Thread: Brake likes to put out . . . noise and brake dust

Hi guys,

I replaced my rear rotors and pads this past summer with no problems. However, my driver's side rear brake has recently been putting out a LOT of brake dust (it's gunking up my rim) and is squealing like the devil, regardless of my speed or whether I'm on the brake pedal or not. Any suggestions? I would get it up on a jack and look at it, but I'm in Toledo and it's wet and frigid :/ I'd like to have an idea on what to look for before I go to the trouble. Thanks for any ideas!

Sounds like a stuck caliper or bad brake hose.

If it's a stuck caliper, could I just pop it off, re-grease the bolt that the caliper slides on, and put it back on? Or is it a more complicated fix?

If the caliper is stuck, you might be able to open the bleeder, compress the piston, close the bleeder, pump the brakes a couple times with the caliper off, open the bleeder, compress the piston, and repeat a few times. Otherwise, caliper replacement.

If it ends up that I can get the caliper un-stuck, should I replace the pads? I guess I don't get why a stuck caliper = squealing. Could the pads already be worn out?

Originally Posted by barbschwartzer

If it ends up that I can get the caliper un-stuck, should I replace the pads? I guess I don't get why a stuck caliper = squealing. Could the pads already be worn out?

I would replace the pads if the caliper has been dragging. It means there is uneven wear on them. The squealing is another sign that they are dragging. I doubt they are worn out already but I'd bet they're pretty glazed over from being stuck. If all the pads on the rear seem to have the same amount of material left on them then you could probably just take the pads off and scuff them up to remove the glaze on them and then clean the rotors and reinstall once you figure out which caliper is causing it. I had a stuck caliper on my Bonne and ended up replacing the brakes hoses, caliper and pads to fix it. The pads got so hot that they cracked.

Gotcha. Thanks everyone for your help. I'll have to wait until it's warm enough to get outside under it, though.

Yep, boiling the brake fluid is no bueno, especially when you need it to stop an almost 2 ton chuck of steel. Granted the front brakes do probably 80% of the braking on these cars, you still don't want one to be hanging up and not working properly. Time to find a friend with a garage you can borrow. The longer you wait the more damage can be done.