Floating Brake Calipers
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 6:48 pm
A quick one to share my experiences and hopefully help others avoid mine.
I just checked the brake pads on my Pajero NL. Found one pad worn thru to the metal. It had a squealer shim on it (designed to audibly alert you to worn pads), but I didn't hear it. Disc is not too badly scored.
What happened is that the inner pad wore thru to the backing plate. When I tried to get the caliper off, the slider bolt (on which the caliper floats) was jammed in really tight. It should be greased and move freely when loosened. The remaining pads were only half worn, yet I had to throw the whole set away. This was on the rear of the car. It also happened on the front about a year ago.
The cause of this is that the caliper jams on the seized bolt and it cannot slide freely. Result - pad wears out early and unevenly. So when you check your pads, check also the bolts on which the caliper slides. Remove them and apply a smear of grease and you should get reasonable life from your pads.
I just checked the brake pads on my Pajero NL. Found one pad worn thru to the metal. It had a squealer shim on it (designed to audibly alert you to worn pads), but I didn't hear it. Disc is not too badly scored.
What happened is that the inner pad wore thru to the backing plate. When I tried to get the caliper off, the slider bolt (on which the caliper floats) was jammed in really tight. It should be greased and move freely when loosened. The remaining pads were only half worn, yet I had to throw the whole set away. This was on the rear of the car. It also happened on the front about a year ago.
The cause of this is that the caliper jams on the seized bolt and it cannot slide freely. Result - pad wears out early and unevenly. So when you check your pads, check also the bolts on which the caliper slides. Remove them and apply a smear of grease and you should get reasonable life from your pads.