Seaway Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 My left front caliper is seized. Again. I just replaced it about 1500 miles ago and this morning on my drive in to work I noticed the car pulling a bit to the left when I braked. I checked the caliper when I got to work and it was hot, while the other three were not. Is there a reason that a caliper would continue to seize on one side of the car, or is it just bad luck? The caliper is a rebuilt ATE from Autozone. Also, how do I keep the brake fluid from leaking out when I replace the caliper? The last time I did it, I made a bit of a mess. The only upside to this is that it is a pretty good excuse to put some Akebono pads on and put an end to the incredible amounts of brake dust the stock pads generate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 I have had better luck with used calipers from the wrecking yard, than rebuilt ones. I have had more than a few that have done as yours. I was able to prolong their life by exercising them. You need to put an old set of pads in it and then to the best of your ability, completely compress it and then step on the brake and bring the pistons out. I started off with a large screw driver to compress a little and then moved up to a very large wrench. I had someone stepping on the brake and then I would angle the wrench to open it up. I did that until it moved freely. I even had problems with rebuilt calipers from FCP. This was the best I could do with my limited tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaway Posted June 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 I was afraid of that...probably explains why they are so cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikich Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 How old are the hoses? I've had a hose fail internally. Looked okay on the outside, inside it acted almost like a one way valve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaway Posted June 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 The hoses are about a year old and look very good. There was virtually zero corrosion on the fitting when I did the front caliper 2 months ago. The rubber looks good, of course inside could be another story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cupdriver91 Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 How old is your brake fluid? It can have moisture in it if it's too old.I buy rebuilt calipers and they work fine.Not sure what you mean buy cheap they'er $125.00 each.Why always the same one,are the others still original?Are you bleeding the new one properly or leaving air in it which would cause a problem,Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran9690 Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 I've seen aftermarket rebuilt calipers fail before, more common than you think. Either get some decent looking ones from junk yard or try to see if any auto parts store has new, not rebuilt. Last option is to get Volvo but that's $$$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty Moo Posted June 24, 2015 Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 The caliper is a rebuilt ATE from Autozone. There's the answer . That's the one parts store that I will never buy parts from. I got a rebuilt caliper for my s70 from Advance a few months ago, no issues. $45 after a coupon and some other type of discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdog Posted June 24, 2015 Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 Or just buy a caliper seal kit and rebuild them yourself? I've never bought rebuilt calipers, ever. Yeah it's dirty work but not hard. If need be I could walk you through it. I'd rather rebuild calipers than CV axles, I'll say that much.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaway Posted June 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 How old is your brake fluid? It can have moisture in it if it's too old.I buy rebuilt calipers and they work fine.Not sure what you mean buy cheap they'er $125.00 each.Why always the same one,are the others still original?Are you bleeding the new one properly or leaving air in it which would cause a problem,Hope this helpsI installed the front caliper, then two days later, a shop who owed me a favor (for badly scraping 4 of my wheels while mounting tires) installed all new rear brakes installed (rotors, calipers, pads, parking brake shoes) for nothing but my cost of the parts (all of the parts were from FCP). At this time they did a brake flush and refill with new fluid which I also provided. Rebuilt calipers are about $30 after the core refund, so I am not sure where the $125 price referenced above comes from.I have no pick and pull yards in my area, so running to a junkyard and pulling parts is not really a viable option for me, unfortunately. I also have no interest in rebuilding calipers. I would like to buy the part and put it on and not have to hope I screwed up a seal somewhere. I am sure that is not the popular opinion around here, but I have a kid and a boat and it's summer and I don't really want to spend anymore time in the garage than I have to.I guess I will try my luck with a caliper from FCP as the rears from there are working fine.There's the answer . That's the one parts store that I will never buy parts from. I got a rebuilt caliper for my s70 from Advance a few months ago, no issues. $45 after a coupon and some other type of discount. I didn't realize Advance was a better option than AutoZone, but in the reading I did before buying the caliper, people seemed to have had good luck with the AutoZone calipers. Live and learn, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cupdriver91 Posted June 24, 2015 Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 I installed the front caliper, then two days later, a shop who owed me a favor (for badly scraping 4 of my wheels while mounting tires) installed all new rear brakes installed (rotors, calipers, pads, parking brake shoes) for nothing but my cost of the parts (all of the parts were from FCP). At this time they did a brake flush and refill with new fluid which I also provided. Rebuilt calipers are about $30 after the core refund, so I am not sure where the $125 price referenced above comes from.I have no pick and pull yards in my area, so running to a junkyard and pulling parts is not really a viable option for me, unfortunately. I also have no interest in rebuilding calipers. I would like to buy the part and put it on and not have to hope I screwed up a seal somewhere. I am sure that is not the popular opinion around here, but I have a kid and a boat and it's summer and I don't really want to spend anymore time in the garage than I have to.I guess I will try my luck with a caliper from FCP as the rears from there are working fine.I didn't realize Advance was a better option than AutoZone, but in the reading I did before buying the caliper, people seemed to have had good luck with the AutoZone calipers. Live and learn, I guess.Up here in Canada a good quality rebuilt caliper is $110.00 plus tax gets to $125. There are cheaper places but I believe you get what you pay for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty Moo Posted June 27, 2015 Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 I didn't realize Advance was a better option than AutoZone, but in the reading I did before buying the caliper, people seemed to have had good luck with the AutoZone calipers. Live and learn, I guess.Buying parts off the crackhead down the street is a better option that AutoZone. They sell garbage at normal prices, you can always buy garbage on eBay or something like that and at least pay the garbage price. Unfortunately a caliper is one of those things you don't plan on doing in a few weeks so you have to buy it right when you need it. That's where they win. Advance isn't bad. As much as I don't like chain stores of any kind they always seem to have what I need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cn90 Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 The rebuild kit (seal and boot) is about $12.Get the FTE (or ATE) brand, nothing else. I wrote a detailed procedure for rebuild somewhere in forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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