Firstly I'm about to replace rotors and brake pads so I think I know which way you guys will sway, but I thought I would ask anyway.

Long story short, lost all brake fluid the other day. Got home safely. Noticed it was leaking from caliper (front right). Haven't taken wheel off yet but refilled master cylinder enough to find that the leak came from piston area.

My question is: Should I/can I fix what I assume is a seal around the piston to stop the leak? Or should I just replace the calipers on the front since I'm already taking rotors and brake pads off anyway.

From the looks of it the calipers have never been replaced (not sure if they should've been in a 2004), and they're pretty cheap on AB if I need to replace.

Thanks for the advice.

 

Not worth the time to rebuild a caliper IMO. It's probably rust or pitting on the piston that is causing a leak, not the seal. Calipers are suuuuper cheap on RockAuto.

 

I vote to buy new instead of rebuilding

 

Looking at the RockAuto site. Most brands have a similar price for parts. Is there a brand that is better than the others?

 

I went with Centric. I replaced all four.... One was bad and had to exchange it. Not sure whether I'd recommend them or not. They work fine now for 1,200+ miles so far. No experience with the others. I suspect they are all pretty similar and made from the same cores. If you hear about any preferred brand it's probably anecdotal.

 

It honestly depends on what you are going to use the truck for. Easy for me to spend other peoples money...

1. Road
2. Hauling
3. Wheeling
4. Rally

 

I recall being trained that calipers should be replaced in left/right pairs. In other words if you replace one also replace the other one on the same axle. Not sure why, but that's the wisdom I've always heard.

 

i remember be taught the same. Can't remember why but I remember that lecture. It does make sense though. Kinda like pads and rotors

 

If you don't change both calipers at the same time, you usually end up with brake pull. That's why we were taught that.

 

Either way, as cheap as they are on RockAuto ($320 for all 4 with $200 refundable core charge) I'll probably replace all 4 at once