1999 S70 - Brake caliper stuck

[j-dawg]

It's often recommended to replace calipers in pairs: barring some sort of traumatic damage, which is pretty rare in brake components, calipers tend to have the same experiences on each side of the car, w/r/t weather, braking conditions, pads, fluid, etc. If one is stuck, you can bet the other will stick soon, because stuck calipers are the result of a very long, very consistent application of exactly the same factors from one caliper to the other.

IMO, best to replace them both and only have to bleed the lines once, but there's no real harm done if you don't.

[instarx]

Started getting a vibration at highway speed and noticed the right front pads and rotor were heated up. The pads and guide pins looked okay, but the caliper piston will not depress with a c-clamp. Never had a problem with this in the past. Assuming the caliper needs to be replaced; here are my questions. 1.) Should I replace only the right caliper? Or both sides? 2.) Is there a preferred aftermarket brand on this forum? I'm not buying a volvo OEM.

Had this exact thing happen to me last year. Just replace the bad caliper - they do not have to be replaced as pairs. You can also buy rebuild kits for them and with a little sweat equity you can save a lot of money. Or just go to your local part place and pick up a rebuilt one - you don't need new.

[jreed]

I took a look at the plain steel guide pins that came with the rebuilt calipers I bought from Advanced Auto and decided that the original stainless steel ones that were on the car were a better bet in terms of material quality. I cleaned them up, used some ATE PlastiLube silicone grease, and put them back on.

[cn90]

1+,

When getting rebuilt caliper from NAPA, Autozone etc., use only the caliper.
Set aside the pins that come with it in garage just in case.
Re-use the old pins etc. because they are better than the Chinese pins.

[850 LPT]

Also, I would recommend flushing your brake fluid and replace it with new fresh fluid.

The reason calipers get stuck is from corrosion. This could be caused by a torn boot, but also from moisture in the fluid when it gets old. A fact that is often overlooked. For this reason I replace my brake fluid every 2 years.

[cn90]

1+,

On the issue of piston corrosion:

- Brake flush every ____ years helps prevent corrosion.

- Torn rubber boot: rubber degrades with time/heat, so there are 2 schools of thoughts:

a. Drive until it is bad, then replace the caliper.

b. The enthusiast approach: every 12y/120K or so, renew the whole system:
- All brake hoses
- Rebuild all 4 calipers (new seal/boot about $10/each). Info in forum.

I use the enthusiast approach.

[Reinie]

I replaced the caliper, very easy. Also flushed the fluid with the help of a $9.00 gravity kit and my 11yr old son. The fluid was very dirty and likely caused the caliper to go bad. The mfr recommended replacing both calipers, which I did not. Also did not replace the pads or rotors since they were fairly new. They both were overheated when the caliper was dragging, but survived. To answer a question above: the rotor did not show a different coloration in the pad area (and it got really hot). My pads and rotors are at about 75% (25% worn). Also, I did use the cheap guide pins supplied with the NAPA caliper. They were greased and moved so nice... will keep an eye on them. Kept my stainless steel pins (big cost difference between the two).

[dryloop]

Hi Gentlemen,

I need to replace the passenger side front brake caliber on my 2000 Volvo S70, does anyone know the torque specifications for adhering the calliper? Is this a nasty job? This is my first time messing with brakes.

Cheers

Jon

[instarx]

Hi Gentlemen,

I need to replace the passenger side front brake caliber on my 2000 Volvo S70, does anyone know the torque specifications for adhering the calliper? Is this a nasty job? This is my first time messing with brakes.

Cheers

Jon

No, it's an easy job. Sorry, don't know torque - "tight" has always worked for me.

[abscate]

Hi Gentlemen,

I need to replace the passenger side front brake caliber on my 2000 Volvo S70, does anyone know the torque specifications for adhering the calliper? Is this a nasty job? This is my first time messing with brakes.

Cheers

Jon

30 Newton metre for the caliper pins. I actually tighten them firm without a torque wrench, too.