MikeInCtown

A problem in the system could very well cause fluid pressure to build as was described. Remember that the fluid forces the caliper piston out under pressure and when you release the pedal, that pressure is supposed to be relieved. It just doesn't magically disappear. Also, if you read the very first post, you would see that the problem happened BEFORE he replaced the calipers, so it is unlikely that any air was in the system at that time.

By the way, brakes will stick if the pins have corroded inside the caliper bracket and do not slide freely. You most likely will notice this first on your rear brakes as the caliper bolts bolt into the slider pins. The slider pins must move freely in the bracket and there should be no tears or dry rot on the boots. The front is slightly different as the bolts screw into the caliper and only slide into the bracket. (with the rubber boot protecting the exposed surface) PS, if you got bolts that require a torx T-25 or whatever size to remove them, get rid of them, and find the bolts that use a regular 6 point socket. You will find the work to be easier down the road when you don't strip out the torx socket hole on the pin. I have this issue and now when I replace my brakes, I take one pin out and have to rotate the caliper up and then off the bracket as the one pin is stripped out and I cannot loosen it. I suppose eventually I'll get a new caliper but it works perfect otherwise.

Agreed. The only rubber things that should have been used were the corrugated looking rubber boots. They are soft and pliable and go between the caliper and bracket to protect the surface of the bolt from corrosion so it will slide in the bracket. The pins should slide right into the caliper bracket with almost zero effort. Those two inch long rubber tubes were probably slid over the pins so that they would be protected from any corrosion or damage in shipping. If you pull the caliper and take the pads out, put the caliper back on, you should be able to slide it back and forth on the bracket with ease. That is a perfect test. If you cannot slide the pins easily in and out of the bracket, you have a problem with the bracket. This is a 10-15 minute job per wheel, so just do it asap. I don't think your hoses are the problem. It is that hard rubber tubing that you forced onto the pins.

I have an 04 with 17x,000 miles and you guys are scaring me. I can see needing some new tubing here and there, but the fact that the lines would be so corroded, hard to replace, and hidden through and behind things scares the crap out of me. Looks like I'll need to start accumulating some tools here and there and prepare for the eventuality.

Wow dude that sucks. $800 for a part that the boneyards want $50 or less for. I hope the dealer is right on this one.

The truck appears to be a 2002. Is this a 3 button switch or a 4 button switch? Check the website I referenced and look up the TCCM (it will be listed at transfer case computer or something under computer) those are also fairly cheap at the boneyards and most often you just need your old OEM number. The switches are really cheap on eBay and fail a lot in the saller trucks. i don't know what the track record is though on the full size models. In the service manual there is a testing procedure that gets you places when trying to figure out if the push button switch is bad. tells you resistance needed across several contacts. It may also tell you which wire going to the encoder motor should be hot at what times so you can test and see if that's really the problem still. On the 01 that I worked on the light went out when we started the car and we didn't need to clear anything, but that was a Jimmy and not a full size. I can't see it being much different. It's actually pretty easy to check the motors too as you should hear a clunk or a loud click from under the vehicle when you push the button. if you are pushing the button and don't hear at least the click in the interior I would suspect push button or TCCM.

Well the write up with pics just above is pretty dead on. Also says how to shift your case into neutral. I love boneyard parts. The places I buy from offer a warranty and are cheap. The encoder motors I have done were for the S-series chassis (Bravada & Jimmy) Cost me all of $50 each. Starters for $10, Calipers for $15, PCMs cheap, even got a K&N CAI setup for my 04 last month for $125. My first stop for anything that might cost over $50 at the parts store is car-part.com.

I've bought a few encoder motors from the J/Y and they always have a factory sticker on them that specifically say that they CANNOT or SHOULD NOT be operated unless installed. They apparently have a lot fo torque and move very fast and would be damaged if you operated them uninstalled. (that last part was just a guess)