Caliper seized?

[zarheelz]

I have a '99 4Runner 4WD Manual Transmission.

A couple days ago, I came home from work and pulled in the driveway and there was a burning smell coming from the front of the vehicle. Had to run to the grocery store later that evening and at about 30-35mph, the front end began to violently shake so I slowed down and made it to the store. Turned around and same thing happened on the way home and when I arrived, there was the same burning smell. Happened at acceleration and downhill when coasting.

From a little research, it sounds like a seized caliper could be the culprit. This also had me remembering that over the last few weeks, when I was rolling very slowly to a stop light, sometimes the car would suddenly stop very abruptly when I was barely depressing the brakes. Maybe an early symptom?

What is the best way to check for a seized caliper? And is the only option to replace the whole brake system...calipers, pads, rotors? Any recommendations for non-OEM calipers?...I can't drop that money right now.

 

[nissanh]

Could be a badly wrapped rotor. Turn the rotor and check. Remove the brake pads and then with a pry bar try to press the caliper pistons (there are 4) inwards. If all are moving with gentle force, then the caliper pistons are good.

You can get a re-manufactured caliper for about $60. It is also super easy to replace the caliper washers too.

 

[Coward]

Could be the REAR brakes instead. A badly warped drum is much more likely to lock at slow speed with light brake pressure. I had this EXACT problem. If you try to replicate on a gravel it will actually lock up and drag the tire.

 

[JohnMc]

Take it for a little drive, then when you get back *carefully* check each wheel. If one of them has a dragging brake it will be very hot.

Figure out which brake is dragging, and proceed from there.

 

[octanejunkie]

I wouldn't drive it to find a brake problem, but I'm weird like that

Jack the vehicle up and free-spin each wheel by hand - the one(s) that don't freespin have an issue

 

[zarheelz]

I wouldn't drive it to find a brake problem, but I'm weird like that

Jack the vehicle up and free-spin each wheel by hand - the one(s) that don't freespin have an issue

I liked this plan and went out last night. My rear driver-side wheel would barely move when i gave it a spin so that must be the culprit. While jacking it up, I did notice that there was a lot of grease buildup on the inside of the wheel. Could the axle seal issue have an affect on braking and cause the issues with driving at 35 mph? I have only briefly read up on the axle seal issue but there is a good amount of buildup on the wheel.

 

[octanejunkie]

I liked this plan and went out last night. My rear driver-side wheel would barely move when i gave it a spin so that must be the culprit. While jacking it up, I did notice that there was a lot of grease buildup on the inside of the wheel. Could the axle seal issue have an affect on braking and cause the issues with driving at 35 mph? I have only briefly read up on the axle seal issue but there is a good amount of buildup on the wheel.

If your axle seal is leaking you would know it, hypoid gear oil has a pretty distinct smell, and to answer your question, yes, it can be a problem and it warrants investigation and remediation.

Take that wheel/brake apart and clean everything well. If the caliper is seized, replace it.

You should also check your rear diff fluid level. You can easily do so by removing the rear diff fill plug and look into teh diff with a flashlight. The fluid level should be just below the fill plug hole by about 5mm when the vehicle is on level ground. If it isn't you may want to pull that axle and inspect the seal. You have to drain the diff to do that.

 

[mtbtim]

I liked this plan and went out last night. My rear driver-side wheel would barely move when i gave it a spin so that must be the culprit. While jacking it up, I did notice that there was a lot of grease buildup on the inside of the wheel. Could the axle seal issue have an affect on braking and cause the issues with driving at 35 mph? I have only briefly read up on the axle seal issue but there is a good amount of buildup on the wheel.

Your rear axle seal has probably been leaking for quite a while. Most people will notice the tell-tale splay of grease on the inside of the wheel letting them know something ain't right.

In your case, you figured out you had a leaking rear axle seal because of a braking issue and this is pretty common. The brake shoes are porous and will slowly soak up the gear oil. Over time, the shoes will swell and cause the shoes to drag against the drum and then overheat.

In my case, I noticed my brakes were pulling to the left. When I examined my brakes, I noticed my passenger side rear shoes coated in gear oil. Because I the shoes wouldn't grab as well due to the oil, I had stronger braking on the driver side and that's why my rig was pulling left when I applied the brakes.

There's 2 main reasons the axle seals fail, #1 is time and the #2 is a clogged breather. Over time, your bearings wear and develop more play. That play is transferred to the axle and causes additional stress on the seal. Ultimately, the seal fails. Differentials have a breather to relieve pressure that builds up as the differential heats up from driving. The breather is a one-way pressure relief valve and can sometimes get corroded and not work properly. As pressure builds up in the differential, it's got to go somewhere and will take the path of least resistance which ends up being the axle seals at either end of the axle housing if the pressure can't be relieved via the breather.

Your best bet is to do the axle seal job on both sides because the other side is probably close to going to. At a minimum, you should replace the seals, bearings, dust seals, retaining clips and large o-rings on the ends of the axle housing. You'll also need to replace your brake shoes (see video below). If you pull the parts off rather than cut them off, you can reuse all 4 retainers and both ABS tone rings. I discuss how to do this in the video description of the video I linked below.

Here's a couple good threads on this subject:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/114743-possible-solution-leaking-axle-seals.html

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...e-information-replacement-thread-3rd-gen.html

However, if you just watch the video [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I made for this repair, you'll pretty much know everything you need to tackle this job whether you just pull the axles and let a shop do the press work for you or you choose to do the whole thing yourself. If don't want to do any of the work, it's good to be informed on this repair because this has got to be the #1 job shops and dealerships screw up on a regular basis.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AVhSDnw2ugo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IJkVEBYSecs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[4WDave]

just take a wheel off, remove pads, and try and push piston back.
In my years of wrenching I have always done calipers in pairs