Not trying to put anyone down, we all have to learn at some point. Let me try and keep this brief and as simple as I can. The vast majority of disc brake calipers work by using slide pins. The inner caliper slides on these as the brakes are used. Easy ID: Look for the rubber boots, there will be one upper and one lower. Just like tie rods, cv joints etc.... these boots keep lubricant in and contaminates out. Simple Right?
Despite the infomercials you've seen at 3am on channel 386 , there is no lubricant, grease or oil, that will last a lifetime, especially parts that are seeing high heat. The lube breaks down, which mean friction increases, this means the caliper can no longer slide and gets stuck. Then everyone jumps on the world wide web and blames the vehicle manufacturer, the caliper manufacturer, their third grade teacher, ........... The only one to blame is the one staring back at them in the mirror. Just being honest. I've been turning wrenches longer than most of you have been alive. You can listen or ignore the advice and it's worth exactly what you paid for it. I myself consider brakes the most important function on any moving vehicle, but I'm a dinosaur why listen to me?
Besides the lubricant braking down the boots get holes and rips in them, or simply get out of position and this allows lube to exit and all sorts of things to enter. How fast the lube breaks down is impossible to say, to many variables. Type of Lube, Type of Driving, Where you drive, etc........ I check the boots every time I'm under a vehicle. Once a year I take a couple hours and take the calipers off, clean and inspect the components, replace what's needed, re-assemble with quality dielectric grease, (AKA Caliper Grease) and reassemble. I have never had a sliding caliper seize on any vehicle I have owned or have been responsible before.
Back when I bought my first Powerstroke the most common topic was seized brakes with everything being blamed from Ford to Speed Bumps, not joking. I wrote a thread similar to this one and those that listened to the suggestions no longer had an issue with seized calipers. I didn't invent the cure, hundreds of grease monkey's like me have known about it for years, but the internet now allows the word to get out to everyone. There are some greedy grease monkey's out there that don't want this info getting out as they make great money replacing seized calipers. I'm sure I'll get PM's from this one just like all the others but I'm not going to stop posting the truth, it might be my son, daughter and my grandkids that somebody slams into doing 70mph with little braking.
There are plenty of YouTube videos that will walk you through this process, no need for me to make this any longer. To answer the most common questions now:
WHAT LUBE TO USE? Use any quality dielectric grease, stick with brand
names that you have heard of. The one I like the
best is sold at Napa called Sil-Glyde.
HOW MUCH LUBE? To much grease can be bad as well. Clean all the old
out with brake cleaner and a shop towel. Lube the pin
up all around and fully insert it into the bore. Remove
the pin, you will see less lube, apply more lube to the
pin. The most important part: Put a good amount of
grease inside the rubber boot and work it into the
folds in the boot, that is what they are there for. Once
they are filled insert the pin and assemble the caliper.
HOW OFTEN? As I already stated it's impossible to predict. As a general
rule I say once a year. There is no such thing as being to
safe when it comes to the brake system on a vehicle that
hauls around what should be the people you love the
most in this world.
Summary:
I sure didn't mean to ruffle any feathers, that's not my intent. If one person will follow my suggestion than the time it took me to type this out is worth every hunt and peck on this poor keyboard. I'm not saying that manufacturers don't make bad components and new designs aren't always better. I'm simply saying before we start blaming everyone on the planet let's look at what failed and ask what could have been done to prevent it. We all aren't mechanical engineers so pointing the finger isn't going to mean much to anyone that will make changes because of what we say. Thank you for your time and if this proves to help you with your brake issue please help spread the word to help others in the same position.
God Bless
