# Brake caliper bad, how to tell



## LONDONDERRY (May 19, 2004)

Greetings
I have a 2003 Nissan Altima, 2.5

I'm trying to determine if I need to replace my front passenger side brake caliper. for the last 2 -3 weeks Live been losing braking power and the brakes are starting to grind. Obviously I'll be replacing front brakes and rotors but the last time I replace these parts ( 24 months ago) they would occasionally grind after two weeks of installing them. I'm not sure if the caliper or the pins are bad. Any advice?

Frank


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Jack the wheels off the ground and have someone step on the brakes and make sure all wheels do not turn by hand; if any turn, this could mean that a caliper is seized and not applying, which would cause the other side to wear more and could possibly cause a pull to one side when braking. If all's good, have the person release the brakes and make sure all of the wheels turn freely. If any require excessive effort to move or will not move, then this is a sign that a caliper is not releasing. This could be caused by a seized or sticking caliper, or due to a brake hose that has collapsed internally and is not allowing the fluid to return to the master cylinder. This can be checked by cracking open the bleeder on the incident caliper to see if the caliper releases the rotor, which would indicate a bad hose. If it still won't turn, the caliper is bad. I prefer to install a new hose when replacing a caliper, regardless. When you remove the caliper from the caliper mount, you can check the slide pins to make sure they slide freely.


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## LONDONDERRY (May 19, 2004)

I looked at the caliper pins last night and one is really bad ( pitted and frozen) I wondering if it might be the pin


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

If one or both pins are seized, it'll prevent the release of the pads. You'll need to free them up and lubricate them with brake caliper lubricant or else replace them with new ones.


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