bigshow609

so ive been noticing this grinding metal smell lately....found it coming from my front driver area.....alot of heat coming from the brake (put hand next to rim and i could def feel it) took caliper off. rotor looks fine. pads look fine except for more wear on the bottom side of inner pad.....try to push pistons in to reinstall. top piston goes in...bottom will not budge. so...instead of tryint to rebuild it. change caliper right?

do i need to change both front calipers? do i have to put new pads and rotors on? do i have to do both sides or can i just do the problem side

thanks

Rick's 06

I wonder if you could push it out some more? I'd try to block the good piston and see if you could pump the brake a little and eject the stuck piston out some and then work it free and see if it would then slide back in freely. Obviously you don't want to eject it all the way out, just a little more to see if it will free it up. This is probably a long shot in having the piston be any good, but it's free to try it. If you do go with a new caliper, I know you can buy caliper kits with the pads included and already assembled. It might not be necessary, but if it were me, I'd replace both fronts if you go that route.

jm993

You can replace a single caliper, but you should replace rotors and pads in pairs. I personally would have the caliper rebuilt or replaced. If the piston is stuck, there's a decent chance it could get hung up at a later time. Recommend also a good brake fluid flush.

Cheers,
Joe

jjiimmyy55

I agree with jm993!! I drove from WI to AL n had a frozen piston in my passengers side on my 06! My ford shop guy (whos ben a personally friend for years) said to replace the caliper and pads n id get 15,000 miles on er! Now thats with a new caliper (pass. Side) new pads (pass.side) and with a rotor that below specs (pass. Side) 4 weeks later i replaced all front with new ceramic pads and drilled and slotted rotors! Hope this helps

mkoreen

Just replaced mine last week... was traveling alot and had looked at the front outter pad and it looked great... when i got home i popped the wheel and discovered the stuck caliper wore right thru the pad and was riding the rotor with the stuck piston! Needless to say I replaced both calipers rotors and pads.... now she stops ona dime.
Definately replace both rotors and pads. Replacing both calipers is also a great idea, but not neccessary.

Austin97

I guess you can still get caliper rebuild kits but for the price difference I think it's usually better to just get new ones. If I was doing a customers truck I would recommend replacing both calipers but if it was mine as long as the other caliper's bleeder breaks free easy I would take it apart, make sure the pistons are free, wire brush and lube up the slide pins and let her roll. Personally I would do a pad slap at this point as long as your rotors are in good shape just because I don't like running unevenly worn brake pads. It's all up to you, you're going to have to check the other caliper all out anyway so if you'd rather just replace it while you're at it that's fine too. I would save the money myself. Make sure you check your brake hoses all out, the older body style like mine would leak internally and make the rubber swell all up and they'd actually burst on a panic stop. Not good.

I'd just replace the pads and drive it, if you get a pulsation from the heat build up take it somewhere to just get the rotors machined, that should be cheaper than buying a set, but it's hard to say.