Seized Caliper?

[zimmerDN]

How do you know if you have a seized caliper?

When the brakes starts smoking and it overheats and warps the rotor?
When the one rotor feels hotter than the others after a drive?

 

[cchase]

Those would be 2 ways of telling you have a brake dragging.

 

[M1Accord]

Both and your mileage will suffer. On mountain roads, that is very dangerous when your brakes go. There is also room to pull over even if everything goes as long as you have good brake. It won't be pleasant but it's other people's responsibility to not tail gate you. You can always just stop right in the middle of the road, just don't do it around the corner. You are screw if your brakes or tires go.

 

[bepperb]

Yes and yes. Also, if you pull the caliper off the bracket and you can't slide the slide pins, that's a pretty good indicator that they aren't sliding.

I'd assume it was them, and not the caliper piston stuck, but I guess all bets are off when you live in an area that salts the roads.

On my Accord the ABS started acting odd in the snow, was overactive and I thought maybe my tires are that bald, or there is that little weight in the rear. Turned out one slide pin was stuck.

 

[Trav]

A sticking or frozen caliper pin(s) is different from a seized caliper piston.Pins will give all the above symptoms,a seized caliper piston usually sticks in the applied position and locks the wheel.

On multi piston calipers you may be able to move the vehicle but there will be plenty of smoke and heat.On single piston units chances are the car wont move at all,just drag the locked wheel.

 

[mechanicx]

Those are two signs of a dragging caliper. You can also jack up the car and see if the wheel turns without excessive drag. The caliper pins or sliders can sieze but usually the piston is sticking when a caliper drags.

 

[40Deluxe]

Slide caliper off its support and compress piston with c-clamp if there is a issue with caliper you will notice it this way,becareful not to have master cylinder full as this will displace brake fluid up and out of master cyl.The piston will go back into caliper fairly easy if it is not sticking in the caliper bore.If this is ok then there is a problem elsewhere.

 

[J. A. Rizzo]

Originally Posted By: zimmerDN
How do you know if you have a seized caliper?

When the brakes starts smoking and it overheats and warps the rotor?
When the one rotor feels hotter than the others after a drive?


I have had both of these symptoms before on a 1986 Olds Toronado and thought a piston was seized. I was wrong. It was the balancer valve that was stuck. Replacing that valve and nothing else solved the problem.

 

[mechtech2]

Is there a reason to suspect this?
The simplest thing to do is jack it up and feel the turning force required to spin the wheels. Should be almost friction free, and even side to side.
But yanking the wheels and checking things out right is best, by far.
This almost certainly requires unbolting the calipers - not a big deal.
Like trav mentioned, this could be sticking pins or the piston itself.