Front offside caliper seized

[martinjohn]

Took the TR6 out for a spin, weather lovely, roads free of salt what could one wish for. After approx 5 minutes of driving i noticed that the car was not free wheeling

when just coasting with the power not on, and when i braked the car pulled to the nearside,i suspected a brake problem either on the rear or front offside wheel.

when i pulled into a car park to investigate i felt both nearside wheels and also the brake drum and caliper, temperature was fine,when i did the same to the offside rear it was fairly hot to the touch, this would indicate that the brakes adjustment needs slackening off a bit. The front offside caliper was really hot to the degree that it was too hot to touch,the wheel was also hot indicating a fair bit of heat was transferring from the caliper.

After letting things cool down i limped home using the handbrake as much as possible to avoid using the front brakes. The next thing to do is jack up the front and spin the wheel with the offending faulty cylinder to see how bad the problem is.I suspect a new caliper will be required or perhaps a cleaning of the pistons with new seals (if they are available).

Whether the problem was caused by just old age or the fact that the car has been in a cold damp garage for most of the winter, thus causing the pistons to seize remains to be seen. Another element might be that i use silicone brake fluid and questions have been raised as to whether the lubricating properties are as good as conventional brake fluids.

So its trolley jack out and wheel off.

Regards

[pfenlon]

Don't know your location John, but callipers can be fully reconditioned for about £65 each at Classic Automotive in Chelford Cheshire.

 

They do a perfect job too, no connection except for a happy customer.

[martinjohn]

Thanks Pete

I will have a look at the caliper and see how bad the seizure is, generally what i do is put a G clamp across and see if it moves without any resistance ,its a quick method,the i will take it from there.

Regards

[martinjohn]

The problem was not the calipers but the flexible hose,it was completely blocked thus causing hydraulic lock,its now been replaced and hopefully all is well.

[Mike C]

The problem was not the calipers but the flexible hose,it was completely blocked thus causing hydraulic lock,its now been replaced and hopefully all is well.

If you haven't done this already- it might be a good idea to replace all the hoses.