frozen calipers, might have third in just over a year

[hinmo24t]

Hey, i smell burning from rear drivers side when i park in my garage.

My mpg seems a bit low, but we do have cold temps here in MA now and my avg speed is under 20 mph for a long time (i work 5 mins from my house/backroads) and havent been MA/RI chasing tail for about a year...
i dont notice any pulling when i let go of steering wheel, and I know cold temps dont help MPG (which i always found counter intuitive) so im not 100% sure. had two calipers replaced and this could be third in just over a year. at $300 or w.e. a pop, its fn ridic.

What are options for upgrading to a brake system that doesnt do this? i could be willing to spend upwards of a grand to resolve it, because the rate im at now the ROI would be in a year in a half or so, not to mention loss of mpg.


Thanks.

 

[firebirdguy]

do a search, there are all kinds of threads & info on brake upgrades. most people go with the 5th gen calipers that arent supposed to freeze up as much as 4th gens. also look for the coated calipers some companies offer that will reduce the corrosion & rust. & be sure to flush the old brake fluid out.

& its not the cold temps causing loss of MPG, cold air is denser & will make more power than warm/hot air, it's the winter mix fuel they use for easier starting in cold temp states. if you did nothing, the mpg would increase a small amount come april'ish when they change back to summer blend fuel.

 

[08TxRunner]

The *rear* driver's side?

 

[hinmo24t]

do a search, there are all kinds of threads & info on brake upgrades. most people go with the 5th gen calipers that arent supposed to freeze up as much as 4th gens. also look for the coated calipers some companies offer that will reduce the corrosion & rust. & be sure to flush the old brake fluid out.

& its not the cold temps causing loss of MPG, cold air is denser & will make more power than warm/hot air, it's the winter mix fuel they use for easier starting in cold temp states. if you did nothing, the mpg would increase a small amount come april'ish when they change back to summer blend fuel.

ive seen plenty of them and cant recall any real solutions in them. in fact i recall hearing not wasting time on 5th gen upgrades because they do the same thing.

what are non toyota options, stop tech calipers kits anyone running or aftermarket??


good call on the fuel grade btw!!

 

[doofenshmirtz]

ive seen plenty of them and cant recall any real solutions in them. in fact i recall hearing not wasting time on 5th gen upgrades because they do the same thing.

what are non toyota options, stop tech calipers kits anyone running or aftermarket??


good call on the fuel grade btw!!

Find a local place with a good warranty and just keep recycling them, lol. That's what I'm doing. You will need to make sure you go with a 4th Gen replacement, not a 5th Gen, simply because the language in most warranties has a line about not including installations on vehicles the part wasn't designed for.

When I looked, NAPA was the only lifetime warranty offered.

My store is close to work, so I could easily remove the seized caliper at home, drive my wife's car to NAPA and then exchange the caliper for a new one for the lifetime of my vehicle. I just took a picture of my proof of purchase and emailed it to myself, etc., so I can provide it along with a note that says "shit's broke, yo" and I'd be on my way.

Here's NAPA's Warranty for their rebadged Cardone calipers.

 

[hinmo24t]

Find a local place with a good warranty and just keep recycling them, lol. That's what I'm doing. You will need to make sure you go with a 4th Gen replacement, not a 5th Gen, simply because the language in most warranties has a line about not including installations on vehicles the part wasn't designed for.

When I looked, NAPA was the only lifetime warranty offered.

My store is close to work, so I could easily remove the seized caliper at home, drive my wife's car to NAPA and then exchange the caliper for a new one for the lifetime of my vehicle. I just took a picture of my proof of purchase and emailed it to myself, etc., so I can provide it along with a note that says "shit's broke, yo" and I'd be on my way.

