Caliper seized...maybe

I FINALLY got the brake fitting for my handbrake so I started bleeding the system on the Datsun today. The rear right went perfect. The rear left, on the other hand, did not.

After screwing around with it for a few minutes, I realized I had a leak from one of the barrel nuts, so I fixed that, and the system is dry everywhere else. Then I checked to make sure I'm getting fluid at the caliper fitting, which I am. But not at the bleeder screw. So, I cleaned that. Still nothing.

Does this all point to a seized caliper? Before I go jumping to conclusions and drive all the way to SLC to get a silly new salvage caliper, I'd like to know if I'm at least on the right track. Or, is it worth pressing the piston out and re-sealing it with a caliper rebuild kit?

Oh, right. These calipers are out of an '84 Volvo 240.

Didya take the bleeder out and stomp on the pedal?

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Yep...nothing. :/

Quote
1fastben
Yep...nothing. :/

Makes it to the last fitting for the hard line but not out of the bleeder?

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

We, we, mon ami.

Quote
1fastben
We, we, mon ami.

Got a helper who can stomp on the brakes while you rap the caliper with a decent sized hammer for some shock therapy?

Brake system makes good pressure, maybe just a little siezed.
You have pads in place? New pads? Can you get a lever in to push them BACK (any movement is good.)

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Yes and yes, I will try both, but it just won't be tonight. My roomie is home but hanging out with his girlfriend.

If I brought the caliper into work tomorrow, is there anything I could do on it there? For instance, try to pull the piston out with bearing pullers or something?

Does the brake grab and release? A seized caliper will still flow fluid out of the bleeder. The piston seizing in the bore will not block the bleeder. Sounds more like you have some crud blocking the bleeder. Pull it out and poke down in the hole with a small drill bit or pick. They will usually rust the bleeder port shut, especially the bleeder fitting itself.

To tell ya the truth, I don't know. That is one thing I haven't done, though, is clean out the port where the bleeder screws in to. The bleeder screw itself is fine, but that, hmmm...

Reman calipers are too cheap to mess around with junkyard stuff other than core values. The caliper must be rusted at the bleeder port internally, so it's likely either the piston or bore..or both have suffered damage also.

Just take the caliper appart and check it out. I'm thinking its nothing more than just a bit of junk stuck in there. Take the piston out and clean it all nicely, if there's any surface rust on the piston or the bore, then run some sand paper through them just to clean it up. Clean the seal and lube it again to reinstall everything back.

Quote
heymagic
Reman calipers are too cheap to mess around with junkyard stuff other than core values. The caliper must be rusted at the bleeder port internally, so it's likely either the piston or bore..or both have suffered damage also.

This, this, holy this. Just get some reman calipers already.

Quote
Pete

Quote
heymagic
Reman calipers are too cheap to mess around with junkyard stuff other than core values. The caliper must be rusted at the bleeder port internally, so it's likely either the piston or bore..or both have suffered damage also.

This, this, holy this. Just get some reman calipers already.

I would rather rebuild OE units pulled from a JY with a quality rebuild kit, than buy remans. i have not had luck with remans of any type.

Sean, your advice was the winning ticket! Thank you. Somehow I didn't think to check that before.

Now I have other problems. The whole system is bled out, but I'm getting virtually zero pedal pressure. I rolled it out of the garage to see if it would stop when stomping on it, and yes, it does, but ever so barely. Certainly not suitable any type of use.

So! I'm thinking maybe I flipped a seal in the master when bleeding it. I don't think that's totally the case, because A.) The caps have seals in them, and B.) I don't think that the system would have bled out had it flipped. But I could totally be wrong.

Ugh!

If the system has that much rust in it, the master cylinder is probably rusty too. When you bled the brakes the seals in the MC may have gotten chewed up by the rust. That happened to me just the other day actually. If you don't have any visible leaks, the MC might just be the problem.