What does it mean when your caliper pin gets stuck?
Something could be wrong with the brake line or piston. But often the problem is a stuck caliper pin. One or both of the little rails the caliper slides along — the caliper guide pins — get sluggish or seized. And that means your caliper won’t slide, and the outside brake pad won’t fully squeeze your rotor.
What to look for when replacing brake caliper pins?
Problems to look for include caliper pins that are corroded, or ones that aren’t properly lubricated. Also, the pins could be stuck in the rotor or they won’t go in all the way after the pads have been replaced. The pins should be easy to take out with a screwdriver and a few light taps from a hammer.
What happens when you unseize a brake caliper?
If it’s the slide pins that have seized then the car may appear to drive normally, but the pads will only be pushed onto the disc from the piston side. This will give reduced braking ability, plus wear out the pad on the inside much faster. Often this is only picked up at MoT test time when the brakes are tested and are discovered to be imbalanced.
Why are my brake guide pins not working?
That’s the idea, anyway. But if one or more parts of your brake calipers aren’t working correctly or if they’re installed improperly, you could experience trouble with stopping. When you’re performing work on your brakes, you have to ensure there aren’t any problems with your caliper guide pins.
Something could be wrong with the brake line or piston. But often the problem is a stuck caliper pin. One or both of the little rails the caliper slides along — the caliper guide pins — get sluggish or seized. And that means your caliper won’t slide, and the outside brake pad won’t fully squeeze your rotor.
Where are the brake caliper guide pins located?
To fix this, you have to remove the brake pads and clean the brake pad bracket with a file or sandpaper and lubricate it with copper paste or something similar. The brake caliper guide pins are located at the brake caliper bracket and help the caliper to slide forward and backward when you are braking.
What should I do if my brake caliper is stuck?
Check the rubber boots and remove, clean, and lubricate the guide pins again. They can be a pain to remove when they have been stuck for a while – so a torch is a must to warm them up when trying to remove them. If your sticking caliper problem comes from the vehicle’s rear, there is a big chance of a problem with the parking brake.
What causes a brake caliper to stick to the pedal?
Caliper slides are grooves within the brake caliper that hold the brake pads when you press the brake pedal and let the pads loose when you let go of the pedal. However, with time the shims have an accumulation of debris and this causes them not to hold the brake pads tightly. This will cause the brake calipers to stick.