need advice (brake problems)

[bentley]

The rear of my X was sitting on jack stands for about 6 weeks while i was waiting for new shocks to come in. During that time everything rusted heavily. When i put the X back on the ground it did not want to move i had to rev the engine to about 3500 rpm before it broke free. Anyway the rear brakes are not working. I took it to the shop today and they told me i needed to replace the seized calipers @ $120 each, rotors $100 each, and the pads $60 with labor they quoted me $650. This seemed pretty high so i am going to shop around. I would like to do it myself and save a little money but i am not really sure how. I have only replaced pads before not the other stuff. So i haven’t decided if i will do it or get it to a mechanic.
How hard or easy is it to do the work myself?

Are the calipers really junk or can i use a vice to try to get the pistons moving again? Also if i do buy these parts myself what is a good quality brand? i don’t want to buy cheapo stuff and have to do it again. thanks

 

[scott_gunn]

Yeah, that's a lot of money to replace something that was working 6 weeks ago.

I would try and "unseize" the calipers myself by cleaning them really well. If you do have to replace the calipers, you should be able to reuse your current rotors (have them turned) and pads, although it would be a good idea to replace them while you have everything taken apart if they're old.

I've never done this work myself, so I can't tell you how hard or easy it is.

Good luck!

 

[section525]

bentley... brakes are extrememly easy to replace/remove. Once you get the pads out, two more bolts hold the bracket on, and two more hold the calipers on. You could easily install the new setup on your own. There is nothing tricky about them besides bleeding the whole deal. (That is the hardest part I mean). Also, you can tear down your brakes and possibly just clean (or rebuild them). I just did this to mine last week. There's not much to them once you get them off. Everything probably just needs to be cleaned and re-greased. Maybe take them off and soak them in carb cleaner, dry them good, lube em up and slap them back togteher.

 

[Howard]

Someone is talking a load of s$%t. Probably your parking brake seized and the rotors have rusted a bit. If it is all seized (and I doubt it) then with some heavy use you should be able to free it off. They are dead easy to dismantle and clean them off with emery paper. If you want to replace all the bit then by all means do so but I would have serious doubt's that it is needed. Next time you leave the x unused leave the parking brake off.

 

[bentley]

Howard, My calipers are definately seized they are not working. you could tell just by looking at the rotor they havent been touched by a pad. Ive been driving for a week (about 500 miles) since and they have not freed up. I thought the same thing as you at first but unfortunately it has not happened.

As far as the rotors go i needed to replace them before this fiasco. they are original with 105,000 miles they have seen better days. The rust on them is not the reason they are being replaced, they are just worn out.

I will try to clean the calipers realy well first, like some of you mentioned and hopefully that will work.

 

[Howard]

It's probably just the slides that are seized and not the callipers themselves. A full dismantle and de-rust with emery re-grease would probably work. All the best at sorting it out. You've got to try yourself unless you have a spare $650 in your back pocket.

 

[lo_jack]

Yeah that sounds like a load. I left my dodge sitting for 6 years and it rusted up a little bit, but the calipers just needed a bit of use, and I had to bleed the whole thing again because the old rubber leeched moisture and air for that entire time. Disc brakes are the easiest. I did my fronts a year ago...I even have some pics around somewhere. Ask these guys about the park brake but the rest is cake.

 

[Pack]

I would dismantle as suggested earlier, clean and grease calipers, and replace rotors and pads while it is all apart. I replaced my stock warped front rotors with some PowerSlot rotors on my old X. I liked them a lot. However, I would question the need for the extra expense on the rear brakes. Good luck!

BTW-Brakes are one of the easiest jobs to do on your own to save $$$, and it feels good to do the job on your own.