Brakes locked, someone please help!!

tylerdred · May 16, 2007

Ok, let me start off by saying that I am an amateur.

I was changing the front two brake pads on my car. After changing the pads, I had this retarded notion that I had to bleed the brakes after a pad change. So I bled the brakes. That is where the trouble began. I had someone pump the brake pedal, and opened the bleeder screw. I did this on the passenger side first and then the driver side. But for some reason, the driver side brakes seem to "lock up" on the caliper. Even without pressing the brake at all, the driver side rotor does not spin freely. So I took the pads out again, and pushed the caliper piston back in. When I pushed the pedal back in, the caliper locks on and never lets go. It only does this on the driver side. The passenger side spins freely and only stops when you press the brake pedal. The driver side stays put and doesn't spin freely. Did I mess up something when I bled the brakes? Could the driver side caliper be broken? I should let you all know that the both brake calipers were working perfectly before the pad change. Please let me know what you guys think I should do.

Thanks

ronburgundy · May 16, 2007

just get some exchange calipers, then you won't need pads again in a few days. they're cheaper than borscht

tylerdred · May 16, 2007

I was hoping someone could tell me what was mechanically wrong with my brakes before I bought something new. Could not cleaning the rotor/brake assembly with brake parts cleaner cause this problem?

ronburgundy · May 16, 2007

no. reusing calipers is a crapshoot, you usually get crapped on.

tylerdred · May 16, 2007

I thought that just changing pads on a brake job was standard practice. You don't need a new caliper everytime.

Aryan15 · May 16, 2007

It sounds like a master cyl. problem but try lubricating the caliper pins with the high temp brake grease and bleed them again.

tylerdred · May 16, 2007

Aryan15 said:
It sounds like a master cyl. problem but try lubricating the caliper pins with the high temp brake grease and bleed them again.

Could the master cylinder still be the problem considering the passenger side brake works properly?

4G-KDMP · May 16, 2007

tylerdred said:
Ok, let me start off by saying that I am an amateur.

I was changing the front two brake pads on my car. After changing the pads, I had this retarded notion that I had to bleed the brakes after a pad change. So I bled the brakes. That is where the trouble began. I had someone pump the brake pedal, and opened the bleeder screw. I did this on the passenger side first and then the driver side. But for some reason, the driver side brakes seem to "lock up" on the caliper. Even without pressing the brake at all, the driver side rotor does not spin freely. So I took the pads out again, and pushed the caliper piston back in. When I pushed the pedal back in, the caliper locks on and never lets go. It only does this on the driver side. The passenger side spins freely and only stops when you press the brake pedal. The driver side stays put and doesn't spin freely. Did I mess up something when I bled the brakes? Could the driver side caliper be broken? I should let you all know that the both brake calipers were working perfectly before the pad change. Please let me know what you guys think I should do.

Thanks

was the person pumping the brake pedal when you opened the bleeder screw,
or did the person have the brake pedal held firmly down when you opened the bleeder screw?

tylerdred · May 16, 2007

4G-KDMP said:
was the person pumping the brake pedal when you opened the bleeder screw,
or did the person have the brake pedal held firmly down when you opened the bleeder screw?

The person held the pedal down, and I opened the bleeder screw. Once I opened the screw, the pedal fell to the floor. Once that happened, I tightened the screw and began the process again.

Aryan15 · May 16, 2007

On my car, there is a direct brake line from the master cyl. to the driver front wheel. Nothing in between. So assuming the brakes are bled and the calipers are lubricated properly, Im leaning toward the master cyl. not releasing them.

tylerdred · May 16, 2007

Aryan15 said:
On my car, there is a direct brake line from the master cyl. to the driver front wheel. Nothing in between. So assuming the brakes are bled and the calipers are lubricated properly, Im leaning toward the master cyl. not releasing them.

Since there is also a direct brake line connecting the passenger side brake caliper to the master cylinder, is it possible for the same master cylinder to release the brakes on the passenger side and not release them on the driver side?

Mustang5L5 · May 16, 2007

Check the caliper to see if it's installed correctly. It could have nothing to do with the caliper and it could be the calipers pins siezed and pressing the inner pad against the rotor when you tighten the caliper onto the spindle.

If worse comes to worse, a reman caliper is under $20 if you want to try that out. I would double check your install though.

tylerdred · May 16, 2007

Mustang5L5 said:
Check the caliper to see if it's installed correctly. It could have nothing to do with the caliper and it could be the calipers pins siezed and pressing the inner pad against the rotor when you tighten the caliper onto the spindle.
/QUOTE]

I've tried reinstalling the caliper five times now just to make sure that everything is on right. When I first install the caliper and tighten it to the spindle, the rotor spins just fine. It's only after I hit the brakes, that the caliper locks on permanently. I'll try puting more lube on the caliper pins, though.

rd · May 16, 2007

If the pads were worn thin, the piston has been travelling in the outer portion of the bore.

When you put new pads on it, you have the piston back on the inner portion of the bore, where it has not run for a while. The bore may be rusty, dirty, etc, and just sticking.

They just seem to do this every now and then.

I would replace the caliper and probably the rubber hose first. If you only have the problem on one side, that, and making sure the slider pins work freely, should fix it.

If you have both sides lock, it may be the master cylinder piston is not returning enough to allow fluid return to the mc resevoir.

Roland69 · May 16, 2007

did you clean and lube the pins, bushings, and the spot where the caliper slides on the caliper mount....just a thing I always do when doing brakes. Sounds like you have a caliper hanging up. I would think the piston is almost siezed or the brake hose is done. the parts are cheap and you might want to replace them....maby both sides if you have a few extra bucks.

tylerdred · May 17, 2007

Thanks everyone - I will do everything you all suggested. I will let you all know what happens!

Brakes locked, someone please help!!

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