How to untie the brake caliper?

Dirt and rust can cause the brake caliper to jam. But a jammed brake caliper does not keep the brake system working properly. Therefore, there is a riskaccident and it is very important to release it as quickly as possible. We will explain how to release the brake caliper!

Material:

• Degripper (WD 40)
• Tools
• Jar or plastic bottle

🔧 Step 1. Disassemble the brake system.

The brake caliper is the part that part of your braking system... This is what ensures the pressure of the brake pads on the disc due to the action of the brake caliper piston, which itself is activated due to the oil pressure in the hydraulic circuit. There are two types of brake calipers:

• Thefloating brake caliper : most common on production vehicles. The piston only pushes the inner pad. The outer plate is acted upon by the pressure of the inner plate to which it is connected;
• Thefixed brake caliper : the two pads are pressed against the brake disc by pistons.

Thus, the role of the brake caliper is to regulate braking and let your car slow down. Thus, a seized brake caliper poses a certain risk to your safety and the safety of those around you. Symptoms of a jammed brake caliper:

• One the smell of burning ;
• of peeps from brakes;
• One rigid pedal ;
• One feeling of tightness hand brake when it is not activated.

Caliper jamming is usually caused by lubrication problem, accumulation of dirt in the piston or wear brake hose... If your brake caliper is stuck, you have two solutions:

1. The best, change the caliper brakes;
2. Try unbuckle support brakes.

So how do you free a brake caliper without taking it apart? This is simply not possible: due to its position and function, the first thing to do to free the brake caliper is to disassemble the brake system. On the other hand, you can clean the calipers without taking all the parts apart.

To disassemble the brake system:

1. Drive the car on jacks;
2. Remove the wheel;
3. We remove the brake pads.

💧 Step 2: Immerse the brake caliper in the penetrating oil.

Then disassemble the caliper itself for soak with penetrating oil... The WD-40 does its job well, but you can also soak the caliper directly with brake fluid. Penetrating oil will clean and lubricate the part.

On floating calipers, the brake caliper moves past speakers, or slides. When you brake, the brake caliper slides over the strut. A jammed caliper no longer moves correctly on its slide. Therefore, apply penetrating oil directly to clogged or blocked columns to clear them.

⚙️ Step 3: Clean the piston and replace the seals

A common cause of brake caliper seizure is piston... If cleaning the struts is not enough, you may need to go to the caliper piston. This piston allows the caliper to act on the brake disc, but rubber bellows those around it may tear, causing dirt to build up. This is what keeps the piston from sliding properly.

If the piston is responsible for seizing your brake caliper, you will be faced with two scenarios:

1. The piston is missing : in this case, remove the dirt, possibly using steel wool to remove the rust;
2. Piston retracted and locked : Pressing the brake pedal may loosen it.

If you cannot disengage the caliper piston by pressing the brake pedal, first remove the dust cover and soak the piston with penetrating oil A couple of minutes. You can also clean it with rubbing alcohol or acetone. Then place the piston in a vise and pry using two screwdrivers.

When you finally release the piston, rub it gently with sandpaper to remove any rust and dirt. However, do be careful not to scratch the piston... Before reassembling the piston, you will need to replace the small caliper seals.

🔨 Step 4: Assemble the released caliper and bleed the brake fluid.

After completing the release maneuver, reassemble the brake system in the reverse order of disassembly. You have to do bleeding brake fluid... If you have automatic brake bleeding, you can do it yourself. If cleaning by hand, it takes two!

• Open bank brake fluid and connect the hose to bleed screw ;
• While one person unscrews the bleed screw, the other should press the pedal brakes;
• Let brake fluid in containers;
• Tighten the bleed screw. holding the pedal under pressure;
• Release the pedal brakes.

Repeat until air is removed from the system, then add brake fluid. You can finally test your caliper. If after this operation it is not released correctly, it must be completely replaced.

Now you know how to release your car brake caliper! But meddle in braking system your car, which guarantees your safety, always requires special attention. If you are not familiar with mechanics, take your brake calipers to a professional mechanic.