2000 Nissan Maxima - Frozen Caliper/Parking Brake

[dundir]

I'm working on my 2000 Nissan Maxima SE doing a standard pad / rotor replacement for the rear brakes. I get down to the parking brake, making sure its disengaged up front, and find the cable frozen to its bracket after I removed the clip, and also found my caliper is frozen to the caliper bracket. Normally I'd use a C-Clamp to help loosen this piston, but that's not going to work with the rear brakes because the calipers twist in. I used some WD40 and Triflow sparingly on the trouble area of the parking brake cable bracket where the clip goes in with no effect. A 2000 Maxima's return spring arm doesn't have a spot where you can pry it down to release the parking brake without popping the spring out from what I can see. I decided against removing the spring because the gauge of the spring steel used is maybe 1/4" or 1/6" diameter and that carries a decent preload since its a return spring I didn't think I could get it back on without a specialty tool.

Does anyone have any suggestions for either loosening the caliper piston so I can remove the caliper from the caliper bracket, or for removing the parking brake cable from its return spring?
Thanks in advance. - Nathan

Caliper Piston


Parking Brake Cable (Frozen)

[sx moneypit]

I would just remove the cable bracket from the caliper, you then should be able to get the cable off.


Welcome to NICO!


-Ben

[dundir]

Thanks, I did remove the bracket from the caliper but there still wasn't enough play to remove it from the spring arm. I ended up removing that spring as well and that did the trick. The caliper was still stuck solid to the rotor even without mountain screws. My brother and I managed to remove it using a threaded extractor but both calipers did end up needing to be replaced as the pistons were jammed with one not having a boot anymore and the other with half a boot left on it. Replaced brake pads, rotors, and calipers. Then bled the system as the manual says in order from RR, FL RL FR. After test brake system works perfectly but other problems have surfaced now which, at least in my mind are severe. I'll start a different post for that. Thanks for all the help though. - Nathan

[sx moneypit]

Glad you got it straightened out!

[RocketmAAn]

... both calipers did end up needing to be replaced as the pistons were jammed with one not having a boot anymore and the other with half a boot left on it..

sounds like they had aged, but you for the newby like myself, they could appear frozen because the rear calipers can not be "C-Clamped" to retract them. They must be rotated/screwed back into place (an then an indent has to be aligned with the matching stub on the pad.

[NutriaforBreakfast]

BTW I have had caliper pins sticking many times
I use Permatex (little purple ketchup looking packs) rated to 3000 degrees
I still have minor sticking with the pins but not major problems