Brakes - Caliper Stuck?

[Matt_]

Just make sure that if they do end up replacing the caliper under warranty, make sure they do BOTH sides with new pads/rotors. If you're brakes were heating up that much and seizing, the rotors and pads are probably shot (and i'd hate to say it... but expect a wheel bearing shortly down the road).

[Klink]

You think they will replace the caliper under warranty? If only one side is bad do you think they will even consider pads and rotors both sides? i would do it myself but if they will warranty it, let them do it.

 

Wouldn't a wheel bearing be covered under the power train warranty?

[Matt_]

I don't know what kind of warranty you have or what they'll cover.

 

Just saying, if they do cover it make sure it's done right. You should never replace just one caliper and im sure the pad/rotor is shot.

[Klink]

Since it was a certified the warranty is an extension of the 3/36k extended to 4/48k.

[NV5600]

Holy crap! not sure about replacing everything from the firewall forward.

 

I am convinced it has to be the caliper. When it gets hot I open the the bleeder and just a couple drops come out. Which is correct because there should be no pressure on the system. Doing this does not release the brakes. The only way the pressure comes off is when I put a fan on it and it cools down. The caliper has to be sticking.

 

I guess I will find out tomorrow. I am going to guess this is not the way my wife wanted to spend out anniversary.......sitting at chevy.

I know what you mean. My truck let me down and it's tough to accept. My fix was probably way overkill. I had more time than money invested in the job. I could've probably gotten away with flex hoses and calipers but like I said, there was no logic pointing to any one component. In your case, if you loosened the fitting where the steel line couples to the flex hose and the caliper doesn't release, it seems this would prove your flex hose may be collapsed. I'll follow this thread to see how things turn out.

[Klink]

Stuck caliper. Dealer replacing.

[Doug_Scott]

Holy crap! not sure about replacing everything from the firewall forward.

 

I am convinced it has to be the caliper. When it gets hot I open the the bleeder and just a couple drops come out. Which is correct because there should be no pressure on the system. Doing this does not release the brakes. The only way the pressure comes off is when I put a fan on it and it cools down. The caliper has to be sticking.

 

I guess I will find out tomorrow. I am going to guess this is not the way my wife wanted to spend out anniversary.......sitting at chevy.

I know what you mean. My truck let me down and it's tough to accept. My fix was probably way overkill. I had more time than money invested in the job. I could've probably gotten away with flex hoses and calipers but like I said, there was no logic pointing to any one component. In your case, if you loosened the fitting where the steel line couples to the flex hose and the caliper doesn't release, it seems this would prove your flex hose may be collapsed. I'll follow this thread to see how things turn out.

 

 

In the 30 some years I have held a mechanics license, I have never seen a flex hose become a one way valve. I am well aware of the logic behind it, just never seen it first hand. This really sounds like a simple sticking piston in the caliper.

 

Brakes are usually quite easy to diagnose. If there no squirt of fluid after open the bleeder, you can eliminate everything from the flex hose back to the firewall. That leaves one thing, the caliper. You can then eliminate the sliders by just removing the mounting bolts. If the wheel suddenly becomes free again, it is the sliders, if it does not, it is a sticking piston. Number of miles should not be really considered as a diagnosing aid. Calipers can start sticking at any time, hence having warranty on new vehicles.

[Dschart]

I would normally agree with Doug Scott, but this time I have proof otherwise. After troubleshooting a Chevy truck, I have found it was indeed the rubber brake hose at fault. This design hose has a steel bracket mid length for support. Just a small amount of corrosion on the bracket will be sufficient to squeeze the 1/8" ID hose closed and will cause the brake to drag. This will be very hard to detect. I found it by disecting a hose around the bracket and could not blow pressurized air through the hose. The hose looked like new; was on 2005 chevy truck.