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one of my calipers has some play

sharq

sharq

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Tampa Bay
if i grab the hard piece of the brake line that mounts tto the caliper and move it back and forth the caliper moves. i can wiggle it. not a ton a platy but enough to notice that its not mounted firmly.

i have tightened the 2 bolts all the way. i even broke one thinking it still wasnt tight enough. i replaced it with a spare but i still have the problem.

when i brake hard i can hear a shimmy or knocking sound. i think it is being cause by this loose caliper.

any ideas? washers? new bolt sleeves? new(junkyard ofcourse) caliper?
 
it sounds as though either the caliper or bolts has worn and is allowing the play. I'd shy away from JY parts as they will probably have close to the same wear on them. A caliper and bolts shouldn't be cost prohibitive to replace. Mine were Cardone (largest re-manufacturer in the world) and only set me back about $15.00 after I returned to core.
 
Shorty said:
it sounds as though either the caliper or bolts has worn and is allowing the play. I'd shy away from JY parts as they will probably have close to the same wear on them. A caliper and bolts shouldn't be cost prohibitive to replace. Mine were Cardone (largest re-manufacturer in the world) and only set me back about $15.00 after I returned to core.
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i didnt realize how cheap the calipers are to replace. is this with the piston installed already?
 
wow, sure nuff. $14.73 on rockauto.com
getimage.php


ive got some other stuff i need to order from them so ill get it all at once and hopefully save on the shipping.

guess i better just replace both sides at once.

that core charge is a PITA though.
 
I think i went to pepboys or napa for mine and it was about 15-20$ after the core and its a lot easier then shipping the old ones back to rockauto. so try calling your local ones up and see how much they cost first.
 
It is highly recommended to do any brake repairs in pairs. Whatever you do on one side, also do on the other. That will help you stop straight, especially on wet or slippery pavement.
 
As said in a post above, the calipers are floating. They move back and forth on the pins; they are supose to do so. If they are tight they will bind and not function.

That being said, there is a slide tube that is a loose fit in the caliper with a teflon bushing and rubber booths on both ends. The bolt/s secure the slide tube/pins tightly to the caliper mountng bracket while the caliper remains loose (within reason) to move over the pins. I have seen a few of the teflonn bushings worn but not enough to cause concern.

On my XJ, I found the disks themselves had worn a grove into the mounting bracket. That may be the source of the noise you are hearing. Some guys on here had theirs repaired by welding then sanding it smooth.
 
winterbeater said:
It is highly recommended to do any brake repairs in pairs. Whatever you do on one side, also do on the other. That will help you stop straight, especially on wet or slippery pavement.
Click to expand...


Not trying to flame as I was just curious. My 96 had the right front brake lock up to where the rotor turned red hot then blue when it cooled. It was towed home. The rotors were brand new in Sept. of 08. Do I still need to replace both rotors? I plan on doing one caliper, hose, new pads both sides, and one rotor. Is this pissing money away for not replacing the other rotor and caliper? I did the other driver side hose and both pads and rotors in Sept.
 
techno1154 said:
As said in a post above, the calipers are floating. They move back and forth on the pins; they are supose to do so. If they are tight they will bind and not function.

That being said, there is a slide tube that is a loose fit in the caliper with a teflon bushing and rubber booths on both ends. The bolt/s secure the slide tube/pins tightly to the caliper mountng bracket while the caliper remains loose (within reason) to move over the pins. I have seen a few of the teflonn bushings worn but not enough to cause concern.

On my XJ, I found the disks themselves had worn a grove into the mounting bracket. That may be the source of the noise you are hearing. Some guys on here had theirs repaired by welding then sanding it smooth.
Click to expand...

Jeepm@n said:
Do be aware that the calipers are a floating caliper. There should be a little movement but not much.
Click to expand...

as stated above, lateral movement (thousandths of an inch) is normal. Enough to see/ feel by pulling the brake hose would indicate that the piston was seized too far into the bore, as the only clearance in floating caliper brakes is a result of the disk runout pushing the pad away from the rotor. Even excessive clearance between the pad and the rotor shouldn't give you a knocking sound since the caliper would still be sliding laterally on the mount.

I'll stick with klunking noises being caused by worn mounting pins or the mount "ears" themselves.
 
Jeepm@n said:
Not trying to flame as I was just curious. My 96 had the right front brake lock up to where the rotor turned red hot then blue when it cooled. It was towed home. The rotors were brand new in Sept. of 08. Do I still need to replace both rotors? I plan on doing one caliper, hose, new pads both sides, and one rotor. Is this pissing money away for not replacing the other rotor and caliper? I did the other driver side hose and both pads and rotors in Sept.
Click to expand...

You should be OK withou replacing the almost new side too. Hopefully the new caliper and rotor are the same manufacture. The new pads on both sides should cover it. If the older rotor is more shiny, rough it up with coarse sandpaper. What made the right side lock up?
 
I do not know if it was the hose or the caliper. Have not pulled it apart yet. Need to get my wheel dollies back from my Dad as he is using them on his 57 Old's. The right front is now locked tight. I was going to put it on a wheel dolly and move it the 40 feet into my garage.
 
I pulled the caliper yesterday in 55 degrees temps outside. :woohoo: Rotor looks fine will get it turned. It was the caliper. I opened the bleeder. Fluid only dribbled out and the brake was still locked. I then opened the hose and had the same effect. I pulled the pads and put a large board there and had my woman push the brake pedal. It took 5 times of stomping the pedal to free it. I then bled it and the fluid still looked fine. I will buy a new caliper before I drive it anywhere.
 
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