5 SYMPTOMS OF A BAD BRAKE CALIPER
PURPOSE
The purpose of the brake caliper is to compress the brake pads onto the rotor to stop the car. When you press on the brake pedal, hydraulic fluid is passed from the master cylinder through the brake lines into the caliper on each wheel. The hydraulic fluid then pressurizes the caliper to compress the brake pads on each side of the rotor to stop the car.
location
The brake calipers will typically be mounted on the rotor, behind the wheels. If your car has drum brakes, it won’t have brake calipers, it will have a wheel brake cylinder, instead.
symptoms
DRAGGING BRAKES
The first symptom of a bad brake caliper is dragging brakes. It will feel as if someone is holding down the brakes slightly. This is caused by a faulty rear caliper piston that is constantly engaged.
CAR PULLING TO ONE SIDE
The second symptom of a faulty brake caliper is your car pulling to one side when driving. This happens when the caliper piston or caliper sliding pins are seized either on the right or the left side of the front wheels. As a result, the brake pads will be in friction with the rotor at all times. The rotor that’s affected will get very hot. In some situations, you might even see it smoking.
LEAKING BRAKE FLUID
The third symptom you could be experiencing is leaking brake fluid. You’ll notice that the brake reservoir will be low on fluid. There will also be a fluid leak underneath the tires. These leaks can be coming from the caliper bleeder skew or the piston seal. If you see that the brake caliper is in good condition, you can just replace the seal and the dust boot to save some money, instead of buying new calipers.
poor BRAKE performance
The fourth symptom of a bad brake caliper is poor brake performance. You’ll be pressing down on the brakes, but it will take the vehicle longer to stop than usual. The brake pedal will also feel soft or spongy. This happens due to the brake fluid escaping from the caliper piston seal. When you press down on the brake pedal, your vehicle will be losing fluid, therefore, the hydraulic force won’t be as strong. And as a result, your car will have poor brake performance.
UNEVEN BRAKE PAD WEAR
The fifth symptom is uneven brake pad wear. When replacing your brake pads, you’ll see one side of the brake pad more worn down than the other. This can be caused by a caliper that has more than 1 piston. If one of the pistons locks up, this will cause the brake pad to tilt and create uneven brake pad wear. Also, if one of the sliding pins is locked up it could cause uneven brake pad wear, as well.
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