Just checked my fronts, I replaced both calipers with Napa reman 40k ago at 130k, they had one piston each side seized. They are now fine, went in no problem, tons of brake dust on the typically seized piston though. I'll keep checking them yearly and cleaning the dust off. Will go win 5th gen calipers and rotors the next time I need a brake job
Frozen Calipers - How many others had this problem?
- Thread starter ssheftel
- Start date
Well friends, I am having trouble with the remans. I’ve got a slight shimmy in the steering wheel at 60ish and upon checking the calipers, each side front has one or two pistons that aren’t seized, but were very hard to get back in.
So, should I swap them out? Should I do the 5th gen Swap and go to Napa Coated calipers or stay with 4th gen and do Raybestos plain that I would have to do the painting on.
So, should I swap them out? Should I do the 5th gen Swap and go to Napa Coated calipers or stay with 4th gen and do Raybestos plain that I would have to do the painting on.
Joex481
New member
I went through 2 sets of remans in the front before buying reman 5th gen calipers and new rotors. I got the 5th gens from Centric - but one had a piston freeze at 18,000. I replaced that one with a coated Wearever from CarQuest which has a lifetime warranty (Centric does not!). I painted both Centrics but did not grease the piston seals so I might be at fault there. I would get coated 5th gen if I were you.
In case it might be something else, I've also reduced shimmies by:
- Rebalancing front tires
- Replacing rotors
- Greasing pads (edges against caliper) & slides
Is your shimmy happening only at speed? I'm not sure a piston that's not fully seized would cause one when you're not braking, but I'm no expert.
waypoint
Member
Which NAPA calipers did you install...the Eclipse painted/coated ones, or the regular ones?
07V8
Member
I installed the 5th gen Napa eclipse calipers in March of this year.....after my year old POS 5th gen centric calipers froze.
I cannot recommend the Napa Eclipse enough! BY FAR the best braking performance and pedal feel of any setup since I bought the truck in 2007. Bite is near instant and there is absolutely no mushy pedal feel.
I’m using Akebono pads up front and painted Centrics in the rear with Hawk HPS pads.
The Napa warranty is worth the piece of mind!
Mine were plain. I believe this was when napa still had plain and coated. I guess I’m lucky to get 3 years out of them considering what many of you go through, replacing them every year or so.
I think I’m going to go with the Raybestos Opti-Cal 5th gen calipers. These are brand new non remanufacthred calipers. Only $90 each and no cores to ship back to rockauto.
Probably the biggest issue I have with my 4Runner. Fortunately, Firestone was dumb enough to offer me a lifetime warranty on any brake part (excluding the pads) and of course, I took full advantage of that. Regardless, after being repaired, about every 10K-15K miles I hear the annoying CLUNK from my front brakes every time they're activated and its back to the shop.
Joex481
New member
I'm glad I'm not the only one that had a 5th gen centric fail. At that point my mind was blown as I had already gone through 4 4th gen remans lol
07V8
Member
I’ll never buy another centric product.
Terminator03
New member
Were you able to get the Akebono pads at Napa too, or did you have to order them elsewhere?
07V8
Member
Napa has em.
Montego Murph
Member
OK, so here's a dumb question.
Is there any sort of preventative maintenance one can and should be doing which may prevent seizing? Like for example, when rotating tires, maybe exercising the piston with the bleeder open to let it travel in and out, and get any moisture out of there?
Of course as I say that, I realize there's no easy way to do that -- it's not like we can just put a C-Clamp on the fronts.
Is there any sort of preventative maintenance one can and should be doing which may prevent seizing? Like for example, when rotating tires, maybe exercising the piston with the bleeder open to let it travel in and out, and get any moisture out of there?
Of course as I say that, I realize there's no easy way to do that -- it's not like we can just put a C-Clamp on the fronts.
waypoint
Member
Two things have worked for me w/ 3 Toyotas I've owned since 2007 and over 250K miles combined between them, knock wood I've never had a caliper piston seize:
1.) At every brake pad job, I clean the rubber piston boots with aerosol silicone spray (labeled safe for rubber), and pack the outside of the rubber piston boots with Sil-Glyde grease. Spray with silicone spray and wipe clean, then apply a heavy smear of Sil-Glyde around the outer surfaces of the boots. Seems to keep moisture out. You'll also want Sil-Glyde for the rear caliper pins that have rubber boots, some regular brake greases tend to swell the rubber and cause binding.
2.) At every brake job, I bleed the brakes at each caliper until fresh fluid comes out. The old fluid can corrode the pistons.
It's extra work, but a lot less than replacing calipers/pads/rotors due to seized pistons.
waypoint
Member
True, but I went with their Adaptive One pads last year and like the initial bite better than the Akebonos. Just a tad more aggressive and responsive to the brake pedal, cold and hot. Trade-off is that they're also a bit more dusty.
Terminator03
New member
Thanks.
waypoint
Member
They sell Sil-Glyde brake grease at NAPA also, comes in a toothpaste tube.
This is almost overkill for one brake job though. It is the best deal vs the little packet but I barely used like a couple of dabs when doing my front and rear brakes. Includes pads and slide pins.
waypoint
Member
It's a good investment...probably not the last brake job you'll ever do, and the stuff has no expiration date. I go through about a tablespoon of it smearing up the front caliper piston boots and packing the rear caliper slider pins & boots. Our other 2 vehicles have 2-piece calipers with slider pins on all 4 wheels, and I do the brakes so Sil-Glyde gets used quite a bit.
L8Shift
Member
Which grade Centric caliper were you folks using?
Their top of the line is Posi-Quiet Semi-loaded..
The 338 Caliper comes in bright shiny Gold... {Not my color of choice}
From Website:
Each Posi Quiet caliper is finished in the same way as the original from the factory; Posi Quiet calipers feature a Zinc Dichromate finish, or O.E. colored powder coating depending on the application. This feature ensures that the caliper will look as good as it works throughout its lifetime. Ask for Posi Quiet 142 series replacement brake calipers.
My local shop claims to have good success with them...
I went with this caliper due to the shops recommendation, and the coatings on the caliper.
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