z0lt3c

iTrader: (1)

I've had to replace all 4 of my factory calipers. One I had to replace twice. So far I've used all Lexus OEM parts but how could aftermarket parts perform any worse?

Make sure you bed in the new rotors and I would check to make sure their is no unusual wear a few times. If the caliper is stuck it can shorten the useful life of the new rotors.

Bob GX

How do you tell if a caliper is stuck - can you detect it while just doing normal driving - like, is there a symptom in how the brake pedal feels, does the car pull to one side while braking, etc? What does the unusual wear look like - are there deep groves, discoloring, etc?

My 04 GX has pretty low miles (just turned 15,000) and I'm thinking the light duty might increase the chance a caliper piston might become frozen.

Thanks for any advice or pointers - I appreciate the help!
Bob

z0lt3c

iTrader: (1)

Often a stuck caliper will result in vibration while breaking and/or just after the break pedal is released. There a few ways to test the operation of the calipers. The easiest way to just find flat level ground, give it a little gas to get it rolling and then put it into neutral. it should continue to roll with no stopping in a very natural decrease of speed. If the vehicle stops quickly it could mean there is still resistance from the brakes on the wheels.

Another tell tale sign is one wheel/rotor smelling or smoking or being hotter then the others after normal driving. This is because you are burning down the pad and putting friction on the rotor while the car is not intending to brake. This most often occurs when the rotor and pad are newer.

The best way is to jack the car up, take the wheel off , put the transfer case into nuetral and the transmission into nuetral, and spin the wheel by hand while a buddy steps on the brakes. You can watch the operation of piston as it presses the pad againt the rotor. Then have your buddy release the brake, and the pistons should reseat... give the wheel a slight spin and the pad should no longer touch the rotor. If the pad still contacts the rotor, or it takes unusual force to get the wheel spinng, that inidicates a bad caliper.

Bob GX

zolt3c:
Good information, thanks for posting it. It doesn't seem like there are any maintenance steps to take to head off the problem - I'll keep an eye out for the things you described
Bob