Is there anyway to find out whether or not my front caliper is messed up without having to take the wheels out? I noticed today that when I put the car in drive and didnt press on the gas, I heard this nasty as screaching noise that was coming from the front passenger side wheel area. It sounded as if the caliper or something was stuck, but I dont know what it was. I might just have to take it to a mechanic and have them take a look at it but if theres any signs of a frozen caliper please let me know, and I also get this nasty clunk sound when I put the car in reverse and then press the brakes, can that be my rear tranny mounts or the brakes because you only hear it when I press on the breaks?
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if it is sticking then next time you drive it for more than 10 minutes, get out and check to see if there is unusual heat coming from that wheel, there will also be a burning smell if it is sticking, i am currently having the same problem in the rear.
After you have driven for a while (15-20 min.) at highway speed, compare the heat of the wheels on opposite sides of the car. If one has a stuck or sticking caliper, it will be noticeably hotter. They should be warm (front warmer than rear), but not too hot. When the caliper on the rear of my sedan froze, the wheel felt like I could fry an egg on it.
Have you had your pads replaced or inspected recently? The pads have a wear indicator on the inboard pad that will scrape against the rotor to signal that replacement is needed. If that is the cause, replace them soon so that you do not have to also replace the rotors. I do not believe that you will be able to check for pad wear without removing the wheel. I remove the wheel, then the lower caliper bolt (re-torque at 36 lbs. ft.) and swing the caliper up so that I have access to the pads.
WHM
Have you had your pads replaced or inspected recently? The pads have a wear indicator on the inboard pad that will scrape against the rotor to signal that replacement is needed. If that is the cause, replace them soon so that you do not have to also replace the rotors. I do not believe that you will be able to check for pad wear without removing the wheel. I remove the wheel, then the lower caliper bolt (re-torque at 36 lbs. ft.) and swing the caliper up so that I have access to the pads.
WHM
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hey junior when your rear caliper froze how did you fix it? new caliper? i put 2 new calipers on in rear cause one was froze up. i replaced the rotors, with cross drilled, replaced pads and replaced calipers but i am still having a problem in the rear that just wont go away i bring it to shop seems like they fix it,but it comes back, quickly, like the next day. you got any ideas?
Craigstar333,
Is the problem still with heat? If so, the other thing that you might check is the parking brake shoes. I am assuming that you cleaned them out when you replaced the rotors. Did you also put some lub in the area where they slide on the back plate and where they pivot? The manual shows twelve places per wheel. I used a grease stick.
There is also a major adjustment that can be done at each wheel before the final one is done inside the car at the back of the console.
On my frozen right rear caliper, I had to replace the caliper because I could not get the piston out. On the other rear caliper and both front calipers, I rebuilt them with kits that I bought at NAPA.
WHM
Is the problem still with heat? If so, the other thing that you might check is the parking brake shoes. I am assuming that you cleaned them out when you replaced the rotors. Did you also put some lub in the area where they slide on the back plate and where they pivot? The manual shows twelve places per wheel. I used a grease stick.
There is also a major adjustment that can be done at each wheel before the final one is done inside the car at the back of the console.
On my frozen right rear caliper, I had to replace the caliper because I could not get the piston out. On the other rear caliper and both front calipers, I rebuilt them with kits that I bought at NAPA.
WHM
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no there is no heat or smell. I didn't change anything personally, i had a shop do it, but every time i bring it back to them they be giving me lame excuses that the rotors aren't oem and **** like that. i am ok with a car but this might be to much for me.
What kind of problems are you having?
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there is a low pitch squeak that comes from the rear every time i accelerate from a complete stop( red light, stop sign, park). you only hear the noise once a revolution, itis not constant you know, and the more i accelerate it goes away. but i'm not sure if it actually goes away or i just don't hear it cause i am moving faster. if i jack the rear of car up, neither tire will spin freely. i brought it to shops, they get it spin freely then it goes back to resistance a day or two later.
Since it is not constant contact, the other possibility is that your rotor is slightly warped. There are differing opinions on whether new rotors should be resurfaced before mounting or not.
Once you have the caliper & caliper bracket off, there are only two screws holding the rotor on. However, you might need to have an impact screw driver to get the screws out.
I am not sure of the price in your area, but here on the east coast the machine shop charged me $20 per rotor. They charged me extra because I had them turn both the pad surface and the drum surface.
WHM
Once you have the caliper & caliper bracket off, there are only two screws holding the rotor on. However, you might need to have an impact screw driver to get the screws out.
I am not sure of the price in your area, but here on the east coast the machine shop charged me $20 per rotor. They charged me extra because I had them turn both the pad surface and the drum surface.
WHM
I'll get all that checked out, but I installed my brembo cross drilled slotted rotors with PBR brakes pad around January and I had the Calipers put in around June of 2001. I doubt that the brakes are worn because I hardly drive the car so i'm guessing that maybe the caliper might be frozen but we'll see.
DEE,
The point that I was attempting to make was that new rotors are not always true (with the surface at the same height all the way around). If you were to hold a straight-edge next to the rotor surface, hold it steady and turn the rotor; there would be places that the straight-edge would contact the rotor and places where it would not. That would give the symptoms that you mentioned. It would not have anything to do with how much your pads have worn.
Rotors can come from the manufacturer warped, can get warped from over-heating and can get warped because the wheel lugs are not tightened in the proper sequence. I prefer to tighten my wheel lugs in the specified sequence twice. Once at 40 lbs. ft. and then again at 80 lbs. ft.
I hope that you will be successful in finding the source of your problem. I know that it can be a pain in the behind.
WHM
The point that I was attempting to make was that new rotors are not always true (with the surface at the same height all the way around). If you were to hold a straight-edge next to the rotor surface, hold it steady and turn the rotor; there would be places that the straight-edge would contact the rotor and places where it would not. That would give the symptoms that you mentioned. It would not have anything to do with how much your pads have worn.
Rotors can come from the manufacturer warped, can get warped from over-heating and can get warped because the wheel lugs are not tightened in the proper sequence. I prefer to tighten my wheel lugs in the specified sequence twice. Once at 40 lbs. ft. and then again at 80 lbs. ft.
I hope that you will be successful in finding the source of your problem. I know that it can be a pain in the behind.
WHM
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