Seized caliper did I do enough test to verify?

Joined
Oct 8, 2012
Messages
357
Location
Ontario, Canada
2001 RX300 close to 300k km

Was told that car shakes while braking at high speed(just replace pads/rotor 2 months ago)
Found excessive brake dust on driver side, rotor has a yellow reflection tint on it.
Suspected the caliper not releasing fully and now pad deposits on rotor. That's easy to fix after caliper issue is resolved.

Took out brake pads and tried to push piston in with wind back tool and barely able to move it.
Opened up bleeder valve, but still cannot push piston in. If it's a brake hose issue, the fluid should be pushed out through the bleeder valve?
Had to take a bench vise and use it in a ghetto way to finally push the piston to fully retracted position.
After putting everything back again, used a infrared thermometer and drive side is about 2-3x higher temperature than other corners after driving.

Is this enough test to show there is no issue with the flex or brake hoses and a caliper replacement should fix the issue?
Time to get parts to rebuild(and not knowing the condition inside on a 20yr old caliper) is swaying me to try reman calipers.

Only Napa has one in stock and looks to be Centric based on photo.
Going to come to $200 CAD (if I don't return the core, in case DIY rebuild as car needs to be on the road)

Rockauto price:
How are Raybestos? Powerstop is cheaper too from Rockauto and I won't be returning core due to shipping cost.
Centric/Raybestos $120 - $123 CAD
Powerstop - $98 CAD
 
Based on the symptoms and 'evidence', I'd strongly lean towards a failed caliper... but I'm not a professional mechanic.
 
i would say you are on the right track.
stuck caliper or slide pins
When I took apart. I did test the slide pins and there were moving since I just lubricated them 2 months ago.

I grind down the brake pads ears to let them move more freely in the bracket.
There should be minimal drag from the brake pads.

This is my first time dealing with possible seized caliper.
Can it take a bench vise just to push the piston in? It seems almost mind boggling how much force is required.
The car is driven daily and I replaced brake fluid during brake job too.
 
Only Napa has one in stock and looks to be Centric based on photo.
https://www.napacanada.com/en/p/PQC24261478?ref=MA==
More Information for CENTRIC 14144190
Going to come to $200 CAD (if I don't return the core, in case DIY rebuild as car needs to be on the road)

Rockauto price:
How are Raybestos? Powerstop is cheaper too from Rockauto and I won't be returning core due to shipping cost.
Centric/Raybestos $120 - $123 CAD
Powerstop - $98 CAD

Other than OE(dealership wants $430 + tax and 10 days wait time

Which brands are more trustworthy when it comes to calipers or it's just luck?
 
I grind down the brake pads ears to let them move more freely in the bracket.
There should be minimal drag from the brake pads.
Yeah, don't do that. Completely unnecessary.
Yeap, that shouldn't be necessary. If it is, they're poor quality pads. Maybe they slipped by a QA check and have some rough edges that can be knocked down with some sandpaper or light filing, but grinding ? That's excessive.
 
Yeap, that shouldn't be necessary. If it is, they're poor quality pads. Maybe they slipped by a QA check and have some rough edges that can be knocked down with some sandpaper or light filing, but grinding ? That's excessive.

Yeah, don't do that. Completely unnecessary.
I grind down the rust on the bracket, used new clips and one side of the pad ear was still a little binding.
These are Raybestos EHT3. So I filed down a bit to have more uniform movement.
 
Getting rid of the rust on the bracket is certainly normal (for many of us) :D Even in Ohio, I only need to use a steel-wire brush though. I have seen videos with folks who lightly sandblast those machined areas on the brackets too. In that case, it's more because they have a sandblast machine !
 
I got NAPA adaptive one reman caliper. It's probably the same as the total eclipse since it's painted black and has that part number.

I also tested further by taking out the bleeder screw and it's not plugged. I pinched lightly on the brake hose and tried to push the piston in with wind down tool and it was just as difficult.

Going to replace the caliper. I replaced the slider grease with 3M silicone and checked bleeder valve to be in good condition.

I noticed the banjo screw on new unit is 12mm size l, but the OE is 14mm.

Should I use the old screw plus the 2 new copper washers?
 
I noticed the banjo screw on new unit is 12mm size l, but the OE is 14mm.
I've seen that on a few different calipers as well. No idea why the rebuilders change to a larger hex size. Many people recommend re-using the OEM banjo bolt with new washers.
 
I had these symptoms and it turned out the master cylinder was bad/ out of adjustment.

When you squeeze a caliper, the pedal has to be all the way up to uncover the port that goes up to the fluid reservoir.

My pedal pushrod was either out of whack, or that hole was clogged somehow.

Another symptom would be a very "wooden" feeling brake pedal, without that 1/4" of play we all take for granted.
 
Replaced caliper, but had to go mix route and used old bracket. The painted bracket from Napa made the pads bind even more than old bracket.
It's old car, I don't care much about the how it looks as long as it functions. I also reused my old 14mm banjo bolt for consistency. As the caliper side is painted and rough, I used the copper washer on that side. The other side where the bolt goes, I didn't as that's how Toyota originally had it installed. Torqued to spec and no leaks.

I bled all 4 corners of brakes for safe measure and now no more sticking caliper, brake pedal is a bit softer(I did notice it was getting a little firm last month).
The car coast a lot better and no more vibration stopping from highway offramp speed.
Now, just how long this caliper piston will last is the question.

Thanks all for your input and sharing past experiences.
 
Replaced caliper, but had to go mix route and used old bracket. The painted bracket from Napa made the pads bind even more than old bracket.
Other than appearance and/or "cleaned up", it's no big deal. That "new" bracket is likely 15-20 years old, just sandblasted clean, repainted, and made to look nice and new.
 
Or they were aluminium and you did not notice them?

There were really no washers in between unless they somehow fused and was flush with bolt and on the caliper.
The banjo bolt and that side of the hose inlet was clean and smooth so I didn't put a washer there.
The other side with, Napa had this silver paint around the hole and it was not the smooth finish as Toyota's original caliper. I put the copper washer to have malleable surface while torque to spec.

After spending time bleeding all the other brakes, there wasn't any leaks from that area so I'm just going to leave it.
 
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