Front Brake Locked Up

[justin97]

well i had a front right brake calpier to lock up which cause a small fire nothing was harmed.

but i guess i need brake pads, rotor and maybe a new caliper?

about how much is a caliper?

what causes it to lock up?

[tckcumming]

well i had a front right brake calpier to lock up which cause a small fire nothing was harmed.

Awesome!! Brake fires can be pretty impressive. Any pictures?

what causes it to lock up?

Lots of things can cause this... mostly from lack of attention/maintenance.

The caliper slides laterally on 2 little pins protected by some rubber boots. Water & crud can get in if the boots are worn or ripped, rust results, pins stick in place and don't allow the caliper to move. Pads rub on rotor, result = increased friction, increased heat, smoke, then flames. Cool!

The caliper has a single piston inside it that pushes the pads onto the rotor. The more you push the brake pedal, the more pressure and friction (and heat) the caliper and rotor create. When you take your foot off the pedal, the pressure is relieved, caliper stops squeezing the pads on the rotor, and the rotor cools off until the next time you need to use the brakes. Due to lack of maintenance or attention, the piston in the caliper can stick because of rust or crud buildup or moisture in the brake fluid, keeping the pads in contact with the rotor even when you're not pressing the brake pedal. Pads rub on rotor, etc. etc, result = same as above.

By the way, don't just replace one set of rotors/pads - ALWAYS replace both sides at the same time. Don't mess with brakes, just install new - both sides - front rotors-calipers-pads. Expect a pretty hefty bill, but be sure to shop around because prices can vary alot from place to place. Have the shop check the wheel bearing on the side that had the fire, I've seen cases where the heat buildup has caused the grease in the bearing to melt and ruined the bearing in short order.

One more thing - get ALL the brake fluid changed when you have the brake work done. Be sure you tell the shop to do this, they won't unless you tell them to (they'll just bleed the air out, leaving most of the old fluid still in the system. This is bad.). You might want to have the rear brakes checked at the same time.

Don't do a half-assed partial job when you're dealing with the brake system. Spend the cash and get it done right. The peace of mind is worth the expense.

tck...

[steviej]

look deep on this one. Check brake lines, ABS, trac control and wheel speed sensors. Make sure the heat didn't transfer and pop your hub seal, ball joints and anything else rubber in the area.

I had this happen on my SSEi in April of 2002. The pads wore down to metal, friction heated up the axle shaft. The hub grease boiled and blew the seal. The brake line melted and then caught fire.

We ended up replacing everything from the pads, caliper, rotor, lines, sensor, half shalf, hub/bearing assembly.

I have seen this happen when a caliper sticks. Very common cause is poor technique by a mechanic. Rather than hang a caliper properly, they let it dangle by the brake line. This can crimp a brake line and make the return harder for the fluid, thus the caliper stays in the closed postion keeping the pads against the rotors. Hence a major increase in friction and heat. I have also seen this same scenario occur when a mechanic clamps off a brake line with a pair of vise grips to save time.

good luck.

steviej

[Toysrme]

Ive not encountered this much on these cars.

The last time I remember running across one in person, it was an oddball thing. A t100 had a stuck caliper because, as it wound up, during something like a fuel filter change, somebody somewhat pinched one of the steel brake lines.

I remember it giving me aweful trouble. I replaced everything, took a 5 min drive after bleeidng it & I could smell a brand new pad starting to heat up.

*edit*

Took me forever to find the problem... It was up in the engine bay. Sheesh... Looking back, I was lucky to just see it, or I'd still be looking for that one!?

[justin97]

no pictures, i letting a family member drive it while their car was in the shop. i think the car was *BLEEP*ed casue someone else was driving her.

but lexxie is a dirty lil !Removed! :)

yeha i am gonna replace the two rotors caliper and pads. i let a shop change the rotors and pads about a years ago. but who knows. i just last month changed the rear pads, so who knows.