamp and the hose. I am sure you are correct and that contributed to the problem. Thanks again.
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Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 AT 7:33 AM

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