Hi All,

Another issue came up...


It looks like the inside caliper piston is stuck from the beginning, see the top pad. The caliper was replaced 2 years ago due to leaky bleeder screw and it has around 57,000 miles. I bought it from Autozone and brake fluid flush was performed every 30,000 miles.


I sprayed some PB blaster around the stuck piston and applied brake pressure but it's not budging at all. So I decide to put the old worn out pad by stuck piston side and hoping that gap will create the pressure and release the stuck caliper piston as I drive around. Is this good idea or bad? Please let me know.

As always, thank you.

PS
Using Volvo brake pads(Made in India) & ATE brake fluid.

Hi All,

I got chickened out and waited until I went back to Maryland. I used my brake power bleeder tool.

The story got interesting when I got back in Brooklyn. Few weeks prior, at Autozone, I had to pay in advance for a free replacement unit since I couldn't bring back the bad caliper for exchange at the counter. Now I am back with the bad unit in my hand. They refused to give my money back. The main reason was that they never sell a rebuilt caliper that has a Volvo logo on it. After listening to a rude sales associate & store manager, I noticed that they were trying to avoid my refund. After 1 hour of insult*, I picked up my phone and dialed the corporate number. As I am listening to an automated answering machine, the store manager decided to change her mind and gave me the full money back. Just like. Ha!

As always, thank you.

*They were really rude and unprofessional.

The are not Rude, they are calculated.

Their corporate numbers work out well. they never expected you to come back and claim on an item that was actually RARE. They just lost some money on your trade.

Most of the parts they sell end up on cars that die or are sold long before that part wears out.

They must be doing someting right in with their number crunching calculations of what to risk and who they will reel in with the Guareeeeeteeees.

Stock trades at $800/share

http://www.stockcharts.com/c-sc/sc?s=azo&p=wk&yr=0&mn=40&wk=0&i=p70737928148&r=5930

Hi Charles,

Speechless. I don't know what to say... It was very painful experience.

I have this exact same problem on my left rear. A week ago I heard a rear brake grinding just driving slowly. When I finally checked it out, the outer pad was down to the metal but the inner one was only half worn. Seems the inner piston was seized and not doing anything while the outer one was doing all the work, flexing the rotor and still dragging with the brakes released, so it wore out the pad. What I did for now was replace the outer pad with a fairly new one (I never throw them out) but the problem persists because the left rear still runs hot and smells. The harder I hit the brakes to try and budge the seized piston, the worse it gets. I've got a new set of pads ordered, but may end up using them all in the outer left position. Probably the only solution is replacing the caliper.

I think this all started pressing back the pistons to install new pads. The last part of travel for the inner piston was very hard. I had to use a pipe on the T-handle of my C-clamp to make enough room for the pads and likely pushed the piston into a rusty, crudded-up area, where it's now stuck.

So, is it even possible to free a seized piston by just pressing the brake pedal?
--
1992 745, >500k km

Its highly unlikely that pedal pressure is going to free a froze caliper. Just add a pad and wait until the other side seizes and then run the gambit in the rebuild arena again. I dont replace em until they are both frozen and unworkable. Mine are both 5 speeds so I dont have the extra force of the automagics to contend with when stopping.

Hi Sean

I would not recommend that you DO NOT drive around with the pads reversed.
You should be able to pop the piston out sitting right there in the driveway.

If it's going to move at all, you want to do sitting still. That is a long ways to move the piston and will take several pumps to get up to pressure. Besides the pistons rust could cut the seal and fluid blow by or past and create a mess.

In an attempt, to address the problem of the passenger side caliper seizing up more often, than the left caliper ... I write it off to the fact that the caliper is the farthest away from the master cylinder or at the end of the hydraulic system.
This becomes a collection point for impurities like trash from old rubber brake lines and moisture.

It is like in a factory with a piped compressed air system that have long pipe runs to several branch outlets.

We will install "drops" of pipe to create a column for a water trap at the lowest points on purpose.
Moisture in the compressors warm air will seek an colder area and settle to the lowest point of travel due to gravity.

Using my theory again, it does not surprise me to see that it's the outside piston being the one that gets stuck the most.
I think it's due to the mass of metal on that side of the caliper, of which, is exposed more to weather elements or coolness outside of the car. Probably the last half side to dry off after a rain too!

I had the same caliper stick twice.
Within six to eight months, while still under a one year warranty, it stuck again!
I was lucky... I think?

I had to blame it on the rebuilder and from what I read on here, it's a common occurrence.
There must be a lot of pitted housings out there or they don't change the Pistons?

Luck of the draw, so it pays to keep the papers on the warranty.

I bet the shops get nicer treatment from vendors ...but who eats the labor?
I so seldom deal with the shops so I have no idea on something so routine.

Doing your own work saves us twice in these cases.
(:)
Phil

Hi Phil,

Tomorrow, I will put back the old pad. I drove local streets for about 1 hour and it doesn't sound like the piston came loose.

As always, thank you.

I have used a grease gun before to push a stuck caliper piston out of the housing. I used a C clamp on the opposite side to keep the good piston from moving, and pushed the other piston out. It will move (safely) with grease (hydraulic) pressure. Using air pressure can be dangerous.

