right side caliper seems to be sticking

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irrompible

New Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2003
Messages
44
Recently my right front caliper seems to stick every now and then. It will stay stuck for a few miles, and then eventually fix itself. I checked for a collapsed brake line, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Is there something else I should be looking for.
 
I have seen the front brake hoses fail internally causing a caliper to bind (fluid would only go one direction). Could also just be a frozen caliper. If they are both original, it may not be a bad idea just just replace them both.;)
 
My 76 pickum up did the same thing...replace the hoses you should be fine...I couldn't get mine off so i had to run all new lines and hoses.
 
Are you sure it's the caliper and not the brake pad (or pads) themselves. My pads on my pickup were sticking because they weren't free floating due to rust buildup underneath the silver clips. I'd hit the brakes and they'd stay stuck for a short distance then release. I ended up putting brake lube on the tabs where the pads slide and that didn't help. I had to pull the calipers off, then pull off the caliper clamps. I removed the silver clips, used a dremmel tool with a pointed grinder and cleaned the slots to the bare metal. Don't take too much off the inside walls of the slots or the new silver clips won't hold well and you will have to bend them in slightly so they clip on tight. Once my new clips were in, I slide my brake shoes back into the caliper clamp before installing them on the car to make sure they floated freely. When I knew they were floating correctly and the new clips weren't going to come loose, I put the whole set up back together and nothing sticks at all any more. Check this out before spending all sorts of cash on new calipers or messing with brake lines. Cheap fix too. Hope that helps.
 
When it seems to be sticking....

...crack the bleeder screw. If fluid spurts out (under pressure), you need a hose. If not, it could be either a caliper piston sticking in the bore, or it could be the pads, as mentioned before. If it is the hose, I'd recommend replacing both. :cool:
 
That works...And reminds me sometimes when I was driving my truck I'd brake hard and force a bunch of fluid past the block which would lock that wheel until I could let the pressure out with the bleeder.
 
Yeah, I took everything apart this morning and it looks like the piston is getting stuck. took the caliper off, cracked the bleeder screw and still couldn't compress the piston back to where it should be (can't even get the new pads on it's out so far). Thanks for all the suggestions.
 
Definitely replace the calipers in a pair

Lot's of parts places have "loaded" caliper pairs that come with pads and attaching hardware, and are pretty good deals. :cool:
 
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