Brakes are sticking.

[Cowboy5]

I have a 72 Chevy 4wd. I recently put on brake pads on the front. Well the pad on the drivers side was grabbing the rotor and not releasing the pressure. I have tried to bleed them off. I tried to bleed the proportioning valve. I am going to try and replace the caliper to see if that is the issue, but don't want to replace it and that not be the problem. Anyone have any suggestions.

And by the way I want to thank VetteVet for all the help. He is a very knowledgeable person when it comes to repairing motor vehicles. He helped me get all the lights working. And for me to do electrical is amazing. Thanks Dude.

[geezer#99]

Likely sticky caliper. Pull it off, squeeze the piston back gently with a big channel lock pliers, put the caliper back on and gently squeeze the pedal down. You might need to do that a couple times. Could save replacing the calipers.

[cdowns]

make sure the caliper slides on the rails and is not all rusty and wont let the caliper slide in and out freely

[Wrenchbender Ret]

It is very likely the hose on that side is swollen up on the inside blocking the return of the fluid.

[motorcritter]

Flush the brake fluid- you'd be a surprised at how nasty it can get! Check both calipers, for deterioration and/or sticking pistons, and if the hoses have cracking on the outer layer, they're probably starting to break down inside. Check the old pads and see if there's uneven/abnormal wear on them, right vs. left and inner vs outer. Old brake systems can get very ugly- the neglect can be dangerous. Good luck and don't skimp on brakes- no matter how much it costs to fix, it's still cheaper than using someone else's vehicle to stop with!

[mgchevyparts]

All of the above

[Hubscrub]

last time i had that problem it was the hose

[Tx Firefighter]

I put my money on the hoses. If they're original, they're 42 years old. They swell shut internally and hold pressure on the caliper.

[Cowboy5]

Thanks everyone never even occurred to me to check the hose. The caliper on the passenger side is OK but the drivers side the piston goes out but don't go back in. I think i will just replace it all just to be on the safe side. LMC is going to be really happy when i call.

[brad_man_72]

Local parts store should have what you need.

[Tx Firefighter]

....or Rockauto.

LMC is quite over priced on things that you can get through normal parts channels.

[VetteVet]

I googled your problem and there are lots of videos on brake calipers.

Here is one of the best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...UqTgYgd0Mk#t=4

[Cape Codder]

Sometimes when you put new pads on the piston is further in the bore than it has been. If the inner part of the bore has crude it can stick, especially with alluminum calipers used on some cars. I now just lightly pump the brake with the caliper off the spindle and pads out till the piston pops out. Clean and sand the piston and bore with 1000 grit paper lube with clean fluid and push it back in. As long as the seal is good and it doesn't leak you have just done what a rebuilder does. Change the fluid when done.

[dbelanger24]

great info on rebuilding the piston yourself. And with my experience RockAuto is always cheaper and carry a wealth of parts.

[Cowboy5]

can i use the hoses and calipers off any later year chevy 4x4

[Cowboy5]

Well brakes fixed everyone. Brake caliper was only 17.00 at AutoZone so why not. Works good now thanks for all the good advice.

[slikside]

Old thread, I know. But I have a similar situation, only mine is rear drum:

Rear brakes dragging after backing down sloped driveway, and still drag for some time there after...

Full brake system resto 11 years ago. from pedal to pads. Vacuum booster and MC were overhauled, new brake lines installed. Front calipers rebuilt. All new drum hardware and wheel cylinders installed. New hoses all around.

Haven't changed the fluid since. Waaay overdue for that I know. System has worked fine until this dragging issue.

My question: Could a brake fluid flush alone possibly correct this problem?

I know hoses can swell on the inside and not release the pressure, so if I start guessing at what parts to replace, the rear hose would be my first option, but I'd rather not guess at all. Thinking of flushing first and going from there. What'ya think?

[HO455]

When you are sure the brake is dragging loosen the bleeder. If you get fluid spraying out under pressure then the hose is bad and it is trapping pressure in the line.
If the fluid just oozes out then something mechanical is keeping the shoes applied.
It is unlikely a brake fluid flush would fix this or if it helped it wouldn't be a permanent fix. Flushing the fluid is preventive maintenance not corrective maintenance.
Good luck and I hope my opinions will help you.

[slikside]

Originally Posted by HO455

When you are sure the brake is dragging loosen the bleeder. If you get fluid spraying out under pressure then the hose is bad and it is trapping pressure in the line.
If the fluid just oozes out then something mechanical is keeping the shoes applied.
It is unlikely a brake fluid flush would fix this or if it helped it wouldn't be a permanent fix. Flushing the fluid is preventive maintenance not corrective maintenance.
Good luck and I hope my opinions will help you.

Thanks, HO455. That's a great idea. I'll give that a shot first!

Probably just wishful thinking on my part that a brake flush would do the trick. But that will also get done before this is wrapped up.

Thanks again!

[LockDoc]

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If you don't drive it much and the system has some moisture in it the wheel cylinders will rust inside and start to seize up.

LockDoc

[slikside]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

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If you don't drive it much and the system has some moisture in it the wheel cylinders will rust inside and start to seize up.

LockDoc

Makes sense, and a real possibility, as I don't drive it often. Thanks Leon!