Have it towed to a repair shop for brake service. Do not drive your car if it is leaking brake fluid from the calipers or anywhere else. If you see signs of a fluid leak on the ground just inside of where a tire sits, you could have a leaking caliper that should be addressed as soon as possible. This is not normal in fact, it can be dangerous if your brake system loses hydraulic pressure because of a leak. If you take your hands off the steering wheel, you might even notice the vehicle pulling to one side when you are not braking (although this could also be a sign to shop for tires that need replacement). It would pull in the direction of a caliper that will not release, and wander away from one that will not grab. The result would be that your vehicle pulls to one side. But if a caliper is stuck, the pads might not release from the rotor – or they might not grab it at all. When you press the pedal, they squeeze when you release the pedal, they let go. Your brake pads need to “float” along either side of the rotor when you are driving. One way in which a caliper goes bad is by seizing up, often as the result of cheap brake repair where all of the necessary components were not replaced. In general, brake pads can last as long as 60K miles or as few as 20K miles before they need brake repair service. Organic brake pads do not last as long as ceramic or semi-metallic pads. The composition of the friction material on your brake pads makes a difference too. Same goes if you drive a lot on dirt roads. If you tend to brake aggressively, or you “ride the brakes”, your brake pads will wear faster. The amount of time your brake pads will last can vary quite a bit. Since your brake pads contain a sacrificial friction material that is made to wear away over time, you need to have them replaced occasionally. Otherwise, you should schedule an inspection at least once a year. Many repair shops offer some form of courtesy check with every oil change service where a technician will check the condition of major vehicle systems and components, including your brakes. If a caliper already has problems, the technician might notice uneven brake pad wear resulting from a caliper that is either stuck open or stuck closed. A technician can spot the early warning signs of a failing caliper – corrosion, dirt buildup, leak, reluctant guide pins, and more – before they become a major issue. The best way to detect a faulty brake caliper is to have your brake system inspected regularly. How can you tell? A bad caliper might present itself in the following ways. Where your brake pads are designed to wear out with use (your rotors too, to some degree), a caliper is not considered a wear item, one that needs regular replacement. What are the signs that a caliper has gone bad?įortunately, your brake calipers are designed to last. In each case, friction is created and the kinetic energy of a body-in-motion is converted to thermal energy to slow you down and bring you to a stop. When you grab the brake lever, a cable actuates a caliper to squeeze a pair of rubber brake pads against the sides of your bike wheel. Those pads are suspended in a hydraulic clamping mechanism – the caliper.Įvery time you step on the brakes, the calipers squeeze the brake pads against the rotors in the same way someone in a wheelchair might grab the wheels to slow down. Sandwiched around each rotor is a pair of brake pads. As your wheels roll down the road, the rotors spin with them. Attached to each wheel is a heavy metal disc called a brake rotor. When you press on the brake pedal, force is exerted through fluid inside a network of hoses and tubes to the wheels. That system relies on hydraulic pressure to operate. A caliper is a component of a disc brake system – the most common on today’s passenger vehicle. What is a brake caliper?įirst, let’s take a look at your brake system and understand what a caliper does. Here are the signs of a bad brake caliper. Damage will likely be the result.īut that does not need to happen to your car. The symptoms will escalate and the problem will become more evident. Just as with a rotten egg, if you ignore the signs of a bad brake caliper, they will become far less subtle. When your brakes are wearing out, they will send you signs. The same can be said of your brake calipers. Of course, if you ignore the signs of a rotten egg, your nose will figure it out as soon as you crack it open. But if the egg floats on the surface of the water, leave it alone. If it sinks to the bottom and stands up, it is less-fresh but can still be eaten. If the egg falls over in the bottom of the glass, it is still fresh. They say you can tell an egg has gone bad by submerging it in a glass of water.
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