Stuck Caliper?

So the past few days I have replaced the ball joints, outer axle seals, and front brake pads on the truck. I did the work at a friends house and drove it home tonight. It now feels like the brakes are constantly on... And yes I checked the E-Brake... The truck also pulls hard tho the left when braking. When I got to the house the passenger side was smoking pretty bad. Going to take it back apart later. But I am thinking that it could be a stuck piston in the caliper. But not too sure. Ain't had this happen before. Anybody got any ideas of what it could be?

 

Yea it sounds like the piston is stuck which means it either broke or the hydraulics aren't allowing it to retract.

 

Usually rust develops around the caliper piston and cylinder
sleeve behind the rubber bellows cover and it keeps the piston from retracting.

You could take the caliper piston out and clean the surfaces.
There is a micro honed finish on that caliper piston to cylinder area.
It may just be that the caliper mounting slide pins are stuck.

Had that happen several years ago on my F250.
The right front caliper was stuck.
Smoking hot, managed to get it home 2 1/2 miles from the fuel station.
Caliper slide bolt was also rusted into the caliper, even PB Blaster
and hydraulic press couldn't get it apart.

Replaced both front calipers, both front rotors, brake pads and hardware myself.

Very important to high temp grease the caliper slide pins on reassembly.

 

I know it sounds stupid but did you bleed the brake lines?

 

I'm going to take it apart and clean everything when I get back to the house. Hoping I don't have to replace everything.

No I didn't bleed the lines. Didn't take the lines off so no air should have got in them. Always just pumped the brakes back up and rolled on. But the brakes did feel hard as hell driving it. So I will bleed them if cleaning them don't do it.

 

but see, you had to back your caliper piston to allow for the new brakes to fit, and that will force air into the line. now, if you take off your brake fluid cap in the engine bay and then back off your caliper, this will allow the air to theoretically find a way out. however I have ALWAYS bled my brakes after a job.

 

I see what you are saying and I will bleed them. But don't air in the lines usually make the brakes soft? Them things are anything but soft. Viagra couldn't make them harder than they are now.

 

When pressing the pistons back in it won't get air in the lines if the cap isn't off. But as soon as you take off whatever you're using to compress it the pistons will pop back out. Taking that cap off allows the air in the fluid reservoir to escape so that the pistons will stay compressed. It's just fluid displacement and the only way to get air into your system compressing the calipers is either new caliper, undoing a line or if you flushed your fluid. But he maintained a closed system so no air can flow into the lines.

Sounds like a frozen caliper, you could either get a hone and rebuild it yourself or just buy new ones. Just always replace brake parts in sets of two

 

There isn't air in your lines. The stuck caliper is what's making the brakes so hard. As you press the brakes it can't overcome the frozen caliper so it feels like your pushing a brick wall.

 

That was my thought. I have always just kept the brake system closed and never had any problems not bleeding the lines after replacing pads. But I am still going to give it a shot just in case. Willing to try anything cause I don't really want to put more money into it. Already put a good bit into it this past weekend. But s*** happens. If I got to replace the caliper I will.