Bwilliams Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 Has anybody been through this? I have changed my pads regularly. It started out with the front two about a year ago. Now the rear driver side locked up. Just picked it up for the dealer dreading the fourth. The caliper locks up and the pad grinds against the disc as you drive, destroying the brake disc. Luckily, I'd been through it before and took it in right away before this could happen. The service director said he'd seen it occassionaly on the LS and GS.
eatingupblacktop Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 You don't say how old or the mileage on your car. Have you been servicing the calipers regularly?
Bwilliams Posted January 7, 2009 Author Posted January 7, 2009 172k, 1991. pads changed every 20k roughly. How do you service a caliper?
eatingupblacktop Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 If your pads are lasting only 20k, then either you're heavy on the brakes or you're using aftermarket pads. Here' the htd: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/brake/fbcaliper.html
SRK Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 Caliper piston seizing due to water entry is extremely common on many brands. Japanese dust boots are quite good though, and the rate is somewhat lower. Nonetheless, if a boot admits water, the piston will get rust on it from the caliper bore and seize, especially when the piston is moved back when installing pads. Also the slider pins need to be cleaned and lubed and both sides of my LS have had the slider pins seize. Last time I need oxy-acetylene to free it up. There are many that advise that all calipers should be overhauled whenever new pads are installed. I'm not in that category, but I do "feel" the pistons as I pry them back, and if they are binding, the caliper gets an overhaul.
VBdenny Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 I had one of the rear calipers on my 400 lock up. The dealer wanted almost $300 for the caliper, an ASIAN,. I went to BAP Geon and bought the exact same caliper for $93 and it has a warranty. It also came with brake pads which I threw away. Calipers lock which means that the piston is pushed in and unable to retract. Here is what I think cause this. Your old brake pads are pretty well worn, not much meat left on them. You do the right thing and buy Lexus pads. In order to fit the new pads in and have clearance over the rotor, you have to compress the piston and push it deeper into it's cylinder, which is easily does. The problem is that the rubber boot has been pushed in as well as it should. BUT the part of the boot which has been exposed to years of harsh road exposure and heat conditions is now pushed way up inside just like it was when the car was brand new. Except now it is not. I highly suspect that lubricate the dealer suggested was to lubricate the boot. I would suggest that anyone who can, do it themselves and take the time to clean and lubricate the boot prior to compressing the piston to accomadate the new pads. I haven't had a problem since and that was 4 years ago.
lenore Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 Caliper piston seizing due to water entry is extremely common on many brands. Japanese dust boots are quite good though, and the rate is somewhat lower. Nonetheless, if a boot admits water, the piston will get rust on it from the caliper bore and seize, especially when the piston is moved back when installing pads. Also the slider pins need to be cleaned and lubed and both sides of my LS have had the slider pins seize. Last time I need oxy-acetylene to free it up. There are many that advise that all calipers should be overhauled whenever new pads are installed. I'm not in that category, but I do "feel" the pistons as I pry them back, and if they are binding, the caliper gets an overhaul. Maybe the dealer is missing the boat, You may just have a bad flex brake line going to the caliper, a friend of mine had exactly what you experienced on a GMC truck.. We replaced the calipers, disks, pads...New disc wiped out and warped. The wheel was noticeably hotter on one side of the car than the other. The lines would bleed, but something wasnt right. Replaced the Flexable rubber brake lines and problem was fixed. Apparently when you applied the brakes that worked fine, but they would not release. The rubber in the hose had expanded and the peddle pressure would force fluid thru them but not release or release very slowly.....since the car is very old that may be exactly your problem... The lines are not expensive and would probably be well worth while replacing.
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