Powerstops dragging

[diymirage]

Had the truck for some 40k miles, give or take and changed over to powerstop brakes and rotors a few weeks ago

Since then, twice Ive had the left front caliper hang up on me..this NEVER happened with the old brakes

Of course I cleaned the sliders and all, like you would with any brake job

Anyone ever have this specific issue before?

 

[16WhiteQC]

Make sure the pads slide easy back and forth in the grove/slot.

I have had sets of pads that did not slide easy, just took a file to them and opened up the slot/clearance on the pads.

In fact I had to pry out the OEM pads at 17K miles when I first changed my brakes

 

[CanuckRam1313]

I'm a stickler for annual brake maintenance and good thing I recently did mine at about 14-months old.

Under 30,000KM's on the truck I bought new off the dealership lot; this spring I did a full brake service and the rear pads on both sides were sticking with the inner pads being almost completely stuck in place. The fronts were also not moving nicely either.

Annual brake service is important and the best time to do it is in late spring to early summer so one can clean up the past winters debris (salt, sand, etc.) from the brakes. You'll also extend the life of your brakes by doing this, too.

Most importantly though is that you can identify potential small issues before they turn into big problems, especially if you tow or haul during the warmer months.

 

[Daw14]

Sound’s likely to be a sticking piston in a caliper , or possibly a hose going bad internally.

A point and shot infrared thermometer is great for pin pointing the troubled wheel.

I’m betting it is only a coincidence, on my 14 1500 I have had both front and a single rear caliper hanging , causing warped rotors . Fuel mileage also dropped for a tank or so , until I caught the smell of cooking brakes.

 

[zrock]

You just changed the pads and rotor and not the calipers or hoses? You have a caliper hanging up plain and simple now it could be the caliper or it could be the brake line failing internally. Nothing to do with the new pads and rotors.

 

[Sherman Bird]

Had the truck for some 40k miles, give or take and changed over to powerstop brakes and rotors a few weeks ago

Since then, twice Ive had the left front caliper hang up on me..this NEVER happened with the old brakes

Of course I cleaned the sliders and all, like you would with any brake job

Anyone ever have this specific issue before?

Make sure the flex hose hasn't collapsed internally.

 

[Mojo88]

Get a small handheld IR temp gun and keep it with you. When you feel the brakes drag, stop and get out, then measure temps at each rotor to see which brake(s) are dragging.

It's ALWAYS risky to re-use old calipers, unless you rebuild them completely. On an old caliper, that piston keeps moving away from the seat as the pads wear. It is normally in that position for YEARS, slowly getting farther and farther away from the seat, and the exposed piston area (behind the rubber dust shield) often grows a little buildup of contaminant or rust. Then you force the piston back to its seat, and voila, a sticking problem occurs...........

If/when you find the hot rotor(s), replace the caliper(s) on those wheels................

 

[62Blazer]

Probably the caliper piston itself hanging up. What can happen is that as the old pads wear down the piston sticks out further and further to compensate. The piston gets gunk or rust on the part that is sticking out. When you install new pads you have to retract the pistons, which pushes that part back in and it can get hung up. I've personally had that issue before. Pull off the caliper and see how hard it is to retract.

 

[diymirage]

sorry for the delay guys, i dont know if yall caught it, but i wiped the cam out of the truck and that put the brakes on the back burner

i got the truck back a few days ago and dug into that brake yesterday

Get a small handheld IR temp gun and keep it with you. When you feel the brakes drag, stop and get out, then measure temps at each rotor to see which brake(s) are dragging.

It's ALWAYS risky to re-use old calipers, unless you rebuild them completely. On an old caliper, that piston keeps moving away from the seat as the pads wear. It is normally in that position for YEARS, slowly getting farther and farther away from the seat, and the exposed piston area (behind the rubber dust shield) often grows a little buildup of contaminant or rust. Then you force the piston back to its seat, and voila, a sticking problem occurs...........

If/when you find the hot rotor(s), replace the caliper(s) on those wheels................

when i picked the truck up the same caliper hang up again, and the center cap of that wheel was hot to the touch

took the whole thing apart and it was just like you guys said, a ring of rust/build up behind the dust shield

Probably the caliper piston itself hanging up. What can happen is that as the old pads wear down the piston sticks out further and further to compensate. The piston gets gunk or rust on the part that is sticking out. When you install new pads you have to retract the pistons, which pushes that part back in and it can get hung up. I've personally had that issue before. Pull off the caliper and see how hard it is to retract.

i popped the caliper off and ran the pistons out a ways, then i hit them with some steel wool, brake cleaner and finally some chain lube


ive got it all back together and got maybe 100 miles on since, shes been running flawlessly and both wheels feel exactly the same. so hopefully ive got it licked

i would hate to have to replace a caliper just because it was used...thats just not me

 

[Mojo88]

i would hate to have to replace a caliper just because it was used...thats just not me

Yeah, I get it, most of us here like to save money whenever possible. With regards to the caliper, there are rebuild kits available for most calipers, which are much less money than a new caliper.

Nice job on the fix, thanks for posting, and good luck with it...........