Caliper question

So I have had some brake chatter in the front left wheel for a few days now. I just pulled it all apart this morning and I found out what the problem is. So when I pulled the wheel off I noticed that the caliper and the rotor are sliding without having to loose the bolts that hold it on. My question is do I need a new caliper or how would I go about fixing this???

Well the caliper should slide, on its slides, it's called a sliding caliper. Unless im reading your post wrong that sounds normal.

The caliper does not hold the rotor in place, the wheel secures the rotor. If you are getting chatter you either have a warped rotor or hard spots in the friction surface of the rotor. Either replace the rotor or have it cut.

What year?Also the calipers will create wear spots on the glides that will create that problem.

The slides on my knuckle have wear spots on each end (bottom). I had the same thing on a Chevy truck I had, for the Chevy I got slide covers, stainless, that slipped right over the slide. Don't know if those are available for XJ's

I've read where people laid some weld material down on the wear spots and then ground it back to normal, I haven't done it myself, but I'd have to agree with RCP Phx

I don't have any wear marks on the caliber bit only the passenger side slide the driver side doesn't. that's why o was thinking that was the problem. should I replace the slides?

If one side slides and the other doesn't then the one that doesn't is the problem. If one side is malfunctioning it may cause the other side to work harder and overheat, causing rotor warpage and other damage to the brake components is possible. It is best to service both sides by having both rotors machined within tolerances, replace brake pads on both sides, repair/ replace/ and lubricate slides on both sides. additional repairs may include replacing calipers with remanufactured units (or new, your choice) if any damage is visible or suspected (visible damage includes but not limited to torn piston dust boots, frozen bleeder valves, chipped or cracked phenolic pistons, etc... ) Damage to calipers may be suspected if caliper is overly difficult to compress completely when replacing brake pads, pads are worn at angles on the inboard (piston side.) some angled wear may be present due to your frozen hardware situation, but I digress. It is up to you to properly service your vehicle, make any and all repairs nessicary to make the vehicle reasonably safe. These suggestions are my own opinions and are not intended to fully diagnose your problems, I take no liability for any damage resulting in their use. If you feel uncomfortable, contact a qualified technician for complete repairs. Remember, your vehicle needs to stop, all else is secondary.

Thanks for the info Turbo. I am going to have the machined and get new pads tomorrow and see how that does. I will also keep in mind that if it is hard to push the piston in the i will think about the calipers. I will do them if it needs it. Thanks for the info guys.

poomero said:

Thanks for the info Turbo. I am going to have the machined and get new pads tomorrow and see how that does. I will also keep in mind that if it is hard to push the piston in the i will think about the calipers. I will do them if it needs it. Thanks for the info guys.

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Don't forget to repair/ replace/ and lubricate the slides.

Will do.