Smokin' Hot Wheel

[flint54]

So I'm tooling down the road, minding my own business, when I feel the truck start

tugging to the left. Not drastic, but insistent, like a flat tire. Look out the window,

tire is not flat. Jerk the wheel both ways, nothing feels loose. Starts pulling harder,

so I pull over. Get out and there's smoke coming from the wheel well. Grab the

extinguisher (everyone carries one - right?) just in case. Wheel is way too hot to

touch. Jack up the front, loosen the lugs, and wait an hour before I can touch anything.

The smoke was from the balljoint grease - that's how hot it was. Nothing obvious,

except wheel, hub, caliper, and rotor hotter than hell. Cannot rotate the wheel.

Pull it off. Cannot rotate the hub -even with a tire iron. Open the bleeder on the caliper

and press a bit of fluid out. I can rotate the hub, with some effort. Pull off the caliper.

The halves slide freely on the guide pins. Look at the knuckle where the pad lugs

engage. Smooth and no "hangup" divots. I'm thinking something caused the caliper

piston to stick - but why? Put it all back together and drove home without incident.

Guess I gotta spring for new calipers, even though I'm gearing up for the (eventual)

dual piston mod. Any other thoughts?

[JeepNewb]

My buddy had this issue on his old school Toyota FJ. Both front calipers siezed up and we had to take both of them apart, clean them out and reassemble. Didn't have a problem after that.

[HOrnbrod]

Probably your calipers have the phenolic (read plastic) pistons that are more prone to seizing in their bore than the metal ones. I've rebuilt calipers where the piston crumbled when you tried to remove it. If you can find them, recommend you get the calipers with metal pistons, a bit more expensive but it's worth it to me. Or rebuild 'em yourself with a kit that has metal pistons.

[mvusse]

I have had a smoking hot wheel from both sticking brakes, as well as a seized unit bearing.

 

Once I ignored a consistent pulling to the right, 20 miles later my right front wheel came off while going 60 mph. :eek:

[87Warrior]

Time to replace the calipers. Calipers are only $20 when you bring in the old one for core. It will lock up again.

[JeffN]

Rubber hoses can cause that also, make sure when you work on your brakes the caliper is supported and not hanging from the rubber hoses