YES, TrailBeast, this is my caliper assembly! So last night I put some silicon brake lube on the inside of the caliper where the inner brake pad will slide back and forth. I put a very light amount and it seemed like the pad moved a little easier. I also lubed the back of both brake pads: the inner where it touches he piston and the outer on both sides where it touches the metal. Hopefully this is ok. I finally got a call from the vendor a few minutes ago who said he thinks my sticking problem is actually a malfunctioning meter valve....but he said the lubrication I did shouldn't be an issue. I'm going to drive the car after work and will get a better idea whether the lube helped. It's been pretty damn frustrating trying to find any guidance on this particular caliper....I'm kind of disappointed that I'm stuck with this product now for a while. Though if I can get the car to stop without overheating after driving for 15 minutes I guess that's all that matters. Thanks everyone that's contributed! I'll give an update tonight after I go for a drive.
Lubricate Loaded Calipers? Brakes dragging intermittently
- Thread starter Fitz68
- Start date
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Not overthinking, just discussing.
Fitz, the caliper you have is probably just like this picture.
The entire caliper slides as the pads wear, so the outer pad moves with the whole sliding assembly. (Caliper body)
The inner pad of course is moved by the piston.
The bracket for the caliper that bolts to the hub has two machined areas that the caliper mates to with to matching machined areas on the calipers. (marked as slides in the pic)
The retainers basically just keep the caliper from popping up out of the slides, and the anti rattle clips use spring type pressure to hold the pads from rattling around in there when the brakes are not in use. (like the pads not having pressure on them and going over bumps, holes or cracks in the road surface.)
The calipers themselves really only have forward and backward pressures on them so those light metal caliper retainers are plenty to keep the caliper from popping up, and out of the slide grooves.
Those slide surfaces are what some/most believe should be lubed on assembly, and they are correct.
Personally, I don't like anything on there that can collect dust and cause the caliper to get stuck or bound up when dust or dirt does get added to the mix.
Anti seize (like the stuff for spark plug threads is just about the only thing I would ever use on those surfaces if anything other than a good wire brushing)
I do a wheels off inspection and cleaning 3-4 times a year where I check pads, seals and the grease in the bearings so maybe that's the main reason I never have a problem doing nothing to the slide surfaces but a good cleaning.
But after going back and looking again at your picture, it looks like bolt slides.
The same info applies for those also, but the caliper is allowed to slide on lubed bolt instead of a machined mating surface, and those clean metal tabs on your caliper act as anti rattle devices by pressing down on the pad by using the bolt head at one end and the bolt shaft at the other.
Maybe the term "ways" caused confusion. Machined surfaces of mating shapes. Call them slides, tracks, whatever. Throw the pads out for a minute. Set the caliper in there and slide it to and fro if it will help.
I do clean them. I don't lubricate them. Grease will only collect dirt.
So I took the car out last night for about a 30 minute drive. The brakes only got "stuck" one time....which is a noticeable improvement over what I had experienced on Monday. However my engine still ran hot and was nearing the peak of the temp gauge by the time I got home. I could also smell the brake pads in the front and they were super hot. Car is stopping great though.
I'm going to reread all the posts and try to find some more reading on this type of brake setup to see if I just assembled something incorrectly. I can't see how being that there are only two bolts holding the whole assembly to the spindle..there's not much to mess up. Thanks again for the help everyone!
I'm going to reread all the posts and try to find some more reading on this type of brake setup to see if I just assembled something incorrectly. I can't see how being that there are only two bolts holding the whole assembly to the spindle..there's not much to mess up. Thanks again for the help everyone!
TrailBeast
AKA Mopars4us on Youtube
Anti squeak (material or compound) should go between the pads and the piston, and the outer pads and legs of the caliper. (not lube) but as long as it doesn't get on the pads, the worse thing it can do is squeal when you apply the brakes.
The meter valve may very well be the problem, and your brakes shouldn't get so hot you smell them (It will warp the rotors) and cause a pulsation feeling when you apply the brakes.
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
I'm tellin ya, there is something else wrong here besides "lube." Think about it. There are worse places than "where I live" but up here we do get rain, snow, slush, mud, sand, grit, and brakes were designed to be driven "in this crap" for 10's of thousands of miles. At least some go 50K or more without any attention at all.
ANY brake I've seen, "by the time I seen it" had no lube of any kind, anywhere
There has GOT to be something basic we are missing......something mal formed, bent, worn, mis-aligned, or a hydraulic problem.
Is it possible a wrong combination of parts? Has left the caliper / rotor relationship "in a bind?" Maybe the ROTORS are wrong for application or made wrong.
I ain't there. I cain't see it.
ANY brake I've seen, "by the time I seen it" had no lube of any kind, anywhere
There has GOT to be something basic we are missing......something mal formed, bent, worn, mis-aligned, or a hydraulic problem.
Is it possible a wrong combination of parts? Has left the caliper / rotor relationship "in a bind?" Maybe the ROTORS are wrong for application or made wrong.
I ain't there. I cain't see it.
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