I'm chasing a rear brake drag/squeal which is eventually going to force me to do the entire job when I have a free afternoon. I've cleaned all the surfaces where pad meets the caliper and lubed them with a light coat of grease. I've also used the red 'brake quiet' sauce on the back of the pads.

In the meantime I'm reading RAVE and came across this...



It says to note the orientation of the springs but does not indicate which orientation is correct.

Should the longer 'wing' of the retaining spring be toward the center of the caliper as they are in this picture?




Or toward the outer ends of the caliper?

Does it even matter?

 

Yes, the longer "wing" goes toward the center.

And the direction will matter because the pad retaining spring needs to index on the top of the pad to provide proper tension/ pad orientation.

 

Wonder if you have a sticking piston or pistons. How old are the calipers?

 

That might be the case. They are original. When I do the job I'll push out the pistons a bit and clean and lube them up. The seals are good, no leaks.

Last time I needed brakes I had an indy shop do it because I didn't have the time and did not plan ahead. They are a good shop but they are on the clock and not everything is done to 110%.


I'll be able to do it this time. Clean surfaces, lube pistons, install new bearings, the whole enchilada. Maybe I'll install those braided SS lines which have been taking up room in my tool bag for way too long.

 

fighting the same problem with my Disco1 right rear. I put pads in about 8 months ago during a cold spell, about 15 degrees outside (no garage) and a month ago I heard a squeaking that sounded like the brake sounder. after a few days I pulled the wheel and found the new pins I installed were bent and the inboard brake pad was gone.. like literally not on the truck any more. The piston of the caliper has worn through the rotor about 1/3 of the way and of course will not go back into the caliper. So it's new caliper, rotor and pads, etc. I also had to install a new brake line that was leaking on that side too
Getting tired of messing with brakes on this thing. I replaced the MC a year ago with a unit from Lucky8, and replaced it again for the same problem this year. When it gets cold out, it leaks all the fluid out of the reservoir. If I catch it before driving, I could just refill it. If I drove it, they would have to be bled.

 

Replaced right rear caliper today, not as bad as I thought it would be. Only surprise was the reluctor ring inside the back of the rotor. Figure it is for the anti lock brakes (which is disconnected)

 

Jim, why did thee reluctor ring come into play if you were simply swapping calipers? Did you also replace the rotors?

If so, I think I know what you mean. The studs came out of the reluctor ring before the nylocks let go of the stud.

 

The inside brake pad was gone. as in not on the truck. No idea where it went but the inside piston was wearing away the rotor so the rotor needed to be replaced. so far that corner has had the brake line, caliper, and rotor replaced. While I had the brakes apart, I did notice the rear sway bar link was no longer attached to the axle. The axle side of the link was broken. I shouldn't be surprised should I...