eb2143
Top Post Dawg
I am on the fence with whether or not to proactively replace an original left rear caliper and would love for someone to sway me one way or the other.
Background:
I recently replaced the rear pads and rotors. Both lower guide pins had frozen and it led to uneven pad wear and squealing noises on right hand sweeping turns and while backing up. On disassembly of left rear (LR), I did not see any definite glazing or obvious signs of a sticking caliper/overheating. The LR parking brake mechanism stuck occasionally in the winter but I believe this was mostly ice and worn out cables.
My question is about the left rear brake caliper with 260,000 miles (last original caliper left on the car): It is building brake dust on wheel at 2x the rate of right rear. After normal driving with light braking, the left rear wheel is warm and the other three wheels are ambient temperature. Again, no obvious signs of strongly dragging caliper such as the characteristic smell. My last tank was 54 mpg, so if the LR is sticking, it isn't often, nor is it clamping with much additional force.
My best guess: Most likely, the LR is doing a disproportionate share of braking under normal use, or b) it sticks intermittently. I know there is strong rear brake bias on these cars for light application, but should there be side-to-side variation? The right rear is a pretty new TRW caliper and it cleans the rotor surface well, so I do not have any reason to suspect it's somehow compromised.
So, should I proactively replace the 260,000 mile LR caliper to avoid premature wear on new pads and rotors?
PS: The LR does seem a bit beat up in that it was much more difficult to reset the piston than the RR (yes, I'm using the Metalnerd tool); also, the external rubber seal twisted WITH the piston, which it isn't supposed to do.
Background:
I recently replaced the rear pads and rotors. Both lower guide pins had frozen and it led to uneven pad wear and squealing noises on right hand sweeping turns and while backing up. On disassembly of left rear (LR), I did not see any definite glazing or obvious signs of a sticking caliper/overheating. The LR parking brake mechanism stuck occasionally in the winter but I believe this was mostly ice and worn out cables.
My question is about the left rear brake caliper with 260,000 miles (last original caliper left on the car): It is building brake dust on wheel at 2x the rate of right rear. After normal driving with light braking, the left rear wheel is warm and the other three wheels are ambient temperature. Again, no obvious signs of strongly dragging caliper such as the characteristic smell. My last tank was 54 mpg, so if the LR is sticking, it isn't often, nor is it clamping with much additional force.
My best guess: Most likely, the LR is doing a disproportionate share of braking under normal use, or b) it sticks intermittently. I know there is strong rear brake bias on these cars for light application, but should there be side-to-side variation? The right rear is a pretty new TRW caliper and it cleans the rotor surface well, so I do not have any reason to suspect it's somehow compromised.
So, should I proactively replace the 260,000 mile LR caliper to avoid premature wear on new pads and rotors?
PS: The LR does seem a bit beat up in that it was much more difficult to reset the piston than the RR (yes, I'm using the Metalnerd tool); also, the external rubber seal twisted WITH the piston, which it isn't supposed to do.
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