Thread: Disc brake drag
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Old 07-09-2011, 08:31 PM   #45 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Lee View Post
Yeesh, talk about disc brake drag- I took a car of mine that I hadn't driven in 3 years on a long trip and discovered the right front caliper didn't want to release. I had to pull over 4x in 350 miles to jack up the front, remove the wheel, and pry the caliper open with the tire iron. Thanks to a tailwind and slow 'n' steady driving I still got 40.2 mpg, including some city driving where I'd made a few wrong turns.

Bought some tools and honed it out when I got there. Thought I'd be golden for the trip back but noooo. This time after prying the caliper open I went 250 miles to my destination without using the brakes at all via judicious use of ignition-off downshifting!

I've read about rubber lines collapsing internally but hadn't had that happen to me before. Looks like it's gonna get new rubber lines next...
Frank if the rubber lines are swollen internally you will get a very slight pffft of fluid if you open the bleeder fairly quickly. You might even be able to hear it unless you are as deaf as I am now. If the brake is dragging and you pop the bleeder and it stops dragging, until you hit the brakes again, it's also a pretty good indication the line is bad.

regards
Mech
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