[BlueSuzy]

Hello all, This is on my 91" Suzy sierra

Story:
I was on my way home from a mates place on saturday. When i stopped at a set of lights and i saw like steam or puffs of smoke coming from the left, with a massive brake smell. Drove a maximum 10kms to home.

Weird ingredients of disaster:
Pulling to the left pretty firmly, When i braked, she'd pull to the right same feeling. Smoke and massive train brake smell..

Answer i think:
Somehow the piston has locked up it the cailper. Probably melted the pad and loaded the disk up...Pulled left driving cos of pad friction. Pulled right under braking because the left is over heated and right is braking normal. May need new disks, Pads, Rebuild caliper

Who has had this problem? I dont think its common..

It will be pulled apart this week to find out what went wrong!

[steve]

BlueSuzy wrote:

Answer i think:
Somehow the piston has locked up it the cailper. Probably melted the pad and loaded the disk up...Pulled left driving cos of pad friction. Pulled right under braking because the left is over heated and right is braking normal. May need new disks, Pads, Rebuild caliper

Who has had this problem? I dont think its common..

same has happened to me, and yeap you are correct!

The left brake caliper has seized on. You could replace it for another one you have laying around. If you're on the side of the road in the bush, you can take the caliper out and clean the cylinder because it'll probably have corrosion on it, maybe due to water. I have cleaned one like that and continued to use it for ages without a problem, though i guess that may not be the 100% correct thing to do, but good for bodgy people like me.

[Pubic]

you can pinch my caliper & pads mate.... if you want a quick fix.

[royce]

yep siezed caliper piston or slides, pretty common on cars (not that extreme) so 4wd's and mud makes it easy

you can get a caliper kit and piston from the likes of Repco and rebuilding it is pretty straight forward

[oscar]

my rear left locked up on me troopy and sent me side ways on the m1 doing 120. that was some scary shit

[BlueSuzy]

wow ok

My mate just said yes its probably the slides, I will pull it apart tomorrow arvo, grease and cleanthem up. Hopefully thats all that will be needed.

Thanks joel, but i will see how i go, It was actually on the way back from yours!

[Pubic]

sorry mate.. .and after all of that hard pen passing work you helped me with.

offer is still there if all else fails.

good luck good sir.

[Brett]

if your pads are really low some time the piston turns a bit and locks on.

[BlueSuzy]

Pads fine just dusted them and rubbed them on the concrete to roughen them up abit, disc fine,Everything fine! just bit dusty

Lubed up the bolts that the bushes slide on and rubbers etc..made sure tyhe piston came out and in properly and wella! All is good now

Simple! Thanks dude friends.

[BlueSuzy]

Found out it isnt as simple, Week later..

When cold she drives and brakes fine until 5minutes later she starts to pull again, overheating the pads and disc smoke etc etc...

Should i just buy a new caliper? (2nd handy) Caliper kits can be expensive..

Should i get new pads? The old ones were probably overheated..Does it affect them?

The disc should be fine....
Still brakes smooth when cold, no warping

[Brett]

it could be you have a stuffed wheel bearing and that heats up your disc your pads fade so it pulls to one side as only one brake is working.

had it happen to me in a gemini years ago

[BlueSuzy]

Well when i looked at it the first time, The caliper was seized. .. The bearings are pretty new..3mths old... Also they arnt loose...The right side was but have fixed that previosly at the hint of the wobbles..

[royce]

caliper kit is like $20?

I would reckon on a siezed piston

[BlueSuzy]

seized piston? ok

I will pull it apart tomorrow, is there any tricky circlips etc?

All i did last time was strip the outer caliper, clean bolts inside the rubber cover doovas, regrease, press brake to extend the piston, G clamp it back in to make sure it worked and reassemble..

[royce]

how much force did you need to press the piston in? should be able to do it with bugger all force.

and use PBR rubber grease, not that red castrol stuff and it there there is any pitting on the piston you could really turf it but clean the rust out and see

to pop the piston jam some rag or something in so the piston cant pop out and get damaged and use compresssed air in the brake hose hole, or if you have no air pump the pedal till it comes out (messy though)

[BlueSuzy]

Oh i just bought an aircompressor the other day Need a new hose but.

The piston was now i think of it quite hard to press back in!

Ok i will do this. Let you know how it goes..

[BlueSuzy]

Fixed...Hopefully

I stripped the piston side of the caliper this time, It had dirt and crap inside it and there were shiney spots on the piston to show that it was rubbing hard...

I cleaned it all out with a rag, and lightly polished the piston to there was no defects. Put it all back together and bleed the brakes.

Went for a 10min drive and all was ok, few brake tests, no leaks

[Pubic]

oh tim...... your my hero xx

lol

well done bloke, now perhaps you wont be put off by the s bends on the way to my place and wanna come visit hey!