i have a problem. i went to midas to have my brakes inspected for free, and they tell me one of the calipers is sticking. my question is this:
can i have the caliper rebuilt? will rebuilding it solve the caliper sticking problem? also, they say its just the one caliper (driver's side rear) but im wondering if the brake line has just calapsed on that side? is there some way to diagnose the problem exactly? the brakes screech when depressed AND when not depressed. if i depress the brakes a little (while moving), the sound goes away. any advise is welcome. thank you.
mike
*edit* sorry, forgot the vitals. 1998 Nissan 240sx SE non ABS. 93k miles, automatic transmission, located in Arizona. I bought the car used, and was told there are aftermarket autozone brake pads on the car currently.
the midas guy said that the driver's side rear brake pad has signifcantly more wear vs. the others. perhaps this is how they diagnosed the sticking caliper problem? i just want to kno if its a brake line, caliper, or whatever else. thanks again.
brake caliper sticking?
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Touchdown038
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most of the seizing I have seen in nissan calipers is a result of the guide pins seizing in their bores and not the piston itself. Also I would seriously consider getting a second opinion on your situation Midas is notorious for selling calipers on their "free" brake inspections. I have lost trake of how many cars have come to us while still under warrenty saying midas told them their calipers were leaking or stuck. Honestly as many as I have seen I am suprised the California BAR hasent gotten involved. I would suggest getting a second opinion at a dealer. there are offers for free 27 point inspections with an oil change. oil change is like 15 to 30 bucks.
ok, ill have a dealer inspect it. there is one locally that does "free" brake inspections as well. should i be wary of what they advise? ill be having them do some work as well.
i had them inspect the vehicle before i bought it (used) roughly 3 weeks ago. they said the crank seal was leaking and that should be replaced. they also said the belts were cracking (this has been verified by myself) and offered to change the belts for free (free labor that is) when i change the crank seal since the belts need to come off anyways to do that. changing the crank seal is something id rather have a dealer do because it has to do with the crank, and i dont have adequate tools to do that. and might as well let them change the belts too.
on a side note, is the leaking of my crank seal a significant problem to require 2 hrs labor? the whole job will cost me roughly $200 for labor and parts ($45 for belts
)
ill have them inspect the brakes and calipers and will request a thorough explaination of why the brakes are squeeking when they are not depressed and moving. any more advice?
i had them inspect the vehicle before i bought it (used) roughly 3 weeks ago. they said the crank seal was leaking and that should be replaced. they also said the belts were cracking (this has been verified by myself) and offered to change the belts for free (free labor that is) when i change the crank seal since the belts need to come off anyways to do that. changing the crank seal is something id rather have a dealer do because it has to do with the crank, and i dont have adequate tools to do that. and might as well let them change the belts too.
on a side note, is the leaking of my crank seal a significant problem to require 2 hrs labor? the whole job will cost me roughly $200 for labor and parts ($45 for belts
)ill have them inspect the brakes and calipers and will request a thorough explaination of why the brakes are squeeking when they are not depressed and moving. any more advice?
in most cases the dealer is much more trust worthy primarily because the basis of their buisness is not the service department but the sales end. But in some cases you could have a couple amature techs in the shop that will pull a midas on ya. thing is if they come to the same conclusion as midas then you can feel reassured there must be a problem. Seen how they did the free inspection 3 weeks ago and said nothing about the brakes I would say they probably wont find anything this time either. I generally charge an hour and a half to do a crank seal but 2 hrs isnt bad labor times very slightly. I do believe that your crank seal is leaking since it is pretty common on the 240. Your brake squeek sounds as if it is on the sensors in combination with possible glazed rotors and pads. when they machine the rotors and replace the pads it will eliminate the squeek [as long as its the axel [front or rear]that the squeek eminates from].
thank you NISTECH.
the squeeking has to be coming from the brakes because when im moving and i hear the squeeking, i depress the brakes slightly and the sound goes away.
right now ive stopped pulling up the ebrake, and it seems the sound is being relieved somewhat. so perhaps is a combination of things... i dont know.
in any case, i will have the dealership check out the car and report back on their findings. thanks.
the squeeking has to be coming from the brakes because when im moving and i hear the squeeking, i depress the brakes slightly and the sound goes away.
right now ive stopped pulling up the ebrake, and it seems the sound is being relieved somewhat. so perhaps is a combination of things... i dont know.
in any case, i will have the dealership check out the car and report back on their findings. thanks.
update:
car is at the dealership now. the crank seal and belts have been replaced. and upon further inspection of the rear brakes, it appears the previous owner did not install the brake hardware kit along with the pads (ie, no shims!) thus leading to the current brake pads floating in the caliper. thus the calipers are NOT sticking (midas sucks boo!) and the problem should be remedied soon. thanks NISTECH for your suggestion. $200 for a rear brake job (fluid, turning rotors, etc) and a hardware kit. much better than the $1k estimate i received from midas.
NISTECH, can you explain what the service rep meant by "floating brake pad" ie when there is no hardware kit?
car is at the dealership now. the crank seal and belts have been replaced. and upon further inspection of the rear brakes, it appears the previous owner did not install the brake hardware kit along with the pads (ie, no shims!) thus leading to the current brake pads floating in the caliper. thus the calipers are NOT sticking (midas sucks boo!) and the problem should be remedied soon. thanks NISTECH for your suggestion. $200 for a rear brake job (fluid, turning rotors, etc) and a hardware kit. much better than the $1k estimate i received from midas.
NISTECH, can you explain what the service rep meant by "floating brake pad" ie when there is no hardware kit?
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Touchdown038
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dont worry about it... you didnt see the car and look at it. you made your best judgement from reading a description. i thank you sincerely for taking the time out of your day to read this and try to be as helpful as possible. perhaps your's doesnt need shims because its an 89 and mine is a 98? maybe nissan changed the brakes somewhere between those 9 years, im not sure. however, i am sure that '98 240sx will need shims in order for the brakes to be quiet. well, somewhat sure.
midas, however, put my car on a lift, took off the wheels, and did a full visual inspection and came to the conclusion that i needed a new caliper, and went ahead and estimated a $1k fixing fee.
thank you for your help and effort. thanks, but no thanks, to midas for their help and effort.
midas, however, put my car on a lift, took off the wheels, and did a full visual inspection and came to the conclusion that i needed a new caliper, and went ahead and estimated a $1k fixing fee.
thank you for your help and effort. thanks, but no thanks, to midas for their help and effort.
at the top and bottom of the pad there is hardware attached to the pad holder part of the caliper,these peices of hardware are used to keep the pad tightly squeezed in the holder but also allow them to slide freely on the smooth surface of the hardware. If it is missing the pad will shift up and down when braking. the shim partion of the hardware is on the metal side of the pad and is generally coated with PBC grease(nissan brake lube) the shims in combination with the PBC grease prevents brake squeek. I see several cars come in missing the shims but almost never see them missing the glide hardware. that is a sign of a very inexperianced person working on the car. With that hardware missing it can also cause uneven pad wear.
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Touchdown038
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