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Update: I went to the Repair Shop today, and they're as good as they've always been.
They will take it apart and lubricate/grease what needs that to see if that's enough, he said they'd only charge me for one hour for the job (!!), of course if they see that the caliper is bust, they'll call and confirm before putting a new one in it's place, but he said it sounded like there was a good chance the lubing + brake fluid change would do the trick.
All in all, they'll charge me one hour labor for the caliper and about $140 for the brake fluid change (which is very reasonable here.) In total, approx: $260.
I love those guys
Thanks for all the help, sounds like you were right M3 Mitch
Glad to hear it worked out for you!
From what I have read here, M3 Mitch often gives very solid and good advice. He seems anything but a 'nuclear blowhard'.
That's not common sense. That's just an assumption. One side could be working perfectly fine and the other side that is currently damage can easily be repaired with a $10 rebuild kit consisting of two rubber parts and a little elbow grease. Change the fluid out and voila. Do it yourself or instruct a reputable shop exactly what to do. No need to pi$$ money down the drain and not learn anything.
According to some one ( in the auto repair business for 34 yrs. ) who lived on the east coast , and witnessed for my self what the cylinders were like when I had to repair them , most all were pitted with rust in side therefore requiring them to be replaced rather then repaired .
As to replacing in pairs the other cylinder may be working but not at the same speed thereby causing one wheel to "Pull" to one side ., That from my own experance in the business for 34yrs , and as to spending money
foolishly ? Surely you have heard the saying , "You can spend a little now " or "You can spend a lot more later " Words of many people who had to call me and my tow truck when they hit some one from the loss of their brakes . Ever drive on ice and snow with one wheel breaking sooner then the other? Quite an "E" ride .
According to some one ( in the auto repair business for 34 yrs. ) who lived on the east coast , and witnessed for my self what the cylinders were like when I had to repair them , most all were pitted with rust in side therefore requiring them to be replaced rather then repaired .
As to replacing in pairs the other cylinder may be working but not at the same speed thereby causing one wheel to "Pull" to one side ., That from my own experance in the business for 34yrs , and as to spending money
foolishly ? Surely you have heard the saying , "You can spend a little now " or "You can spend a lot more later " Words of many people who had to call me and my tow truck when they hit some one from the loss of their brakes . Ever drive on ice and snow with one wheel breaking sooner then the other? Quite an "E" ride .
Changing the fluid is key. If a caliper isn't misbehaving and you then change the fluid out before anything happens, shouldn't be any problems.
I don't think I have seen any mention of the fact that the entire caliper floats - not just one side. There is no such thing as a floating side. The two bolts that hold the caliper in place act as both a pivot and a sliding axle. Normally the bolts are heavily greased and have a rubber boot to keep moisture out.
When you service the pads you normally re-grease the bottom bolt with brake grease (high temperature) during reassembly. You should also check that the top bolt, typically not removed during servicing, moves freely from side to side.
Strange Hmmmmmmm...no one has mentioned the need to replace the front brake hose in pairs and NOT just one only.
What happens is that the hose will swell up internally and restict the amount of brake fluid to the wheel cyl or caliper. This will cause a intermittent pull to the left or right on applying the brakes.
Also to be considered is the LIABILITY when it comes to repairing brakes on a vehicle. NO shop wants a LAW SUIT.
NO respectable shop would ever consider replacing just one front or rear brake shoes or pads or just one wheel cyl etc. Braking functions on the front or rear operate in pairs.
I'm with deepcynic, most of what I've seen M3 Mitch post is pretty good advice. I'm no ASE mechanic, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last "month" lol. As others have mentioned, especially with a car that has been sitting a while, calipers do stick, and rust will form inside the caliper's piston sleeve sometimes, What Mitch said is a very possible short term fix, maybe even long term enough, to get rid of the car when it's time with no ill effects. I myself, living in the good ol land of cheap parts USA, would replace both calipers, and possibly hoses, and be done with it. I understand your situation though Viking, and I do commend you on at least trying to figure it out with some help from the board. I'm all for saving a buck whenever possible, but brakes aren't where I usually try to be real thrifty.
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