Here's NAPA's Warranty for their rebadged Cardone calipers.

i dont have the skills (probably do just havent got into it yet, proper stands, etc.) or logistics (single with one vehicle) to deal with napa lifetime warranty or w.e. thanks though, appreciate your input.

looking to drop some bigger $$ on an aftermarket upgraded caliper option. towards a few grand perhaps. stoptech? wilwood and brembo im all set with $$... anyone know of any options. brakes are a nightmare on these and the frequency rate im at with them i have to invest in a better option. seizing a caliper and mpg once every 4 mos right now at $300 a pop and the indirect hassle of bringing to shop/getting ride to work. new hound dog at home. etc. etc.

do independant shops offer or deal with warrantying brakes in an efficient manner ever? im guessing no

 

[MikeinNH67]

My passenger side rear just started smelling hot. I measured the temp with a laser thermometer and it was 70 or 80 degrees higher than the other side, blah. Mine look pretty old on the back, time to replace them I guess. I put coated calipers on the front last year and so far they are holding up and still look good. I don't recall any multi member success stories that have lasted multiple years. Kinda sad, they last almost forever in Honda's.

 

[hinmo24t]

My passenger side rear just started smelling hot. I measured the temp with a laser thermometer and it was 70 or 80 degrees higher than the other side, blah. Mine look pretty old on the back, time to replace them I guess. I put coated calipers on the front last year and so far they are holding up and still look good. I don't recall any multi member success stories that have lasted multiple years. Kinda sad, they last almost forever in Honda's.

its fascinating...there wasnt a recall or after all these years an aftermarket solution. unless i hear of an alternative ill give it a few more calipers, depending on how long it takes, might have to make a tough decision with the truck though because with the math above its essentially $100 a month expense

 

[firebirdguy]

there are plenty of success stories on here with 5th gen calipers, they are supposed to be a little better design that 4th gens, you dont hear the same or as much of the frozen calipers with 5th gens. im not saying they are perfect & alot depends on the brand or if they are coated as well as the environment they are used in, heavy winter driving, off roading with lots of mud & water etc will be worse that daily driving or dry climates.

lots of people use the power stop coated calipers & rotors & i havent heard too many complaints on them, every part can have issues, defects & complaints, but they seem better than the standard auto parts store rebuilt calipers.

also most warranties may state not to use on application other than intended etc, but no parts store asks you what vehicle the part was on or for proof of what vehicle you own. if you order 2010 calipers, they assume you have a 2010 4runner & the girl/guy at the counter will not ask for proof or question you when you exchange them.

if you are paying a shop to install your calipers & not doing youself, you can buy the lifetime calipers but they will usually mark them up a bit, then if/when they freeze again the shop will only charge you labor to replace them.

 

[hinmo24t]

Great info, thanks. Maybe I'll ask our company's fleet where I go sometimes about the lifetime caliper from him moving forward.

 

[inscarguy]

there are plenty of success stories on here with 5th gen calipers, they are supposed to be a little better design that 4th gens, you dont hear the same or as much of the frozen calipers with 5th gens. im not saying they are perfect & alot depends on the brand or if they are coated as well as the environment they are used in, heavy winter driving, off roading with lots of mud & water etc will be worse that daily driving or dry climates.

Not true. On one if my 4runners im on my 3rd set of 5th gen calipers. First set was Centric, 2nd set was coated powerstop. Now i have Callahan calipers which actually are new and have been on for over a year and no issues. The centrics were 1-1/2 years old, the powerstops were the same age.

 

[rdruss]

I have an '03 V8 Ltd that had the small brakes up front when I bought it used.
I had a driver front seize up and then converted to the large dia. rotor (Stoptech) and corresponding calipers from NAPA, so far so good after two years, but I'm all on highway.

 

[firebirdguy]

Not true. On one if my 4runners im on my 3rd set of 5th gen calipers. First set was Centric, 2nd set was coated powerstop. Now i have Callahan calipers which actually are new and have been on for over a year and no issues. The centrics were 1-1/2 years old, the powerstops were the same age.

it is true there are plenty of success stories with 5th gen calipers, just because you had bad luck with them doesnt mean others haven't had good luck... & like i said, im not implying they are perfect or wont have problems, just not as much as the 4th gen calipers have. & a lot of the success/failures are based on climate the vehicle is driven in.

