how can u tell if your calipers are bad?

 

I don't know.... I give up... The front of the car is dented maybe?


I'm teasing. Betst way to tell right off the bat is the pads have uneven wear and the caliper is not sliding correctly (they call it floating) so one pad wears much quicker than the other. Its in the guide pins and the caliper bushings.

Anther problem is an obvious leakage of fuild showing that the caliper seals are bad.

 

ok ill check it out......i put new pads on.....drove it to the gas station....and the passenger front brakes were smoking...like the caliper was stuck or something.....ever heard or that?

 

Were you hard on them or were they just smoking on their own without really touching the brakes.

Reason why I ask is when you put new pads on they need time to bed to the rotors. If you were too hard on them at first when they were not mated in they probably glazed and began smoking. Best way I can decribe it in visual is almost like rubbing two peice of wood together to make a fire. Without a mated surface you are concentrating the friction on smaller surface area and those samller sections take the blunt of the pressure force thus making heat.

If they just simply were doing it like something is stuck or in there wrong, then obviously you put it back together wrong and it is not releasng properly.

 

i wasnt beating on them.....i was just stoping normally...(i noticed it was really hard to stop though) i then go t out and smelt/saw them buning up....

i believe it isnt releasing properly...i just havent had time to check it out...i def. will take it apart tomorrow...thank you

 

Did you have the rotors turned (retrued on a lath) or did you just try and stick new pads on old unturned rotors.

 

when we put the pads on....we inspected the rotors....they were fine....the caliper is just not releasing...

 

That can definately happen. I had a bad caliper before where it locked up and almost started a fire it was smoking so badly. I had a new one on within the hour, but man that was scary. Check or replace the brake hoses as well if they are old. If the hose on that side has collapsed it could cause a stuck caliper condition. I did recently replaced my hoses with those earl's braided lines, although my originals still worked ok. I did notice much better braking with new hoses and calipers though.

 

Replace the brake hoses, that'll do it.

Ed