Front Passenger KH Brake Sticking

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HTMLmopars

HTMLmopars

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My 68 Valiant started making noise from the front passenger caliper, it was the wear block on the pads. I replaced the pads two years ago, when the same thing happened. Driver's side pads have a ton of pad left, passenger is completely used. Reman calipers, only a few years old, new lines from the chassis to the calipers. What's the best way to deal with this, I really don't enjoy replacing the pads every ten thousand miles or so. Are Rockauto reman calipers just garbage, and if so, where do I get good ones, or do I have a problem before the caliper?
 
You have stuck pistons on one side of the caliper.
Rebuild, or replacement, time.
That will be your decision.
FYI.
Look in the for sale section.
I have a rebuilt pair, ready to go, if you might be interested.
 
hemi71x said:
You have stuck pistons on one side of the caliper.
Rebuild, or replacement, time.
That will be your decision.
FYI.
Look in the for sale section.
I have a rebuilt pair, ready to go, if you might be interested.
Click to expand...

If I rebuild, can I just do the passenger side, or is it like brakes always are where I need to rebuild both sides?
As a college kid on break, I have more time to spare than money, so rebuild sounds more appealing
 
Ya, you can just do one side, if you want to do it that way.
Then your next question(s) is where do i get the parts from?
Then your going to be dealing with Rock Auto again for kits, and or pistons, too.
More questions are, how do i rebuild them, how do you get the pistons out?
Guess you gotta start somewhere, sometime.
 
hemi71x said:
Ya, you can just do one side, if you want to do it that way.
Then your next question(s) is where do i get the parts from?
Then your going to be dealing with Rock Auto again for kits, and or pistons, too.
More questions are, how do i rebuild them, how do you get the pistons out?
Guess you gotta start somewhere, sometime.
Click to expand...
I would assume there's a thread on here somewhere that explains a lot of it. I've glanced through some threads, seems like you're the guy on the KH brakes. Is a rebuild going to include a hone on the cylinder bore, or just replacing seals and making sure everything is lubricated?
 
Yup hemi71x and Jim Lusk. Lusk has some videos of how to rebuilt as well.
I've never mastered the trick of installing the piston seals.
But I can tell you that the quality of the chrome on the pistons has been iffy. If you see flaws in the chroming - don't use it.
Stainless pistons are available.
 
This is one of the reasons they went to the single piston design. KH calipers do have a tendency to stick. Bleed in fresh fluid annually - helps a little. Stainless sleeve in the bore helps forever.
 
Could just grab another reman from Rock, takes a lot to get them right on the rebuilding yourself . . especially 1st time.

Done Deal . . find a way to earn some money for a half a day to cover the costs . . .
 
Demonic said:
This is one of the reasons they went to the single piston design. KH calipers do have a tendency to stick. Bleed in fresh fluid annually - helps a little. Stainless sleeve in the bore helps forever.
Click to expand...
Yep. 4 smaller pistons take up less space than 1 single large piston. Look at the 8 piston Brembo's nowdays. 8 possible pistons to seize. :BangHead::BangHead:
 
toolmanmike said:
Yep. 4 smaller pistons take up less space than 1 single large piston. Look at the 8 piston Brembo's nowdays. 8 possible pistons to seize. :BangHead::BangHead:
Click to expand...
I dunno, had my share of sliders hanging up too. The third set on my gwagoneer right now, and the ones on it when I bought it sure weren't original. LOL.
These don't just stick or hangup or whatever. It's corrosion, dirt, etc.
The best thing way to minimize this is change the fluid regularly. Frequency base on conditions. And for everything but fixed type, makes sure all the sliding surfaces are good clean and greased.
 
Mattax said:
I dunno, had my share of sliders hanging up too. The third set on my gwagoneer right now, and the ones on it when I bought it sure weren't original. LOL.
These don't just stick or hangup or whatever. It's corrosion, dirt, etc.
The best thing way to minimize this is change the fluid regularly. Frequency base on conditions. And for everything but fixed type, makes sure all the sliding surfaces are good clean and greased.
Click to expand...
When I worked on my tool trucks, Anti Seize was my friend. Got to keep those sliders lubed. My single piston calipers were easier to diagnose if they had sticky/seized pistons. Easier to service as well.
 
