Help Needed On Brakes

[Guest mikejo]

hi, every time i try and go out for a spin my front rh brake caliper locks on causing me to abandon the outing! the question is how can i free it off,as ive greased it all up or has anybody got a ford sierra caliper for sale,or failing that where i can buy a new one.any help would be greatfull or someone who can free it off local to me.as i may be not doing it right .mike

[theduck]

Kitspares sell recon callipers for about £120 a pair.

[Guest chris brown]

Your local motor factors will get you a reconditioned caliper you don’t say which it is (size and is it for solid or vented disc?)If you are not certain take it off and get then to identify it for you. What on earth have you greased on the caliper? Use “copper ease” on the sliders and the piston should be dry on the part you can get to.

[Guest Alan_builder]

Check Flebay for prices as well as a Google search.

 

As Sir Chris says only use copper ease on the sliders and a minuscule amount where pads rub on the sliders. You don't want any grease any where else especially on the friction material.

 

I did hear of one guy who to stop his brakes squealing drilled small holes in the friction material and filled the holes with greese.

Don't think he has stopped yet and that was from 39 years ago!

 

What you need to do is determine what is sticking, then address that problem if you are going to attempt a repair.

[agent_zed]

quite often when i've had a sticking caliper i've (done the grease as mentioned above but also) get a g-clamp and carefully push the piston right back into the caliper. Careful not to push fluid back out of the reservoir when you do it.

 

You will need to then re-assemble and push the pedal to move the piston back against the pads before driving or your brakes won't work immediately!!!

 

hth

[Guest mower man]

What flexi pipes are you running ? ,daft question? NO!!!! if they are the donor rubber ones it is poss that the inner is separating ,this acts like a flap valve and holds line press on locking the brake ,usual cause is savage clamping[molegrips] to stop fluid loss when changing a caliper . Have had several cases in the past HTH mowerman

[Guest mikejo]

many thanks for help guys,stainless braided pipes! im going to try the g clamp way as the car was on the drive over winter and it may just need a little squeeze.thanks again.mike

[Guest mower man]

Do you mean you are going to clamp braided pipe with a g clamp ? NO!!! you will f--k them big style!!!!! if nec remove and cap ,dont clamp mowerman

[Guest mikejo]

no i meant going to try and ease piston in and out as there may be a bit of dirt in there stopping it!! lol

[Guest snotfart]

this happens a lot with motorcycle calipers,if i am feeling too bone idle to strip and clean properly i use the g clamp trick but also spray with silicone/ptfe aerosol and work them back and forth until free,never fails,a bit bodgy though.

dave

[Guest mower man]

Be careful not to push dirt ,debris rust past the piston seal or you will be in deeper caca than now ease it out first and clean well and lube mowerman

[Big Jim]

The trick is once the pads are out and the caliper is hanging so you can get at the piston easier, get someone to press the pedal slowly pushing the piston out a bit more, as far as you dare without it coming right out. Now clean the O/D of the piston, if there is rust, use very fine wet & dry, other wise just use BRAKE FLUID. (note: if there is rust, you will only prolong the use of the caliper a few months before it starts to play up again, it will rust again, time to replace then) press the piston back in, pump it out and in a couple more times etc. but use brake fluid to lubricate & clean, then there is no contamination of the actual brake fluid.

[kevin the chicken]

_Hi,

_{I had the same problem with my car as it had been standing for some years. I managed to free one side off by pushing it in and out using a vice and the brake pedal so that it stayed free but then the other side seized on so I thought blow this and purchased a pair of seal kits for a fiver a side hoping to get away with just these but both pistons had corrosion on them so I had to replace them too at about twenty quid each.Once the chrome has corroded then they are scrap really as they will eventually damage the seals which may cause a leak. The seal kits came from GBS and the pistons from a company called big red, both advertise online. I hadn't really done brakes much before but it was easy and done in a morning. I let all the brake fluid run out too as I had no idea how long it had been in there. I was going to use my pressure bleeding kit but one of the fittings was missing so I used the kit from the house that normally looks after the chidren and does the shopping and cooking. She doesn't mind as it was a job that can be done sitting comfortably!}

 

_Kevin

[Snapperpaul]

Had the sticky caliper problem just before first MOT, popped the piston out, rust and crud, piston and seal kit was £17 + postage local motor factor did me 2 calipers for just over £25 each

[Longboarder]

I thought both my front callipers were sticky. I have got to the stage where I can't push it out of the garage to make space for rebuilding the new engine. Last night I couldn't lever, winch, push etc it back into the garage so had to strip them. Nothing wrong. It was the master cylinder stuck a little forward not allowing fluid to bleed back out of the callipers. I have a 0.625" Willwood M/C for the fronts and it was stuck. Eventually freed it off. and all was well.

So check the master cylinder is retracting fully and the pedal to piston or servo pushrod is not a fraction too long.

 

Nigel