Been a while since I have been on the forums, I hope all is well with everyone, got a nagging issue with my truck that has me perplexed. As I have posted here in the past I had an issue with drivers side front caliper sticking to the point of smoking , I replaced it with a autozone reman unit that also failed this second unit is coming up on year since I replaced first Last weekend after a keys fishing trip, dropped off the boat and noticed the truck sluggish, it even stated bucking a little, I get to buddy's house and the drivers rear is now smoking , I assume the caliper is also shot, I did a complete brake fluid change not long ago in miles, could I have caused this latest episode of sticking calipers or are these just typical maintenance items. Truck only has 107k miles it does sit a lot.

 

There are 4 ways you can have a sticking brake on one wheel:

Sliding pins rusted.
Pad ends rusted in brackets.
Caliper Pistons frozen.
Brake hose internal tear.

I look in that order. If a truck sits for some time we used to see the pad ends develop a good amount of rust and bind in the brackets. That can be corrected by sanding/grinding the rusted area and laying on a thin coat of antiseize, thin enough so it can't flow and contaminate the frictional surfaces.

The standard grease called out is caliper silicone grease, but I've found the antiseize to be more water resistant and isn't a problem as long as it's applied carefully.

The best way to check a brake hose is to have a bleeder sized wrench in the vehicle so when the brake is locked up you can open the bleeder and see if pressurized fluid escapes. It it does then the hose has an internal defect.

If both brakes on one master cylinder circuit freezes up that's another story.

Retail auto parts stores rely on whomever they are having do the rebuilding at the time, how well they do it and the quality of the replacement pistons and seals. Cheap phenolic pistons can have an issue known in the brake engineering industry as "Swell and Growth", in which the phenolic composite expands during elevated temperatures and may not return to its original dimensions. Curing of the phenolic Pistons is well specified and controlled on the OE side of the industry.

 

Just from my experience I will not replace a caliper by itself, unless there is a very compelling reason to do so. If you have a sticky caliper it can also be the brake line, so both get replaced at one time. I know some will say not to do that, save a buck, etc, but it usually isn't a giant expense to do both at once. I had my driver's side caliper go out at 108k, just replaced it and the brake line, the new pads were more expensive than the caliper and line.

As TooManyToys stated you need to check the slides to be sure they aren't sticking, had that happen on my car once.

 

Drive it more often and those issues won't be issues. You have rusty brake parts from living in the high humidity and sitting. I thought I mentioned this before but need to keep those pins lubed they can dry up and seize/stick.

 

BTW wanna come up and help with the EGR/oil cooler? Bring the top side creeper too!

 

I will take all the advice. Thanks! Just seemed out of ordinary for so many caliper issues on drivers side. I thought maybe some gunk from brake bottle worked its way to calipers causing this.

 

Yeah sure., you pay airfare! I drink and watch you work and shout little words of encouragement