You guys living in the rust belt states, rust bucket states, it does help if you keep the sliding points of the caliper pads, pins, wear points, lubed up with whatever brand, lubricant that you prefer to use.
Just boils down to personal preference, anti seize compound, or any of the lubricants, grease's, that the bazillion of manufacturers sell to the automobile public.
I do feel for you guys in the rust belt, working on cars, especially these old dinosaurs of ours.
I don't see rust like you guys do out here in California, Nevada, Arizona.
 
I believe the PO could have a brake hose problem. Usually a hose will separate and cause the caliper to hang up from pressure not being released.

One thing I have seen many times is a brake fluid bottle setting on a shelf for a long time and then used to top off a master cylinder. Brake fluid attracts moisture when left on the shelf. Never buy more than you are using and throw the remaining in the trash. You will contaminate a clean system with old fluid.

4 piston Kelsey Hayes calipers totally release and allow the rotor to spin free. Single piston calipers have a constant drag. Also the pistons do not ride on the bore they ride on the seal installed in the bore. They are pretty easy to rebuild but are available at AutoZone for $129 per side. Usually the caliper housing where the pad rides is wore and the pad gets hung up on the housing where it is suppose to slide. Under the gold tension clip pictured below.

DSCN1168.JPG
 
Oldmanmopar said:
I believe the PO could have a brake hose problem. Usually a hose will separate and cause the caliper to hang up from pressure not being released.

One thing I have seen many times is a brake fluid bottle setting on a shelf for a long time and then used to top off a master cylinder. Brake fluid attracts moisture when left on the shelf. Never buy more than you are using and throw the remaining in the trash. You will contaminate a clean system with old fluid.

4 piston Kelsey Hayes calipers totally release and allow the rotor to spin free. Single piston calipers have a constant drag. Also the pistons do not ride on the bore they ride on the seal installed in the bore. They are pretty easy to rebuild but are available at AutoZone for $129 per side. Usually the caliper housing where the pad rides is wore and the pad gets hung up on the housing where it is suppose to slide. Under the gold tension clip pictured below.

View attachment 1715372983
Click to expand...
Yes I agree with that a lot about the brake hose problem, it's internal blockage and separation that you cannot see from the outside. This happened all the time with the VWs suspensions that we were building into the Dune Buggies. It was always first order of business to throw away those stock original brake hoses and put on new ones right from the bat.
 
Oldmanmopar said:
I believe the PO could have a brake hose problem. Usually a hose will separate and cause the caliper to hang up from pressure not being released.

One thing I have seen many times is a brake fluid bottle setting on a shelf for a long time and then used to top off a master cylinder. Brake fluid attracts moisture when left on the shelf. Never buy more than you are using and throw the remaining in the trash. You will contaminate a clean system with old fluid.

4 piston Kelsey Hayes calipers totally release and allow the rotor to spin free. Single piston calipers have a constant drag. Also the pistons do not ride on the bore they ride on the seal installed in the bore. They are pretty easy to rebuild but are available at AutoZone for $129 per side. Usually the caliper housing where the pad rides is wore and the pad gets hung up on the housing where it is suppose to slide. Under the gold tension clip pictured below.

View attachment 1715372983
Click to expand...

The hose is just over a year old, but I'm probably guilty of using old fluid. Probably worth replacing a $20 part before replacing/rebuilding a caliper.
 
Oldmanmopar said:
I believe the PO could have a brake hose problem. Usually a hose will separate and cause the caliper to hang up from pressure not being released.

One thing I have seen many times is a brake fluid bottle setting on a shelf for a long time and then used to top off a master cylinder. Brake fluid attracts moisture when left on the shelf. Never buy more than you are using and throw the remaining in the trash. You will contaminate a clean system with old fluid.

