My old 2000 silverado was in need of new brakes and rotors front snd rear. I got the parts from napa and changed them this morning. I took it for a drive this evening and noticed about a mile into the trip something was dragging so I turned around and went home. Pull on the driveway and the brakes are smoking. I suspect the calipers are sticking in the rear the front was ok. Did I just ruin almost $200 brake parts on the rear of this thing by driving it only a couple miles?
Stuck caliper?
- Thread starter Ohio91
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Easy way to tell if it's the caliper that is stuck/seized is to open the bleeder. If the caliper releases when you open the bleeder your problem is probably elsewhere. Next culprit I usually suspect are the flexible rubber brake hoses.
As far as your $200 in new brakes -- maybe. May have gotten lucky and just glazed the pads. I've heard you can fix glazing by lightly sanding the surface of the friction material but I've never tried it. Pads are (usually) cheap.
As far as your $200 in new brakes -- maybe. May have gotten lucky and just glazed the pads. I've heard you can fix glazing by lightly sanding the surface of the friction material but I've never tried it. Pads are (usually) cheap.
The calipers collect dirt and other contaminants inside. When you push the pistons back in you jam them into the stuff whick sticks them.
No, you didn't ruin anything by going a couple miles. It usually takes more than that to break them in in the first place 
Did you (try to) regrease the slide pins? I pull and regrease every time I service the brakes. If the slide pin is seized and won't come out, it gets new calipers.
The good news is that you can get all-new calipers for your truck
Did you (try to) regrease the slide pins? I pull and regrease every time I service the brakes. If the slide pin is seized and won't come out, it gets new calipers.
The good news is that you can get all-new calipers for your truck
i had the same thing happen on my o3 silverado , what it was is that the pistons are a phenalic compound , and are prone to absorbing moisture and causing them to expand , so as you push them into the caliper they hang up and are tight in the caliper bore , so they worked ok with the old pads when they stuck out of the bore more but with the new pads the pistons have to be inside the calipers more , with the pistons tight in the bore they dont release and get hot and hotter , i rebuilt my calipers , thats how i found this out , i ended up putting my pistons in a lathe and polishing them down to fit the bores, the alternative is new pistons or new or rebuilt calipers , hope this helps you out
also on a side note , i installed dual piston calipers ,rotors and pads on the rear , for much better braking
if you need any more info let me know
also on a side note , i installed dual piston calipers ,rotors and pads on the rear , for much better braking
if you need any more info let me know
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Whenever I look at a vehicle that old in need of brakes, I really consider doing calipers because there’s a good chance the piston seal in that caliper is worn/weak and I’m going to have issues with those pads hanging up a little bit. And you have to be real careful when installing new brakes...it’s so easy to screw up the hardware just a little bit and cause a pad to freeze up and get stuck.
this is a common problem period. professional mechanics do not force the piston back, release the bleeder, not good to force fluid back through the abs module. some replacement calipers use hyper eutectic spelling hollow pistons. its good to purge the fluid adjacent to the piston as heat and moisture absorbing render it bad.
I just had exactly that done today. Had new calipers and hoses done. Runs cool now. I’m not sure how old they were may have been the originals.
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Professional mechanics do not force the piston back? I think that depends on what part of the country you’re talking about - if it’s the north East or anywhere else that is considered the rust belt...mechanics aren’t going to touch those bleeder screws. No way. They bleeders are rusted in and they won’t chance snapping them and telling the customer they now need new calipers. And then the customer will refuse, the shop will eat it and the mechanic will be looking for work.
The theory of forcing dirty fluid back into the abs module is not going to happen...the abs pump is mounted by the master cylinder, fluid from the caliper cannot travel that high. And the plastic hollow pistons? I have maybe seen one or two damaged over the years because someone wedged a screw driver between the pad and piston, but I’ve never seen them damaged when done with a clamp on the pad itself.
But I agree 100%...I’d prefer to get the fluid out behind the caliper piston, as that is where the fluid looks the worst.
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