[Acidic]

Well i know my problem, my wheels have no free spin to them at all because my calipers wont release, so my brake light was coming on and staying on.

i swapped my brake lines with steel but that only did so much and bought me only so much time until my brake light would inevitably come back to haunt me.

its getting about that time ( my brake light came on during a light stop and then the light disappeared again ) which is what it did just before staying lit before i swapped my lines.

my questions are:

Would i be better off ( knowing little about working on cars ) paying parts and labor?

should i buy the parts seperate ( better quality? ) and pay for labor or install myself.... if so... wheres the best place to buy calipers?

 

[pacallen]

It would be rare for all four calipers to seize simultaneously. Rebuilding them is a fairly simple process (you just need an air source to push the piston out once you've taken the caliper off the car). However, I would think there is a separate problem with your braking system that is causing the brake light to come on, perhaps a seizing master cylinder? Also possible is clogged lines that are allowing fluid in because of the high pressure but not back out. Finally, your caliper pins could be rusted or simply need regreasing. Have you bled your entire braking system (a complete flush to remove all the old fluid/debris)?

EDIT: The more I think about it, the more I want to point the finger at your caliper pins. They're easy to service (c-clamp to compress the piston, remove caliper mounting bolts, remove caliper, remove pins, regrease w/ silicon grease, reassemble) and would be the first thing I'd check. I'd also definitely do a full brake flush while you're at it.

 

[Acidic]

the flush no i havent done that when i swapped the lines the fluid was running pretty clean during the bleed so i assumed the system was clean.

when i took it in for new brakes the guy said he could open them up but he wasnt sure he would be able to get it all back together due to the condition of them, but he also pointed the finger at my caliper pins but the way he talked about the condition of my calipers painted the image in my head that my calipers were shot and the pins werent the only problem...
cause i couldnt imagne a brake shop that only focuses on brake work would have to order parts for a rebuild

but my legend is my only transportation.... i passed since i cant have my car out of commision for a few weeks incase he couldnt get them together again.

he also wanted 3-400 ( for parts ) to fix it so i figured it would give me time to weigh my options before commiting ( id rather drop the $ with the guy i normally go to when i cant do it myself rather than some guy i just met at a brake shop )

thanks for the help, ill definately do the flush when i do this

 

[eekazum]

hmmm, rebuilding calipers = simple process? would it be asking too much if i request a diy?

and acidic, calipers are like $80 each for the front ones and around $130 to $150 each for the rears, remanufactured and after core charge. that's without labor or anything. so $300 ain't that bad a deal.

 

[pacallen]

hmmm, rebuilding calipers = simple process? would it be asking too much if i request a diy?

and acidic, calipers are like $80 each for the front ones and around $130 to $150 each for the rears, remanufactured and after core charge. that's without labor or anything. so $300 ain't that bad a deal.

Haven't actually done it on this car but it should only be a matter of disconnecting the brake lines, removing the caliper (2x14mm bolts), removing the pins/boots, and using compressed air into the brake line fitting on the caliper to push the piston out. From there you just clean the bits, replace the piston boot and seal, grease up and reassemble.

 

[holymoo]

and acidic, calipers are like $80 each for the front ones and around $130 to $150 each for the rears, remanufactured and after core charge. that's without labor or anything. so $300 ain't that bad a deal.

They aren't quite that much. I just bought a rear caliper with upper and lower brake hoses for $81 from rockauto.com. I believe autozone want over $90 for a caliper from them. That being said, calipers are normally something that you get from a junk yard.

IMHO, I think first you should take the time to bleed all four brakes to get some of the crud out of the calipers, which may be causing your issue.

 

[Acidic]

hmmm, rebuilding calipers = simple process? would it be asking too much if i request a diy?

and acidic, calipers are like $80 each for the front ones and around $130 to $150 each for the rears, remanufactured and after core charge. that's without labor or anything. so $300 ain't that bad a deal.

yeah i know 300 aint bad for new calipers and all but if im going to spend 300 and not do it myself it is going to be with the guy i trust he is fair and has never tried to screw me.

i think the guy that looked at my brakes is fair and would do the job right but difference between thinking and knowing.

as far as the bleeding i did that with the new SS lines pretty thourghly i thought but ill do it again in hopes of saving the money.

thanks for the advice guys.