bad caliper and abs

[terrystalon]

Couple questions. I changed my brake pads, after going for a test drive the front right pad was smoking. I believe the caliper is not functioning properly, but when I put the old brake pad on it was back to normal with no issues. Also, can a bad caliper cause a anti-lock light to trigger? I am not to familiar with brakes but I am learning more and more with the more issues that keep developing! Please any advice would be nice!

 

[Bud92gsx]

The caliper could be seized and causing rubbing..Which will wear down brake pads and wear out rotors,,as well as cause your wheels to be warm to the touch..

The piston is metal and if water gets in there somehow will kill the piston..

A little emory cloth and a new seal for the piston is what I did and I have not had a problem since..

 

[terrystalon]

Makes since. I lived in Washington state so it rained quite often. I will be getting a rebuild kit for the caliper. Should I do the other side as well? Also, do seized caliper trip the abs light on? Or am I looking at having to go through each sensor and ecu for the abs?

 

[Super Sport]

Where the old pads worn unevenly? Inside pad worn would be a caliper. Front brakes? Does it pull to the right while driving? was it hard to squeeze caliper open?

 

[Corse]

Makes since. I lived in Washington state so it rained quite often. I will be getting a rebuild kit for the caliper. Should I do the other side as well? Also, do seized caliper trip the abs light on? Or am I looking at having to go through each sensor and ecu for the abs?

You'll usually notice with a dragging caliper that you're going to get more brake dust buildup than you usually would on the side that is dragging.

Rebuilds aren't too hard, but make sure you get a good hone at a parts store. When I hone mine I will use some dot3 brake fluid or some WD40 as a lubricant (don't hone it dry), you want to just get a fresh surface, you don't want to hone it a ton since you're already enlarging the piston area.

Also lubricate the seals in your rebuild kit as well when you install the pistons back into your calipers. Keep it clean.

If you see any pitting inside the caliper in the cylinder area it might be a good time to consider new calipers. Rust buildup around those can be pretty common when the boots on calipers tend to start letting crap inside or if a car sat for a long period of time.

 

[terrystalon]

Yes, front right brake. On the new pad there was a hotpot on the inside pad, but only on one side, or as if only one piston was malfunctioning.

Thanks for the tips. I have watched a video and read some threads on rebuilding a caliper. Just not exactly sure how to 'hone'u persay, but im sure ill be able to figure it out once I have everything in front of me.

 

[Corse]

Definitely possible. Even a little ring of rust inside the piston can be a pretty big headache. Here's a picture of a caliper I dug into on one of my cars a little earlier this season and an example of rust. This one ended up having pitting, did not hone evenly and in the end needed to be replaced. But if you look around the edge you can see how rust finds it's way into the piston around the edge. It also had cracked.

(note, not a DSM, so your brake setup probably looks somewhat different, but mostly to give you a visual) as rust mixes with the fluid and builds up it makes the caliper sticky since the piston won't float back and forth properly anymore.

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[Super Sport]

I'm curious, how much is a reman caliper compared to buying hone and rebuild to do yourself?
IMO, do both calipers at same time.

 

[terrystalon]

Thanks for that visual, I will be rebuilding, or replacing the caliper when I get the chance. Now if anybody can answer the question of, can a bad caliper trigger abs light? Once again, thank you for your quick responses and pictures!

 

[Corse]

I'm curious, how much is a reman caliper compared to buying hone and rebuild to do yourself?
IMO, do both calipers at same time.

Most parts stores I've been to a basic brake hone is less than $10. Like NAPA.

Rebuild kits aren't generally too horrible. I'd assume probably though it'll depend on the brakes you have on your car. If it's cheaper then yeah reman is a nice peace of mind since it's all completed and good to go.

Some of those outfits that re-manufacture zinc coat them too so they don't rust anymore which is nice.

(edit) i see that i didn't reply to this part

Thanks for the tips. I have watched a video and read some threads on rebuilding a caliper. Just not exactly sure how to 'hone'u persay, but im sure ill be able to figure it out once I have everything in front of me.

With a hone you basically insert it into a drill and it's used like a drillbit. It's used sort of like you'd sand something down. They're fairly fine coarsed, so you lubricate the hone and piston area and use even strokes from the back of the cylinder to the edge, just enough to get a fresh surface. so basically it removes some of the old surface as if it were a wetsand, but because it's a sprung device it applies even pressure as it spins.

If you look at the pictures I posted above you can see in the cylinder where there are nice looking areas of fresh surface, but because of the pitting you can see that the surfaces were not even. In a good hone where the cylinder area is able to be reused the surface will all look fresh and new.

Most hones have a spring and an adjustable setting. I usually set mine to a setting just so there is a slight bit of force applied to the cylinder wall, lubricate and go back and forth till all the surface looks even. Do not let the hone sit in one spot with the drill spinning since you'll cause an uneven surface. I just make nice even strokes back and forth and do not stop the drill with the hone in the cylinder since it can sometimes make bad scratches as it slows down. I just slow the drill down (not a total stop) as I pull the hone out so it doesn't make a mess. And of course, keep it lubricated.