Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange
Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [brake-calipers]

Hydraulic device that compresses brake pads against spinning brake discs in order to create a higher friction co-efficient to reduce a vehicles forward or rearward motion.

Image of Brake Calipers

The brake caliper below is depicted with red lettering. This brake caliper is being used in an automotive application.

enter image description here

128 questions
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Change calipers on both sides?

Four months ago, I had a seized brake in the front left. The slide bearing was stuck and the outer pad was worn more than the inner (at the piston). I wasn't able to move the journals of the bearing by hand and used a tool to get it moving…
sweber
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Brakes make a "POP" sound and then I can't brake

I have a 1998 Honda Accord. I am driving today and I know that I need new brakes. They make a metal on metal screeching sound when I brake. Today as I go to brake at an intersection I hear a loud pop and my brakes stop working. I was able to avoid…
Oscar Aguilera
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What grade of bolts should I use for motorcycle brake hardware?

I'm setting up a motorcycle front end from used parts, and some of the mounting bolts were not included. The same bolt is used both for mounting the calipers to the forks, and mounting the brake discs to the wheel hub. I've found the size and part…
Christopher Hunter
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How should I remove paint from calipers?

I have a set of STI brake calipers that I'm interested in refinishing. From the factory, they come with a black finish and white lettering. What is the best way to remove the existing finish so that I can repaint them how I want?
Azhdeen
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What is this piece of metal at my caliper?

This is the new caliper for my rear left wheel as seen from above, also when it's mounted to the car: The cable of the parking brake is attached to the hook at the lower right, and the housing is hold by the angle bracket to the upper right, which…
sweber
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Are DIY store bolts okay for critical components?

I managed to turn a routine brake job into a bit of a minor nightmare by having one of the calliper bracket bolts break off. One bit is stuck inside the calliper bracket. I don't know exactly why it happened -- I think because the lack of space my…
Ben
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How do parking brakes acting on disc brakes work?

My car has disc brakes in the rear, and the calipers have a small lever, which is pulled by the parking brake cable. (The parking brake uses the discs, so there is no additional drum or similar.) When resetting the pistons, they also have to be…
sweber
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If I am replacing a brake caliper should I also put in a new rotor, even if the existing one is in spec?

One of my front brake calipers is sticky and needs to be replaced. What else should be done while the caliper is out?
Neuromancer
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What type of Brake Lube to use

I am going to do a DIY brake job on my car and am trying to sort out how to lube everything. I found this helpful list of places to lube: What brake components need to be lubricated? but it does not mention what type of lubes to use. On my car, the…
Charles L.
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2000 Chevrolet Silverado brakes dragging, 4 new rotors, 4 sets of pads, new e-brake shoes, new front calipers

I recently replaced myself or had replaced all pads, all rotors, front calipers, rear guide pins and brackets, rear brake shoes, and rear e-brake hardware, as well as the e-brake cable on my 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4WD (4.8L). After the front…
StephenH
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Brakes Slipping/malfunctioning

I recently got in a car accident because my brakes failed to work. It felt as if when I pressed them, they had slipped. I tested the brakes after-the-fact to see what the problem was, and this problem happened 2/5 times I pressed the brakes. The…
Mena Labib
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When to replace the brake calipers

How do you know if you need the calipers replaced? I took my SUV in for servicing and was told my calipers needed to be replaced along with my brake pads and rotors. I knew the brake pads were going because there was a grinding kind of noise when…
user2471
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What is compromised with rebuilt calipers?

I'm looking at upgrading the brakes on my vehicle with a larger set. As such, I'm looking at calipers and came across a set that were rebuilt. Specifically, the calipers have had helicoils installed on some mount holes, and some bleed screws were…
Azhdeen
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Is PTFE (Teflon) tape safe to use on brake bleeder valves?

There is a thread on the chemical composition of PTFE tape (Teflon tape) here: Master cylinder leak but my question is, will PTFE tape stand up to the heat generated by front disc brakes? Or, will the heat generated melt it and just make a messy…
cdunn
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How much disc brake drag is acceptable?

As far as I know brake pads are supposed to maintain slight contact with the rotor at all times. As usually the only thing pushing the piston back after braking is flex of the square cut seal around the piston (which has quite a short travel path),…
I have no idea what I'm doing
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