FWIW: my 08 sport has original calipers at 145k miles & no signs of freezing (yet) & the brakes work great.

 

[Mike07SE]

Not true. On one if my 4runners im on my 3rd set of 5th gen calipers. First set was Centric, 2nd set was coated powerstop. Now i have Callahan calipers which actually are new and have been on for over a year and no issues. The centrics were 1-1/2 years old, the powerstops were the same age.

I'm with this guy. 5th Gen brakes aren't much better after all. I went through the 5th gen route and in the end just bit the bullet and went Wilwood BBK. Hopefully I'm on a better path after numerous seized calipers.

 

[T4R416]

I'm with this guy. 5th Gen brakes aren't much better after all. I went through the 5th gen route and in the end just bit the bullet and went Wilwood BBK. Hopefully I'm on a better path after numerous seized calipers.

Can you post ALL part numbers for the BBK please?

 

[Joex481]

I'm with this guy. 5th Gen brakes aren't much better after all. I went through the 5th gen route and in the end just bit the bullet and went Wilwood BBK. Hopefully I'm on a better path after numerous seized calipers.

Me too. Centrics & Carquest 5th gen calipers both seized. I still have Carquest, they seem to last a little longer than the Centrics did.

 

[knarfwhite]

So are the rear calipers more prone to failure than fronts? I just replaced drivers side rear because it was running extremely hot on a new set of pads and rotor (only a few weeks after buying the truck). But I still feel some drag when I'm coasting and mileage is pretty bad. I'm thinking I should change the other rear. I just picked up my 2005 4Runner in October with 125K miles from a neighbor and it had been sitting in a driveway for years. So I assumed the brake issues were from sitting and I changed all the pads and rotors because the brakes were horrible. I've done brakes on many cars and never had caliper problems on my past cars. It did seem strange to me how tight the fit was for the pads on all four. The pads easily slipped onto the rebuilt caliper.

 

[Mike07SE]

Can you post ALL part numbers for the BBK please?

Mine was a kit from an actual vendor. However, given what I went through with this kit I can not recommend them.

There is another vendor that sells a BBK that I will use in the future for the upgrade on my wife's 5th Gen using Stoptech Calipers & Rotors.

Toyota 4Runner & FJ CRUISER | SOS Performance, Tundra Racing, Stoptech Big Brake Kit Rear Disc

 

[AuSeeker]

So are the rear calipers more prone to failure than fronts? I just replaced drivers side rear because it was running extremely hot on a new set of pads and rotor (only a few weeks after buying the truck). But I still feel some drag when I'm coasting and mileage is pretty bad. I'm thinking I should change the other rear. I just picked up my 2005 4Runner in October with 125K miles from a neighbor and it had been sitting in a driveway for years. So I assumed the brake issues were from sitting and I changed all the pads and rotors because the brakes were horrible. I've done brakes on many cars and never had caliper problems on my past cars. It did seem strange to me how tight the fit was for the pads on all four. The pads easily slipped onto the rebuilt caliper.

Being as you're from New York and have to deal with salt on the roads in the winter I would say that all four calipers are very likely a bit stiff and or seized from corrosion especially since it's been sitting for a long time, also check and be sure the parking brakes aren't dragging and are adjusted correctly.

 

[hinmo24t]

thanks for all the info...from the link to the BBK above, looks like viable options for the upgrade including labor could run upwards of 6 grand lol??

losing battle here for sure potentially. i plan on seeing how it goes, maybe another caliper or two like i said. im going to talk to local mechanic about his lifetime options/labor only if need to replace. logistics and time are the bigger issue for me. if i sold the truck for an older tacoma (first gen) or something or a TJ rubicon im sure they would have their pitfalls too $$ have to weigh it all out.