Got Myself One Of Those Sticking Calipers For Xmas!

[andy m w]

thought recent MPG had been declining but put it down to winter temps , anyhow , just been out & pulled into leaf strewn car park , pulling slowly forward to park i noticed a gravel noise under passenger front wheel & sure enough , after jacking car up cannot spin front wheel ,drivers side spins fine

IS 300 ? are they the same calipers as the 200 ? car has 53k on , should i try the strip down & lube before purchasing new caliper ?

cheers

[dave1]

thought recent MPG had been declining but put it down to winter temps , anyhow , just been out & pulled into leaf strewn car park , pulling slowly forward to park i noticed a gravel noise under passenger front wheel & sure enough , after jacking car up cannot spin front wheel ,drivers side spins fine

IS 300 ? are they the same calipers as the 200 ? car has 53k on , should i try the strip down & lube before purchasing new caliper ?

cheers

Strip & clean/lube first before buying anything. Lexus Coventry wanted £50 corner to do strip/clean/lube my calipers and said it would save buying new calipers.....although I think it's just the sliders that cause the problem of sticking calipers. Mine actually freed themselves off and have caused no problems since (2yrs). I don't think the mileage is anything to do with it though, more age/weather related. Mine has only done 60k but was on 50k when mine were sticking.. Same problem on my old GS300 Sport when it had 120k on clock.

[andy m w]

thanks dave , ,will get them rubbed down & lubed

[Lance]

Take my advice and buy the caliper seal kit. It's only about £30 for the seals to do both sides and if you are gonna go to the bother of taking the caliper apart you may as well put new seals and dust boot on as that's generally where the problem is.

Brillo Pads do a great job in cleaning all the rust and crud out of the grooves and 800 grit wet and dry paper does a great job on getting the piston shiny and sliding freely. Make sure everything is rinsed well with water and dry as a bone before reassembly. Gently heat with a heat gun or place on a radiator for an hour or two. Coat the pistons and seals with brake fluid when putting them back together.

If you don't have compressed air to get the piston out then the best way is to take the caliper off and pump the pedal until they pop out then just trap the brake line off with mole grips. If one piston is free and the other is sticking you may need a G Clamp to hold the free one in the caliper so the pressure will pop the sticking one out. A plastic tub you get your Chinese Takeaway in is the job to hold under the caliper to catch the pistons and the brake fluid that will dump out once the piston comes out.

I hope this helps!

[andy m w]

yea , sure it will help when i pass info to my trusted spannerman ;) where,s best place to get the seal kit ?

[Lance]

A spannerman is the job for keeping the hands clean!!

You get the seal kits from here: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Bigg-Red-Ltd

Have used them myself and can vouch for the quality.

[CARPARTS]

edited for advertising