brake questions

[brimic]

I have a bad front caliper on my 98 grand prix. I know which one is bad because I just changed the pads and rotors on the front, and only one pad and rotor was worn- the pad/rotor facing the caliper piston.
Its gotten worse, it makes a lot of noise when driving. I'm fixing it today.

Do I need to change calipers on both sides, or just the bad one?
When I bleed the brakes, do I need to bleed all of them, or just the one where the caliper is being changed?

[Tallpine]

1) I would just change the bad one only (but give the other one a strong lecture about staying good )

2) Depends - sometimes you can get away with only bleeding the wheel that has been opened.  You will know, if the brake pedal is still spongy.

[dogmush]

I'd just change the bad one.

You only need to bleed the brake you opened.  But, a new caliper takes more fluid then many think.  Make DARN sure that the master cylinder doesn't go dry.  Air in the ABS module generally takes a dealer trip to fix.

[Monkeyleg]

You can just rebuild the bad one, but you should give the other one a good inspection. You might want to check to see if there's seals available for the calipers so you can disassemble the bad one. If so, take it apart and take steel wool to the piston to clean off any rust, clean out the other parts, and apply a piston lubricant if the manual calls for it.

You likely have a split master cylinder that separates the front and rear brakes, in which case you could just bleed the brakes on the front. If it's reached a point where the caliper has gone, though, you might want to bleed all the brakes to flush out the old fluid and replace with new.

[bedlamite]

Check the price before you make the decision. I rebuilt the brakes on my s-10 a few years ago and needed a new caliper on one side, since remanufactured calipers were only $12 + core charge I replaced both of them.

[Tallpine]

Only one I ever had go bad was up in Alaska, and it seized up halfway applied.  Truck would pull to one side while driving and to the other side while braking.

I had a whole bunch of mechanical problems happen up there (like front spindle bearings going out three times in <2 years!) that I've never seen in the Arid West.

[brimic]

Calipers were only $30ea +$27 core charge, I'm going to replace them both. Originally, when I did the brake job a week or so ago, I figure the bad caliper would last as long as I had the car- (has 190,000 miles on it already).

[CNYCacher]

Sounds like the caliper was working fine but the float pins were seized.  Did you clean up/replace those?

[brimic]

Changed bad caliper- I did clean/grease the pins when I took it apart last....
Found the major source of the noise/vibration- a wheel lug was sheared off
The worst was that the whell lug was sheared off on one side, and the caliper had to be replaced on the other, so I ended up taking everything apart.

[Declaration Day]

Guess I'm late to the thread.  Nonetheless, I always recommend installing these http://www.topbrakes.com/seriesDetails.php?series=Speed%20Bleeder%20Brake%20Bleeder%20screws&source=ggle_speed_bleeders&gclid=CJi6mM7SpqgCFZFoKgodoktQIw

Most auto parts stores carry them for ~$10 / pair.  Seems pricey for bleeder screws but they're worth every penny.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

thank you dd! i owe you an adult beverage or 2

[brimic]

I used one of these gizmos for bleeding- it worked really slick- http://www.amazon.com/OEM-25036-Bleed-One-Man-Bleeder/dp/B000CMDP44

[Monkeyleg]

If you use a pressure bleeder (one man bleeder) make sure it's a good one with tight fittings. I had a cheap one blow one of its hoses off and spray old style brake fluid on my freshly-painted Jag.