Guest 2steppa Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Noticed the car was 'dragging' on deceleration today and also seemed to be (well, was) using more fuel than normal. Turns out the drivers side front brake has semi jammed and was almost at the point of glowing! Stopped let it cool and then sprayed (rightly or wrongly) some WD40 into the caliper to try and free it and get me home. Well, it freed off seemingly, and I set off carefully on the road home. Half way (about 5 miles up the road) it all went belly up again and started dragging so I slowed right down and managed to get home, albeit greeted by a horrible smell when I got out of the car! Anyway, what all this boils down to is (for a fairly unambitious home mechanic) what has actually gone wrong, and how costly/difficult is it to sort? I sprayed some more WD40 into it a while ago and am letting it soak in for a few hours in the vain hope it may help. Thanks for enduring this tedious post and hopefully someone can advise! Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest varnie3i Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 It sounds like the piston is sticking to me. the cheapest fix would be to remove the pad and re-fiting caliper with out any pads then try to force it back, then once it has gone back ( after much sweating) get someone to slowly pump the pedal until it comes out to roughly it's normal position. then repeat the process a couple of times. this should work for a few months but ultimately your going to need a new caliper. On another note NEVER spray wd40 onto brakes as it eats the rubber seals in the workings and the hoses leading to a possible fatal failure due to leaking fluid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lee81 Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Get a pair of recon calipers. There prity cheap. Also make sure you get new pads and discs to go with them as yours will be nackered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gavintwopies Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 i'd take this as the perfect time to upgrade a little and up to the next size of cailpers ie rs-turbo or ifyou wheels are big enough 300mm set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest s6boy1979 Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Def the caliper seized up, depending on how good you are with a spanner you can buy a referb kit and give the calipers a over haul, buy another caliper or if you go for an upgrade the RS ones are a good start, they are 260mm by the way and you will need calipers, carriers, pads and discs. It is a good upgrade as I have done this. You can go bigger, 300mm which are cosworth brakes and will fit under 15 inch rims Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 2steppa Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Cheers guys, uncle is visiting soon so we'll probably tackle this together. Sounds like new (or recon) calipers are definitely on the cards then.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest s6boy1979 Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 If you get new or recons def go bigger it's not worth the money buying the same size. If on a budget get second hand ones which will get you mobile until you can get bigger brakes. Second hand are easy to get, I have 2 pairs in the garage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dave29 Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 If you get new or recons def go bigger it's not worth the money buying the same size. If on a budget get second hand ones which will get you mobile until you can get bigger brakes. Second hand are easy to get, I have 2 pairs in the garage just a thought but it could be a duff brake hose. mine colapsed inside causing the brakes to bind when driving n they stunk lol.i thought it was a siezed caliper so i bought a new one n turned out to be the hose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest s6boy1979 Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Could be ive not heard of it that much, go for a nice set of braided lines lol, could be worth getting another line too make sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escortrs2000.co.uk Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 (edited) Sounds like a seized caliper. When mine seized on my RST I took the opportunity to upgrade them to cosworth 4x4 callipers and 2wd disks (283mm). I did a "how to" on passionford. Not too expensive, plus it'll all fit under 15" ford alloys. Take a look: http://passionford.com/forum/ford-escort-rs-turbo/163892-how-to-upgrade-to-cossie-brakes.html Lee Edited October 15, 2010 by escortrs2000.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest varnie3i Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 (edited) just a thought but it could be a duff brake hose. mine colapsed inside causing the brakes to bind when driving n they stunk lol.i thought it was a siezed caliper so i bought a new one n turned out to be the hose. good point. The easiest way to check if it's the hose or caliper is to clamp off the hose, then crack the bleed nipple off and try to push the piston back. if it goes back it's most likely the hose, if not its the caliper. Edited October 16, 2010 by varnie3i Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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