Rear brake caliper question...

BDaddyK · 10-21-2004

Well my rear driver side caliper froze up (well I think it did) I was inspecting it last nite while changing the pads and had a quick question. When replacing the rear pads the Hayes/Chiltons manual says to grease the slide pins on the caliper. Now on mine they were frozen in the bore, I couldn't budge them, both sides (pass/driver) however, only the driver rear caliper was frozen up.

Now do they actually slide in and out of the bore (I'd assume that they do, on my Probe GT they do)? They still have the dust/grime boot on them intact/no rips, just when I pulled them back there was all rust on the slide pins...

Are the calipers shot? I'd think so, driver side is dragging/uneven pad wear...Is anyone running a better rear setup than stock (Bullitt/Cobra?) Cause I'd go that route instead or stock replacements, if they bolt up to stock mounts/lines. Thanks

Hank

johnnytaboo · 10-21-2004

the same thing happened to my rear calipers. Everything looked fine when I was changing my pads until I slid back that little rubber dust shield. The inside was rusted to hell. I tried polishing it out with a dremel, but I ended up wasting an expensive set of greenstuff brake pads that same night. The caliper wouldn't release, and the pads were smoking by the time I got home. I had to replace mine, and I fear you might have to as well.

mustangtk · 10-22-2004

This is very common problem on ALL FORDS. The caliper pins should be removed yearly and cleaned. Then use dielectric grease to lubricate the pins, Ford parts has the lube I use it all the time (I'm a Ford tech). Also check the rubber boots and make sure they aren't damaged, if they are replaced the boots and pins. Anti seize doesn't seem to hold up very well as does white lithium grease. The dieletric grease should also be used where the brake pad ears touch the caliper bracket, just a dab will do you.

BDaddyK · 10-22-2004

Thanks for the insight. Yeah, I think that I am gonna have to replace the calipers, they are both frozen closed. Luckily I only bought a cheap set of Autozone pads for the time being, as they are getting a good working in. Gotta love the red hot, smelly as **** rear brakes...

Hank

BDaddyK · 10-22-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by mustangtk

This is very common problem on ALL FORDS. The caliper pins should be removed yearly and cleaned. Then use dielectric grease to lubricate the pins, Ford parts has the lube I use it all the time (I'm a Ford tech). Also check the rubber boots and make sure they aren't damaged, if they are replaced the boots and pins. Anti seize doesn't seem to hold up very well as does white lithium grease. The dieletric grease should also be used where the brake pad ears touch the caliper bracket, just a dab will do you.

Yeah tell me about it, Ford's rear caliers suck ass., I have replaced the rear calipers on my Probe GT three times now. There was a design flaw in the 93~94 rear calipers, supposedly fixed in mid 95 (gone through 2 sets of them

) and now have 97 calipers on, no probs 2 years and counting :crosses fingers:

I kinda knew the rears were toast on my MGT when I tried to get the slide pins out to grease em' up when I was doing the pads. The fuggin' things were rusted into the bore, there is no way in hell that they are coming out. The dust boot was fine, no cracks/rips/holes/etc...You can be sure that I'll be greasing the slide pins every six months now

Hank

mustangtk · 10-22-2004

Anybody who drives in snow or rain alot will have more problems then those who don't. As a side note: I HATE PROBES AND ALSO CONTOURS!!!!!!!!

They are a pain in the ass to work on. I quit once at work over a Probe that was driving me nuts.

BDaddyK · 10-23-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by mustangtk

Anybody who drives in snow or rain alot will have more problems then those who don't. As a side note: I HATE PROBES AND ALSO CONTOURS!!!!!!!!

They are a pain in the ass to work on. I quit once at work over a Probe that was driving me nuts.

Yeah I hate working on my PGT, everything on that car is a ***** and, I've done just bout everything to it. Yeah it's my winter ride so I can kinda accept the caliper failure on it (three times in the past six years is kinda absurd though) but, the MGT I have stored in my garage all winter...

parksgm · 05-28-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by mustangtk

This is very common problem on ALL FORDS. The caliper pins should be removed yearly and cleaned. Then use dielectric grease to lubricate the pins, Ford parts has the lube I use it all the time (I'm a Ford tech). Also check the rubber boots and make sure they aren't damaged, if they are replaced the boots and pins. Anti seize doesn't seem to hold up very well as does white lithium grease. The dieletric grease should also be used where the brake pad ears touch the caliper bracket, just a dab will do you.

Hi all...

I recently ruined a set of Greenstuff rear brakepads after replacing my a previous set...after reading the thread above, it seems likely that rusty/frozen slide pins are the culprit. I'd like to simply replace the pins if possible, but I have a few questions first:

If the pins can be unbolted easily, does this mean they are not "frozen" and can be reused?
I am a little unclear as to how the caliper "slides" on the pins...can I test the ability of the caliper to slide on the pins while working on the car by moving it back and forth?
A friend who works at Late Model Restoration supply (aka 5.0 Resto...fantastic company, by the way) told me that replacement pins were available through Rockauto.com. Can anyone identify the proper part on rockauto (1998 Mustang GT)? I'm having trouble finding exactly what I need in their catalog, as there are many parts that are named similarly.

Thanks for your help...I hope to get the car back on the road ASAP. :-)

Korky · 05-28-2008

I froze a caliper with less than 2k miles on it. The drivers piston froze with some spirited driving. Ford replaced it under warranty as well as the rotor. The slide pics weren't the culprit though since they hadn't had time to rust.
Also, the piston might not be froze. It actually needs to be turned in, not with a c clamp but with a tube cut to fit in those notches. As you turn the piston it will go back in the caliper.

02whtstanggt · 05-28-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Korky

I froze a caliper with less than 2k miles on it. The drivers piston froze with some spirited driving. Ford replaced it under warranty as well as the rotor. The slide pics weren't the culprit though since they hadn't had time to rust.
Also, the piston might not be froze. It actually needs to be turned in, not with a c clamp but with a tube cut to fit in those notches. As you turn the piston it will go back in the caliper.

Korky is right, due to the rear calipers having the parking brake mechanism in them the piston needs to be turned while being pushed in. As for the slides they will allow the outside pads to clamp down. The piston pushes on the inboard pad and the caliper slides to engage the outboard pad. If the slides are frozen then the inboard pad will wear out before the outboard pad. If the rebuilt calipers are too expensive then I have been able to remove the frozen slides by heating the calipers with a torch and hammering them out. Be careful too much heat will destroy the seals in the piston causing leaks. After removing the slides use a round file to remove the rust inside the slide and using a wheel cylinder hone to finish the bores before installing new slides or if the old ones can be cleaned up with sandpaper. Lube well and make sure the boots are ok. As some rebuilt calipers are very expensive it maybe your only hope if the above dosen't work.