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OT Volvo V70 calipers
aka Keith - 26/2/10 at 05:05 PM

Are calipers considered consumables on a car these days.

Took the car to the garage the other day for a engine check and it was noted that thet NSR caliper was sticking. So noted and replaced by said garage.

1 week later, the drivers front and the drivers rear caliper have stuck too, and have had to be replaced

Is this normal, or is somthing a bit suss here?

cheers
Craig

britishtrident - 26/2/10 at 05:17 PM

Could be 3 things

(1) Abs fault.
(2) Pad sticking in caliper --- a lot more common than you might think.
(3) Contaninated fluid or WD40 type lubricant used on the calipers during a pad change. WD40 is slow death to brake systems, it may contain silicones but it is largely made up of kerosene like hydrocarbons.

The only return spring in a caliper is the internal rubber seal which distorts slightly during normal braking, it dosen't actual slide on the piston except to take up wear.
If the rubber gets contaminated with mineral oil or over heated it swells looses its' elasticity.

bartonp - 26/2/10 at 06:50 PM

quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
Could be 3 things

(1) Abs fault.
(2) Pad sticking in caliper --- a lot more common than you might think.
(3) Contaninated fluid or WD40 type lubricant used on the calipers during a pad change. WD40 is slow death to brake systems, it may contain silicones but it is largely made up of kerosene like hydrocarbons.

The only return spring in a caliper is the internal rubber seal which distorts slightly during normal braking, it dosen't actual slide on the piston except to take up wear.
If the rubber gets contaminated with mineral oil or over heated it swells looses its' elasticity.


Didn't we used to change seals?

sebastiaan - 26/2/10 at 07:09 PM

Yes, we did, but that was before Volvo charged 75 euro/hour (over here) before VAT for a mechanic....

Probably cheaper to exchange the calliper, or do it yourself!

Jed - 26/2/10 at 07:10 PM

The rears always seem to stick on my V70 due to corrosion on the pads causing them to stick in the carriers. Never had to replace the rear calipers in 136k but a front one had to be done after a mechanic dislodged the rubber seal and the piston corroded.
Got a replacement from Euro Car Parts and they were very surprised that I wanted an exchange caliper as they found there was little demand for them due to them being reliable - or so they said.

franky - 26/2/10 at 07:26 PM

for most cars you can get a re-conditioned caliper for £50... or pay £15ish for a seal kit and then the time to rebuild so its pretty much 50/50.