Front left caliper not releasing

Canada Nissan Automotive
1

The front left caliper on my Alty doesn’t always release right away. It usually smartens up if I pump the brakes. The shop I usually take my car to replaced the caliper first, then the master cylinder - still no good. So several hundred dollars later I’m still at square one. I’m not bringing my car back there anymore, at least for brake work.

I’m thinking I need to replace the line and hose for the front left, but I was toying with the idea of replacing all of the hoses with braided stainless steel hoses. Has anyone done this upgrade? About how much? Was it worth it? Can you recommend a shop?

Thanks for any comments or suggestions.

2

Hey Archie,

We’ve done braided lines before. Nothing to it.

We can also troubleshoot the release problem of that caliper, and pinpoint it for you. Could be a pinched hard line, or kinked hose. Would have to check it out first.

Give Neil a call for the booking!
Cory.

3

Might be the caliper sliding pins. make sure they both move freely and are not seized.

4

Thanks guys! Cory, I’ll call Speedworks next week. Flavio, I’ll let Speedworks do the troubleshooting. My idea of a tough DIY project is assembling IKEA furniture! :lol:

5

Caliper slide pins don’t aid in releasing of the caliper, they only let the caliper move with the rotor.

The shop you took it to had the right idea with the caliper and the master cylinder, so you can’t blame them. If your secondary cup seal won’t move past the vent port in the master cylinder, the caliper will stick in the applied position. Best bet is, you’ve eliminated the MC and the caliper, so check your lines. Brake boosters hardly fail, but shouldn’t be excluded out of the equation. I’m not saying run out and replace it, just have a technician run a few of the 3 booster tests or try it yourself. I can write out the 3 for you if you want. Another possiblity is, when they did replace your master cylinder, it’s possible that they didn’t recheck the pushrod length and that will make your caliper stick.

6

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. So I took it to Speedworks and they fixed it up right.

When they went to look at the caliper, it did not come off the hub easily and they had to pry it off. But when they put a clamp on it to push the piston back in, it moved freely. So it was not the caliper or the line/hose. Then, they checked the RIGHT front caliper and found a small leak. When I released the brake, it would suck some air into the right side, leaving some fluid in the left side. So, the caliper did not fully open.

I can see where it would be a little tricky to troubleshoot, so I guess I can’t be mad at my old shop. Anyway, it’s all good now and I was able to learn a lot by watching Neil and Cory at work. Thanks guys!