My mom got a 2003 convertible in excellent shape with 40k miles on it as a Christmas gift for my daughter. I'm trying to get it ready for when she is done with drivers ed which she is currently taking. Driving it home from my moms it seemed to drag a little. I took the wheels off and the pads rub the rotors pretty bad on both fronts. I bought all new calipers rotors and pads and put them on and same thing. Before even hooking up the brake lines you have to force the caliper onto the rotor and it barely moves. I checked all the part numbers. They are a different brand then the old calipers that were on the car but same issue. I've done brakes on most all of my own cars over the years and had a friend come help me try to figure it out but were at a loss. It has been sitting on jack stands outside with the wheels off for a while so there's surface rust on the rotors now but they were like that before. Also there's a centennial badge on the back but its a V6 so I'm guessing someone just stuck this on there?
2003 convertible front brakes sticking
- Thread starter jamesbanasky
- Start date
Centennial edition Mustangs were all black with parchment interior. Also, those badges went into the fender.
As for the brakes, the 99-04 GT/V6 front calipers are notorious for sticking, even out of the box as remans. The issue stems from cars sitting for a long time on old brake fluid that hasn't been changed. Given that the car has 40K miles, this seems likely. The reason remans do it is because most cores are stuck calipers, and they aren't properly remaned.
To determine if this is the case, you can open a bleeder valve and wiggle the caliper and see if it frees up. If it doesn't, then it's a sign the pistons are sticking. You can also determine this by taking the caliper off (bleeder closed) have someone lightly press the brake pedal to push the pistons out ONLY A LITTLE BIT and then try to push them back in. WIth a bleeder open it shouldn't take too much effort to push them in by hand. If you have to use a clamp, the piston is seized.
Other potential causes could be blockages in the ABS pump (if equipped) or a failing/dragging master cylinder. It could also be that the brake pads/caliper were assembled improperly or the brake pads (if aftermarket) are too thick. You should be able to slide the caliper with fresh pads over the rotor and tighten it down without too much effort. If you have to force it on, that's a clue something is wrong. Piston could be stuck out partially and not recessing fully, or the pads aren't assembled properly.
As for the brakes, the 99-04 GT/V6 front calipers are notorious for sticking, even out of the box as remans. The issue stems from cars sitting for a long time on old brake fluid that hasn't been changed. Given that the car has 40K miles, this seems likely. The reason remans do it is because most cores are stuck calipers, and they aren't properly remaned.
To determine if this is the case, you can open a bleeder valve and wiggle the caliper and see if it frees up. If it doesn't, then it's a sign the pistons are sticking. You can also determine this by taking the caliper off (bleeder closed) have someone lightly press the brake pedal to push the pistons out ONLY A LITTLE BIT and then try to push them back in. WIth a bleeder open it shouldn't take too much effort to push them in by hand. If you have to use a clamp, the piston is seized.
Other potential causes could be blockages in the ABS pump (if equipped) or a failing/dragging master cylinder. It could also be that the brake pads/caliper were assembled improperly or the brake pads (if aftermarket) are too thick. You should be able to slide the caliper with fresh pads over the rotor and tighten it down without too much effort. If you have to force it on, that's a clue something is wrong. Piston could be stuck out partially and not recessing fully, or the pads aren't assembled properly.
