Rear brake lockup - Caliper?

Digitalchaos

Registered User
I have been having a problem with my rear brake periodically locking up. Sometimes it will simply not fully disengauge and slightly increase temperature, and at one point it dragged long enough to heat the rotor orange.

I immediately thought the caliper pins might have been frozen, so I checked them yesterday. Both boots were intact and the pins were adequately lubricated, moving freely.

After seeing this, I reassembled. There was a firmer feeling in the brake pedal after this, and the parking brake worked much better.

What else could cause the brake to freeze? Could the piston inside the caliper be locking up and not disengauging completely when the hydralic pressure is released?

If it is the caliper, what aftermarket upgrades are available for the rear (stock size rotors)?

Thanks everyone!
 
Just an idea. Maybe the parking brake is not releasing. You can check if its loose by blocking the front wheels, putting the transmission in neutral, and raising the rear wheel slightly and seeing if it the wheel turns freely by hand with little effort. If it seems OK, try not using the parking brake and see if the problem comes back.
 
TbirdSCFan - I did almost exactly this when I was looking at the pins.. except I only lifted the left rear as there was no jack point to lift the entire back end.

The wheel did not really spin freely, though I figured it was the differential?

Where would the ebrake cable be locking up so I can check and repair if necessary? I had this thought before.

Also, does the ebrake attach a cable to both rear calipers, or just the left? I noticed when attempting to reinstall the left rear caliper over the rotor the cable was making it noticeably difficult to position correctly...
 
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Digitalchaos said:
TbirdSCFan - I did almost exactly this when I was looking at the pins.. except I only lifted the left rear as there was no jack point to lift the entire back end.

The wheel did not really spin freely, though I figured it was the differential?...
Thats basically correct. 2 wheels off the ground is better, but 1 wheel's enough. What you're looking for is the feeling that the brake isn't dragging as you turn the wheel. It should move both directions with modest effort and the pads should make a bit of a scrapping sound.
Where would the ebrake cable be locking up so I can check and repair if necessary? I had this thought before.

Also, does the ebrake attach a cable to both rear calipers, or just the left? I noticed when attempting to reinstall the left rear caliper over the rotor the cable was making it noticeably difficult to position correctly...
Don't know for sure, but the Haynes manual shows a lever which is pulled by the cable that appears to push the pads out. A coiled spring returns the lever to its normal position. If that lever is rusty, it could be holding the pads out. The cable looks like it just slips over the lever and is removed with pliers.
Hope this helps.
 
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