Hi HillBilly,

How do you clean after that? As always, thank you.

in all probability you are looking at replacing the caliper.

with that said you might install the old worn out pad and on the other side as well and press on the brake pedal until the caliper piston moves outward of its bore. if it moves enough you can always remove the caliper, pull out the rest of the sticking piston (if you can) after taking the caliper apart and clean the bore hoping its not pitted..same for the piston and then rebuild it with new seals.....10-16 dollars give or take for the kit), put it back together and hope it does not stick again.

or replace the caliper for 30-50 dollars.

Hi Ted,

Sigh... It looks like replaced parts are prone to fail more frequent. I am also concerned with my time spent on my Volvo... As always, thank you.

the problem with rear 240 calipers is they are under used. the fronts do 80% of the work. unless you ride the brakes hard the rear pistons just do not get much use moving out of the bores. in my experience the drivers rear seems most prone to seizing. yours is the passenger rear but even there its also case of all dressed up and no where to go.

Most of the 240 Volvos I have owned have had the right rear caliper go bad. I use AutoZone for the calipers as they come with lifetime warranty. I have only had to pay once and have gotten quite a few "new" calipers out of the deal.

I was going to mention that too. The OP said that these were AutoZone calipers, so if he still has his receipt, he can exchange them.

Didn't know you had to have the receipt at Autozone. At least at the one around where I live they just look your name up in the computer.

No holding onto the receipts that have the disappearing ink after a year or so. I know Advance have the fast fade ink receipts.

Travis

Hi All,

I bought it from Autozone two years ago. I am going to look for my receipt. Thank you all.

Hi All,

Is there a quick way to bleed the caliper without using a Motive brake bleeder tool?

As always, thank you.

Fill the reservoir before you take the old caliper off.
When the caliper is off, let the Brake line drip (Gravity Bleed).

When new caliper is all on with Pads and everything,Slowly Pump the Brake until Pads hit the Rotor. Take a small container (Chinese Won ton soup container), add about 3/4" of brake fluid in the bottom of that . Fill the reservoir to the top. Get a small tube (hose) that will fit snug over the bleeder and down into the 3/4" of fluid. Pump the brake pedal about 10 times. The Fluid in the bottom of the container acts as a Check Valve so make sure the Hose does not lift out of the Fluid.
Go and tighten Bleeder. See how the Pedal feels.

Not a big Autozone Fan. Advanced Auto , I feel, sells better quality.

--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.lyse.net/brox/TonyPage4.html http://cleanflametrap.com/tony/

"When the caliper is off, let the Brake line drip (Gravity Bleed)"
I prefer to block the brake pedal down so fluid is not dripping out while I'm scrambling to install the brake line to the caliper. Less likely to rush and screw up threads. Front calipers are even more challenging.
--
1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb, M46 trans, 3:31 dif, in Brampton, Ont.

I have replaced calipers using both methods. I figured it couldn't hurt to have a half-assed flush while he had the caliper off. Let the fresh fluid go thru the Lines prior to New Caliper hookup. The fluid doesn't run too fast where it's a panic situation.
Holding the pedal down a bit to stop the flow is fine too. But if the pedal should pop up and suck air up past the 'T' in the line then you have more calipers to bleed later.
As Art mentioned.... do not Floor the Brake pedal. The seals in the Master cylinder will get pushed into a possible rusty area in the Master that is does not reach during normal operation.
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.lyse.net/brox/TonyPage4.html http://cleanflametrap.com/tony/

"But if the pedal should pop up and suck air up past the 'T' in the line then you have more calipers to bleed later."

If the pedal is 1" down to block the flow from the reservoir, and it pops up (say the stick gets loose) I think the only direction the fluid will flow is toward the brakes as the master's seal clears the opening to the reservoir. For a rear caliper, I think the closest junction with any other member of the circuit is at the octopus, directly below the master.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

Yes, while not actively bleeding, it is convenient to stop the emptying of the reservoir by blocking the pedal just one inch into its travel. Remember to remove the brake light fuse if the work gets interrupted.


--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

Be nice to your kids. They will choose your nursing home one day.

I would stick with gravity as a recommendation, if you have no pressure bleeder. Pumping the pedal can easily get you into the scratch-it zone and you'll be looking for a new master.

The accounts of stuck rear caliper pistons match the experience I have in my fleet. The quality of the rebuilds available seems to be so unpredictable, I dread the whole replacement process.

If you do submerge your bleed hose in a container, tie it with a weight, and gob up the bleeder screw threads with heavy grease to seal them, if you have any thoughts toward "helping" the gravity process with a pump on the pedal.





Some time ago I also noticed the similarity of the grease gun's tapered thread to the M10x1 brake line nut thread. And if you do rebuild your old ones, the question about how to clean out the grease is a good question. I guess the final cleaning is the most important answer, and that is how I can waste a quart of 91% isopropyl. It is a tough decision between the mess of rebuilding your own and gamble of getting a commercially rebuilt unit worth installing.




--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

"Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer." (W. C. Fields)