2004 Tahoe - sticking rear caliper

Noticed a small grinding noise in the rear right side the other day - took the tahoe in as I figured it probably was about time for new pads. The local Brakes Plus told me my pads were in pretty good shape but I had a sticking caliper ($300ish) which also meant I needed to buy new rotors and pads too. Around $800 is a bit much for what I had in mind. Told me I could just do the pads but the slight pressure would just wear down that right brake a lot faster.

I asked him if he could just take apart the caliper and clean it, etc. - never done one myself but I've heard of a lot of other people doing that. He gave me a wishy-washy answer about how either they didn't do that or it couldn't be done because they don't make parts like they used to. That answer didn't really fill me with confidence, so I said I'd think about it and left without doing anything yet.

Is this something I can do fairly easily myself? If not, any recommendations on a shop in SE Denver Metro? I'd like to start with putting new pads on and trying to clean that caliper to see if I can get it unstuck.

This comes just a couple days within my kids breaking the rear glass liftgate. Apparently after I had just cleaned the car they were thinking it was a good idea to play "hide the whatever" outside in the driveway and my tahoe was a favorite spot until the liftgate broke. Looks like the hinge is epoxied or something to the liftgate and it snapped off, so I'm likely going to need a whole new piece of glass. Sigh.

Bring it up here and i'll walk you through it.

You might need the emergency brake service tool to get that caliper off. If not it's an easy job to replace the caliper.
OR cheap way....

Myself i'd prefer one replaces something that you or a loved ones life depends on.

The mech/tech/wrench gave you that answer for liability , ins reasons. Wouldn't be the first person to say. WELL YOUR REPAIR GUY SAID I COULD DO IT.

A caliper runs $25 - 100+ per from the same autooriellynapaknowhow store the repair places gets them. A dealer gets CERTIFIED FORDGMCMOPAR parts from their warehouse, which buys them from the same place everyone else does, in mexico or parts east.

If you don't have anyone down your way to help, drive up here i'll walk you through it. In the semi heated garage.

I usually find that the caliper slide pins are the culprit. Lots of places condemn the caliper first without checking the slide pins.
Also on a lot of older vehicles the rubber brake hoses collapses on the inside causing a sticky caliper.

I would first check the slide pins and see if they move freely. If they feel sticky, pull the pins out, clean the insides where the pins go with some penetrating oil, wd40 or whatever( I use a bore brush to get the gunk out)
then lube up with brake caliper grease.

To check if your caliper is sticking try to compress the piston in and se if it has a lot of resistance. If it feels like a lot, crack open the bleeder screw and try it again. If it gets easier you have a bad brake hose.
What I usually do when I compress the piston is peel back the rubber boot a bit with a pocket screwdriver and squirt some wd40 around the piston- helps lube up the oring.

To rebuild the caliper its a matter of finding the parts kits for them-o rings and seals.There easy to do.
Of course take the caliper off,take out the bleeder screw,put a block of wood between the piston and caliper where the pads sit-KEEP FINGERS CLEAR- and blow compressed air into the bleeder screw hole till the piston pops out.
Take the old oring and boot off,install the new ones. Also check the inside of the piston bore for rust or scoring.If theres scoring,you might be able to hone it out if it's not to deep.If slightly rusty take some 600grit paper and buff up the inside of bore.Lube up with light grease and re assemble.

Assuming its the 5.3L motor, but advance auto parts has a calipers for $60. Shit i'd buy two, and replace both of them and do a brake fluid flush.

Edit - here's a $50 off $125 coupon that you can use also. http://slickdeals.net/f/7360882-adva...0-off-125-code

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Originally Posted by kwando

Assuming its the 5.3L motor, but advance auto parts has a calipers for $60. Shit i'd buy two, and replace both of them and do a brake fluid flush.

Edit - here's a $50 off $125 coupon that you can use also. http://slickdeals.net/f/7360882-adva...0-off-125-code

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Yeah I think I'm going to do just that. With pads and rotors relatively cheap, I think I'll just do the whole deal at once. With the weather warming up slightly, I'm a bit more brave than I was during the middle of the cold weather last week.. :)

Unless anybody has any other suggestions, I'll probably grab the AAP house brand calipers w/ brackets (SLC650+SLC651), house wearever rotors (can't tell the difference between YH145441 and YH145282 yet) and the wagner thermoquiet ceramic pads because I've heard good things about them...

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Originally Posted by Brian

Yeah I think I'm going to do just that. With pads and rotors relatively cheap, I think I'll just do the whole deal at once. With the weather warming up slightly, I'm a bit more brave than I was during the middle of the cold weather last week.. :)

Unless anybody has any other suggestions, I'll probably grab the AAP house brand calipers w/ brackets (SLC650+SLC651), house wearever rotors (can't tell the difference between YH145441 and YH145282 yet) and the wagner thermoquiet ceramic pads because I've heard good things about them...

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i'd go with anything other than ceramic, unless you like replacing rotors more often. Especially if you're in a lot of stop n go traffic. YMMV

ok fair enough, can get OEM AC Delco semi-metallics for $75 on amz
$200 - 30% at AAP for the calipers and rotors

With tax etc. I should be $225, which is considerably less than I've been quoted so far. If it were only a little bit warmer... or I had insulated the garage. :)

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Originally Posted by Brian

ok fair enough, can get OEM AC Delco semi-metallics for $75 on amz
$200 - 30% at AAP for the calipers and rotors

With tax etc. I should be $225, which is considerably less than I've been quoted so far. If it were only a little bit warmer... or I had insulated the garage. :)

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Until you need to work in the shop for a prolonged period, you never pay attention to how cold it really is. Sunday morning 2* the shop was @ 37* unheated. 35 min later 49 once i fired up the 28K propane unit, with 1 ground and 2 ceiling fans it warms up fast.

A "sticking caliper" can also be caused by a bad flexible brake line on that corner (inside collapse- creates a one way valve in the line), although the caliper pins are a more common culprit.

I HATE semi-metallic pads though. (noise, dust, life) My opinion. I use ceramic. Organic if you like to spend money and track your SUV.

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Originally Posted by 00tec

I HATE semi-metallic pads though. (noise, dust, life) My opinion. I use ceramic. Organic if you like to spend money and track your SUV.

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If original brakes are worn out, the rotors can be turned usually once on most vehicles.
By switching to ceramic brake, your pads will last longer and will indeed cut your rotors harder, but by the time you need new brakes you will have needed new rotors anyway.

BTW a lot of new vehicles are coming with ceramic brakes as OEM. Less fade and actually get more aggressive when hot.

There are still applications for organics and semi-metallic where they are best. There are brands that are certainly better in certain applications/makes/models as well.
Ceramic have their place as well as organic and semi-metallic. When in doubt about your particular application... there are lots of people out there to reach out to either in person or on the web to find what is working best for a particular vehicle make, model and year.

As far as most dust nothing compares to Carbon-Metallics. The same that were used on the Space Shuttle and on 90's GM trucks. Black soot everywhere, but the only pad that would last longer than 3500 miles... even became the OEM pad after 2 years of production and brake issues in the 90's trucks. Anybody else remember Performance Friction Carbon Metallic pads?