4 piston Kelsey Hayes calipers totally release and allow the rotor to spin free. Single piston calipers have a constant drag. Also the pistons do not ride on the bore they ride on the seal installed in the bore. They are pretty easy to rebuild but are available at AutoZone for $129 per side. Usually the caliper housing where the pad rides is wore and the pad gets hung up on the housing where it is suppose to slide. Under the gold tension clip pictured below.

View attachment 1715372983
Click to expand...

If the piston is stuck and you crack the bleeder open and the piston releases, you have a hose problem. If you crack the bleeder and it stays stuck, you have a piston/caliper issue.

George Jets said:
Yes I agree with that a lot about the brake hose problem, it's internal blockage and separation that you cannot see from the outside. This happened all the time with the VWs suspensions that we were building into the Dune Buggies. It was always first order of business to throw away those stock original brake hoses and put on new ones right from the bat.
Click to expand...
 
toolmanmike said:
If the piston is stuck and you crack the bleeder open and the piston releases, you have a hose problem. If you crack the bleeder and it stays stuck, you have a piston/caliper issue.
Click to expand...
I'll test real quick, will get back to y'all once I check that. It isn't uncommon to have the reman calipers be less than perfect?
 
Was able to compress pistons by cracking the crossover fitting (the bleeder is very stripped, even vise grips don't wanna hold onto it, so ideas to fix get that out taste welcome), so I'm ordering in hoses.
 
Autozone has the bleeders. Dante's Mopar parts for the cross overs in stainless I just ordered them it took a day or two.
 
Oldmanmopar said:
Autozone has the bleeders. Dante's Mopar parts for the cross overs in stainless I just ordered them it took a day or two.
Click to expand...
Good to know about the bleeders. I actually think I have aftermarket crossovers in a box somewhere from when I replaced the calipers in highschool, so I might put those on, the current ones seem to work pretty good, though, and the fittings are I'm good shape still
 
Put things back together today, tried bleeding the brakes with little progress, so I was looking at all the fittings to make sure they weren't leaking, and I noticed that the line from the hose to the caliper is definitely kinked on the driver's side, which could explain the excessive wear on the passenger side, I just assumed that it was sticking because of the wear, but now I'm bending new hard line, hoping that that helps.
 
Bent new hard line from the distribution block to the caliper, and have new hard line from the hose to the caliper. There is a significant fluid pressure drop between where the line enters the caliper, and the first fitting on the crossover. (This is all driver's side.) Passenger side has good pressure everywhere. Can't get any progress on bleeding the brakes, seems like something isn't quite happy, and it appears to be in the caliper, but I don't want to buy the ssbc calipers unless I know for sure they'll fix the problem.
 
I have been sick for a couple of days. Post pictures of what you are working on. I have several parts if you need a half a caliper. The cross over hole in the caliper may be clogged. That is internal but an easy fix, There is nothing to the calipers on the inside. I have pistons, But the rebuild kits and pistons are available at NAPA. They are easy to rebuild. Just glass bead the housings. Not Sand blast , Glass beads only sand takes off metal.
 
Oldmanmopar said:
I have been sick for a couple of days. Post pictures of what you are working on. I have several parts if you need a half a caliper. The cross over hole in the caliper may be clogged. That is internal but an easy fix, There is nothing to the calipers on the inside. I have pistons, But the rebuild kits and pistons are available at NAPA. They are easy to rebuild. Just glass bead the housings. Not Sand blast , Glass beads only sand takes off metal.
Click to expand...

So that fitting on the bottom right of the picture is pushing good pressure out, the first side of the crossover has little pressure, just oozes, and so does the other side of the crossover. Bleeder just strips threads, haven't gotten it loose
Ordered the ssbc kit, I'm realizing that I have less time until I go back to school than I thought, so I'm spending money in the interest of getting the project done at home

20190808_174108.jpg
 
Also, there's a chance that I got the fluid level in the MC too low, is that going to cause problems bleeding, or will it solve itself while bleeding the system as long as I keep the cylinder topped off
 
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