Where do you get the steel pistons ? I asked before but you never answered
Looking for brake caliper
- Thread starter 21Bubba
- Start date
Caliper questions for the front 2005 .. I’ve been looking around for factory replacement calipers and have found them on several websites ,, possibly new ones !
How can 1000$ price tag even be justified ?
Yeah, they don’t make them anymore so put them in the black market pricing ! Reason I’m sure everyone wants rebuild kits !
Ok , other things I have been finding about the calipers locking up and what I have heard for years as to why . Not just dodge but also other makes ..
Causes I’ve heard :
1- Water/moisture in the hydrolic system causing corrosion.
2- phenolic pistons swell up and seize or crack .
3- brake lines not bleeding back and releasing the pistons.
Most of the time I get told cause #1 as a reply ..
How is that much moisture getting in the system that appear to only affect the front brakes .. odd to me ! Especially since the system is mostly a closed system !
Yes I understand brake fluid attracts moisture .. so why has this problem become so prevalent on our trucks and newer vehicles I’ve read about .. I can’t remember ever hearing this happening in the past !
With phenolic pistons in the calipers , what corrodes ?
I can see corrosion happening if they were steel pistons !
POWERBRAKEBOB SAYS HE REBUILDS THEM WITH STEEL POSTONS ?? I’m still waiting for his reply as to where we can get the steel pistons for our calipers !
The newest thing I’ve been reading is the the brake lines may be the cause ... on one dodge 2500 vid. I watched the guy was saying the bracket that holds the brake line crushed down on the line as the brakes rusts ..
another was the the brake line becomes weaker and shrinks and swells , usually damaging the inside of the hose .. causing the one pressure to stay and not release the pressure locking the caliper.
Cracked or broken pistons is obviously a problem and needs to be rebuilt ..
So if steel pistons are available would that really be a better choice ? Corrosion ? My option is if a steel piston seized it would most likely damage the housing bore and destroy it causing the need for a full caliper replacement at 1000$ each ..
My brakes calipers have frozen on more than one occasion and yes the get hotter than molten lava !
Seems to be one side only at the time !
I end up stopping the truck and let it sit for about and hour and it releases when it cools off ...
The next time on a later date , it does it it happens to the opposite side and I do the same thing sit and let it cool off ,, release and off I go . It seems to be fine for a while unless I’m on a red light green light every few miles road or in traffic and have to stop and go a lot ...
I know when it is starting to happen because I start feeling a shudder in the front end , my brake pedal seem to get harder , and my gas mileage reading droppers big ... if I continue driving to try to get it home .. it will heat up and smoke comes off the brakes .. only did that once .. when I got home it was dark and my rotor was glowing red hot... no a good thing to see .. won’t do that again ..
How many of you have rebuilt the calipers just to have them freeze up again ?
How many of you have replaced the brake lines, aftermarket or factory and have your calipers locked up since ?
Good test for master cylinder and caliper sticking :
https://www.yourmechanic.com/question/possible-causes-of-brakes-that-stick
Another video to check why a caliper is sticking :
Number 3 in the pic is what I’m looking at.
How can 1000$ price tag even be justified ?
Yeah, they don’t make them anymore so put them in the black market pricing ! Reason I’m sure everyone wants rebuild kits !
Ok , other things I have been finding about the calipers locking up and what I have heard for years as to why . Not just dodge but also other makes ..
Causes I’ve heard :
1- Water/moisture in the hydrolic system causing corrosion.
2- phenolic pistons swell up and seize or crack .
3- brake lines not bleeding back and releasing the pistons.
Most of the time I get told cause #1 as a reply ..
How is that much moisture getting in the system that appear to only affect the front brakes .. odd to me ! Especially since the system is mostly a closed system !
Yes I understand brake fluid attracts moisture .. so why has this problem become so prevalent on our trucks and newer vehicles I’ve read about .. I can’t remember ever hearing this happening in the past !
With phenolic pistons in the calipers , what corrodes ?
I can see corrosion happening if they were steel pistons !
POWERBRAKEBOB SAYS HE REBUILDS THEM WITH STEEL POSTONS ?? I’m still waiting for his reply as to where we can get the steel pistons for our calipers !
The newest thing I’ve been reading is the the brake lines may be the cause ... on one dodge 2500 vid. I watched the guy was saying the bracket that holds the brake line crushed down on the line as the brakes rusts ..
another was the the brake line becomes weaker and shrinks and swells , usually damaging the inside of the hose .. causing the one pressure to stay and not release the pressure locking the caliper.
Cracked or broken pistons is obviously a problem and needs to be rebuilt ..
So if steel pistons are available would that really be a better choice ? Corrosion ? My option is if a steel piston seized it would most likely damage the housing bore and destroy it causing the need for a full caliper replacement at 1000$ each ..
My brakes calipers have frozen on more than one occasion and yes the get hotter than molten lava !
Seems to be one side only at the time !
I end up stopping the truck and let it sit for about and hour and it releases when it cools off ...
The next time on a later date , it does it it happens to the opposite side and I do the same thing sit and let it cool off ,, release and off I go . It seems to be fine for a while unless I’m on a red light green light every few miles road or in traffic and have to stop and go a lot ...
I know when it is starting to happen because I start feeling a shudder in the front end , my brake pedal seem to get harder , and my gas mileage reading droppers big ... if I continue driving to try to get it home .. it will heat up and smoke comes off the brakes .. only did that once .. when I got home it was dark and my rotor was glowing red hot... no a good thing to see .. won’t do that again ..
How many of you have rebuilt the calipers just to have them freeze up again ?
How many of you have replaced the brake lines, aftermarket or factory and have your calipers locked up since ?
Good test for master cylinder and caliper sticking :
https://www.yourmechanic.com/question/possible-causes-of-brakes-that-stick
Another video to check why a caliper is sticking :
Attachments
Last edited:
beastmode1
Full Access Member
Check with Scott @X2 builders they got plenty of front calipers.
I have a front set that were rebuilt and use for a while. The paint has a few chips but nothing bad. The face was also smoothed out and painted red with black viper stickers. I would let them go for 500 shipped. Lmk.
Support Us
Become A Supporting Member Today!
