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New caliper time


bigjayzway

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Can anyone tell me where the best place to get a pass side Caliper is.

Or a part #?

I have seen so many on line, and the prices are all over the place.

Who's the best?

Big Jay huh.gif

Life is too short to grow up!

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Why do you need a caliper? Is is leaking?

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

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Why do you need a caliper?  Is is leaking?

No, I don't think so?

They told me today at the shop the pads on the pass side were worn 80% more than the drivers side.

I only had the pads put on, when I got the car a couple of months ago.

I am getting a GRINDING NOISE FROM THE PASS. SIDE TOO.

The mechanic told me, it might be the caliper, and thet he would service them for now.....(cause I told him NO work till I get to the forum to ask the pros!!)

He thaught that was great.

I am using a regular shop now, cause my old mechanic was too quick to do the wrong thing.

I told him that Cadillacs are a specific car, and he said a car is a car, so we no longer are on speaking terms...he also said I was too fussy.

Anyway, getting back to my calipers????

Big Jay

Life is too short to grow up!

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Sounds like you just need the caliper serviced. Meaning have the caliper slides taken out, cleaned, and relubed. And it also sounds like it's time for new pads.

"Burns" rubber

" I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. "

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Sounds like you just need the caliper serviced. Meaning have the caliper slides taken out, cleaned, and relubed. And it also sounds like it's time for new pads.

Yes for sure.

The pads on the pass side are pretty much done.

They didn't have the pads I need in stock.

I have to get a set from the dealer, or somewhere decent.

I did have the calipers serviced, so we will see what happens from here.

Thanks for the response kegr2.

Big Jay

Life is too short to grow up!

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Whatever you do - I would recommend going with OEM. You spend a little more, but they come with the brake sensor kit. I went with aftermarket Bendix and now that I need the sensors they cost as mush as the brakes when not in the kit - I saved nothing and the OEM brakes were no worse - maybe better, than the Bendix brakes.

Cost breakdown: Bendix front pads - $60 CDN

OEM sensors - $40 each - total $80 CDN

Grand total - $140 CDN

OEM kit with sensors - $115 CDN

Tom R.

1998 Cadillac STS with 102K Miles

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Whatever you do - I would recommend going with OEM.  You spend a little more, but they come with the brake sensor kit.  I went with aftermarket Bendix and now that I need the sensors they cost as mush as the brakes when not in the kit - I saved nothing and the OEM brakes were no worse - maybe better, than the Bendix brakes.

Cost breakdown: Bendix front pads - $60 CDN

                        OEM sensors - $40 each - total $80 CDN

                        Grand total - $140 CDN

                        OEM kit with sensors - $115 CDN

Is that at the dealer?

See I didn't know there was a kit to get?

I am use to pads and caliper...thats about it.

Big Jay

Life is too short to grow up!

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I wonder if your brake caliper pins (sliders) were greased with a hi-temp petroleum grease instead of the correct silicone grease on your last brake job. Your pads will fail prematurely if they used regular hi-temp grease as the rubber boots (bushings) will seize onto the pins, which would not let the pads float away from the rotors, causing uneven pad wear. I know they will seize up for a fact, as I tried the petroleum grease at first by mistake, and couldn't hardly pull the pins out of the boots, only an hour later. They must use silicone grease if you have sliders that go through any rubber. It would be a good idea to just replace the boots (they come in the disk brake hardware kit). It's possible they didn't clean up the sliders good enough as well...as that could cause your pads to stick and wear unevenly. Your pins may need to be replaced if they are pitted or are in bad shape. I doubt your caliper is bad, unless it's leaking. If the mechanic that suggested you needed a new caliper was also the one who did your brakes last, then I'd be a little suspect.

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Brake sensor kit??? I've heard of brake squealers or squeakers, that already come on most good pads, but haven't heard of brake sensors. The squealers are a soft metal tab that are on your disc brake pads that will rub on your rotors and squeal when your brakes pads get thin. The Raybestos Quiet Stop ceramic pads (which I like) have those squealers...not sure of the other brands. Rockauto has decent prices for brakes...they deliver fast too

The 98 STS has sensors on the caliper itself.

I am using a new mechanic, I stopped going to my old one.

I watched him do the caliper service, and he did use the right silicone based grease.

Thanks, for your advise epricedright..

Big Jay

Life is too short to grow up!

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Sorry about the mix up.

I sold the Deville 2 days ago, and didn't remove it till now.

Big Jay

Life is too short to grow up!

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Jay, I have never never replaced a caliper, unless it was leaking and THEN I would see if it was rebuildable.

Tell the shop just to clean and grease the sliders, push the piston in and replace the pads, sometimes it appears that the caliper is bound up because the piston is pushed out so far..due to worn pads... All you need to do is put new pads on and ask them to bleed the brakes to flush out the old fluid to get any moisture out that may have crept in, Mike

A lot of shops replace calipers for no good reason. As I have said, I have NEVER replaced a caliper..

