1988 Plymouth Reliant Front Brakes stick

1988 PLYMOUTH RELIANT
134,500 MILES • 4 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
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KEV350
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After driving the car for a bit and then stopping at a store and coming out when you take off you can feel the front brakes grabbing and hardly letting the car move. When you put a foot on the brake peddle it feels like the brakes are pumped up. This problem came up about a month after I replaced the front pads.Would this be the master going bad? Any help would be great.


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May 6, 2009 at 6:09 PM
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CARADIODOC
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Since the problem started soon after replacing the pads, I would suspect sticking calipers. You had to push the pistons back into the calipers. Sometimes dirt and rust pits build up on the pistons. When you push them in, the rings of crud go under the square-cut seal and cause the pistons to not retract properly after braking. When replacing the pads, you should be able to easily pry the pistons in with a screwdriver as a pry bar before you unbolt the calipers from their mounts. If you MUST use a c-clamp to get the pistons to move, the calipers must be replaced.

Another thing you can try is to open a bleeder screw when the brakes are sticking. If you see a small spurt of fluid, and the brake releases, suspect rust buildup inside the crimp of the metal bracket attached to the middle of the rubber brake hose. You can open that crimp just a little with a channel lock pliers. That will allow trapped brake fluid to flow back to the reservoir.

caradiodoc
Jun 19, 2009 at 7:33 PM