VW Vortex - Volkswagen Forum banner

Stuck caliper - what causes it?

5K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  Road_Ralley 
#1 ·
Twice in the past week, my right front caliper has gotten stuck. The first time, it broke loose after a few intense applications of the brakes. I figured maybe it was a random occurrence, everything seemed fine once broke free.
This afternoon on my way to class, it's stuck again. I couldn't get it to break loose this time, so I limped the block back to my house.
And ideas? I did a brake job about three months ago, replaced the rotors and changed to ceramic brake pads from Oreily's.
 
#4 ·
Re: FV-QR (CSFiend)

Quote, originally posted by CSFiend »
Did you lube the sliders? Clean rust off the carrier?

collapsed flex lines can also cause it. They may look like they have swelled from the outside, but many times that means they have collapsed on the inside.
 
#5 ·
Re: Stuck caliper - what causes it? (patrikman)

Years ago the caliper on my 912 froze due to the piston galling the cylinder wall. Not highly likely, but still a possibility. Checking for free movement of the piston(s) is advisable.
 
#7 ·
FV-QR

Quote, originally posted by rbloedow »
TY for the quick response - you guys have probably found the culprit: the sliders I did not lube.



pull the sliders out of their bores, clean all the rust off so they're nice and shiny, throw some caliper lube on them, and you should be golden
 
#8 ·
Re: FV-QR (rs4-380)

Quote, originally posted by rs4-380 »

collapsed flex lines can also cause it. They may look like they have swelled from the outside, but many times that means they have collapsed on the inside.

That plus allowing the caliper to hang freely with all of its weight supported only by its attached brake hose is a sure way to damage said hose.
 
#9 ·
Re: FV-QR (CSFiend)

Quote, originally posted by CSFiend »

pull the sliders out of their bores, clean all the rust off so they're nice and shiny, throw some caliper lube on them, and you should be golden

So I lubed them up, but they weren't covered in any rust. The grease they were covered in was pretty black/used, so I re-greased them with a lithium grease.
 
#13 ·
Re: (citat3962)

also - how bad were the brakes before you replaced them? if they were metal to metal and you waited a while, heat could cause some distortion of the caliper piston.
if that were the case though, i'd expect it to be more of a common occurrence.
 
#14 ·
Re: FV-QR (rs4-380)

Quote, originally posted by rs4-380 »

collapsed flex lines can also cause it. They may look like they have swelled from the outside, but many times that means they have collapsed on the inside.

this is the most common cause of stuck calipers. The hose acts like a check valve. You can force fluid through when you step on the pedal, but there is nothing forcing the piston to return. all other wheels continue to spin without resistance while the stuck one burns the pads and rotors, sometimes evening ruining the fluid.
 
#16 ·
Re: FV-QR (Hostile)

I've been through 2 calipers in the past 3 years from them getting stuck on long road trips when there's no possibility of fixing them at that moment
Shat the breakpad out and had to get towed both times http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif
 
#18 ·
Re: FV-QR (Road_Ralley)

Quote, originally posted by Road_Ralley »

this is the most common cause of stuck calipers. The hose acts like a check valve. You can force fluid through when you step on the pedal, but there is nothing forcing the piston to return. all other wheels continue to spin without resistance while the stuck one burns the pads and rotors, sometimes evening ruining the fluid.


This may be a "dumb" question, but can braided brake line collapse? is it as common?
 
#19 ·
Re: FV-QR (92skirmishgti)

Quote, originally posted by 92skirmishgti »


This may be a "dumb" question, but can braided brake line collapse? is it as common?

I don't see why not. It's still a rubber core in most cases. The steel braiding is woven around the line to prevent the rubber from expanding when pressure is applied to the pedal. This creates a much more firm feeling to the pedal and squeezes every ounce of braking power out of the system.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top