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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my experience with caddy calipers was my allante started pulling to rght replaced caliper was still pulling replaced brake hoses all was well sad.gif

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Thanks a million guys.

This new mechanic is pretty good.

I talked to him again today, and he thinks the same thing.

He said, just get the new pads, and we'll try them, and see.

He also said the piston may be out too far, and a fresh set of pads may do the trick.

I will be trying to find a set of pads this week, and changing them.

Big Jay biggrin.gif

Life is too short to grow up!

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Big Jay,

The brake kit I mentioned was the AC Delco pads and senosors form the dealer. Of course, if your current sensors haven't activated then you can re-use them with aftermarket brakes. Once the sensor trips and the DIC read to change pads, the sensor(s) are toast. Buying them separately is more expensive than getting them in the dealer brake kit....

Tom R.

1998 Cadillac STS with 102K Miles

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Bendix aftermarket pads, the Titanium type, also have the new sensors included in the box, not a bad deal for about $50.00 US. I've had them on my '99 for almost a year, no issues, but the "brake dust" is kinda brown...sorta looks like rust on the aluminum rim.

Calipers can fail without leaking. "Stuck" calipers are the biggest cause of excessive pad wear on one side of a car....you can always tell a stuck caliper by the excessive heat created by the constant drag of the brake on the rotor. Some get so hot you can tell by feel or smell (BE CAREFUL - HOT SURFACE), others create a bit less heat. If you cannot tell by feel that a caliper is stuck, the single best way is to use a temperature sensing gun. Not a cheap item, but any good mechanic should have one. It reads the surface temperature of an item by pointing the little laser at a surface and pulling the trigger...the readings are instantaneous.

Two ways to fix a stuck caliper, replace them or rebuild them yourself. Rebuilding them yourself is pretty advanced, and the results are not always successful. Most people these days opt to just change them with new or rebuilt calipers.

Never underestimate the amount of a persons greed.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just to let you all know. The mechanic said the caliper was fine, all went back smooth.

Although, since they made me wait, the sensor had to be relaced. They only charged me the part(35.00) not the labour, cause they felt responsible.

Big Jay

Life is too short to grow up!

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Glad to hear it, and glad to hear the caliper wasn't replaced... Mike

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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when you do have the pads and whatever else replaced, make sure that the mechanic beds the pads in at the shop (there is tool/device that allows thems to bed in the pads while she's on the lift. if he doesn't do it, then google "bedding in pads" and follow the instructions. absolutely essential, imo, to ensure that your brakes won't end up pulsating. it's kinda fun doing it yourself, a little scary...just try and pick a deserted stretch of road when you do. my garage reaked of burnt brake pads for a week after i bedded them. jackg 90seville 99k

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In case anyone wants the proceedures, they are as follows:

From a speed of about 60mph, gently apply the brakes to slow the car down to about 45mph, then accelerate back up to 60mph and repeat. Do this couple of times to bring the brakes up to operating temperature. This prevents you from thermally shocking the rotors and pads in the next steps.

Make a series of eight near-stops from 60 to about 10 mph. Do it HARD by pressing on the brakes firmly, just shy of locking the wheels or engaging ABS. At the end of each slowdown, immediately accelerate back to 60mph. DO NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP! If you stop completely and sit for any length of time with your foot on the brake pedal, you will imprint pad material onto the hot rotors, which can lead to vibration, uneven braking, and could even ruin the rotors. (Note: With some less aggressive street pads, you may need to do fewer than eight near-stops. If your pedal gets soft or you feel the brakes going away, then you've done enough. Proceed to the next step.)

The brakes may begin to fade slightly after the 7th or 8th near-stop. This fade will stabilize, but not completely go away until the brakes have fully cooled. A strong smell from the brakes, and even smoke, is normal.

After the 8th near-stop, accelerate back up to speed and cruise for a while, using the brakes as little as possible. The brakes need 5 to 10 minutes to cool down. Try not to become trapped in traffic or come to a complete stop while the brakes are still hot.

If club race pads, such as Hawk Blue, are being used, add four near-stops from 80 to 10mph. If full race pads, such as Performance Friction 01 or Hawk HT 14, are being used, add four near-stops from 100 to 10 mph.

After the break-in cycle, there should be a slight blue tint and a light gray film on the rotor face. The blue tint tells you the rotor has reached break-in temperature and the gray film is pad material starting to transfer onto the rotor face. This is what you are looking for. The best braking occurs when there is an even layer of of pad material deposited across the face of the rotors. This minimizes squealing, increases braking torque, and maximizes pad and rotor life.

After the first break in cycle shown above, the brakes may still not be fully broken in. A second bed-in cycle, AFTER the brakes have cooled down fully from the first cycle, may be necessary before the brakes really start to perform well. This is especially true if you have installed new pads on old rotors. If you've just installed a big brake kit, the pedal travel may not feel as firm as you expected. After the second cycle, the pedal will become noticeably firmer. If necessary, bleed the brakes to improve pedal firmness.

Big Jay

Life is too short to grow up!

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