My left front wheel was covered with brake dust and I was smelling it burning everytime I came to a stop. So, I figured with 103K I might need new brakes. (I only put 2K of the 103K on the truck) Anyway, I picked up a set of rotors and pads and started the job. Everything was going great until I pulled off the caliper. 1/2 of the piston fell on the ground in small chunks. At first I thought it was rocks that were stuck somewhere on the chasis that jarred loose or something. Then I looked at the piston in the caliper and to my surprise, it was in peices. No brake fluid was leaking out and the seal was still intact.

This truck was in a (what I thought) was a minor front end crash. The bumper was pushed back abit on the pass side and air bag light went off, but no air bag deployment. No frame or major damage to the truck. Not sure if this is related or not.

The rotors look good and the old pads are the same thickness as the new ones or very close.

Any ideas of why my caliper piston is in pieces?

Thanks

DAve

 

Old age more than likely. Check it every now and then after you replace it for cracks to see if it does this again.

 

I would guess old age and heat. Replace both of the fronts and put on new hoses. If the rotors are good leave them and put on new pads. Make sure that if you leave the current rotors to use some sand paper and break the glaze on them before reassembly.

 

If you had enough heat and miles to crack calipers, I would get them rotors checked and turned if they are thick enough. Nothing worse than having to pull everything apart to get that done. With that many miles, I would also check bearings and grease, etc.