front wheel squeal/rim getting hot

[VTjeepguy]

i think my drivers side caliper may be getting stuck. i get a squeal most times i take off from hard braking and the rim has been getting rather hot from time to time. dont know if i need to lube the caliper arms or replace the entire unit. any insight would be great.

 

[JIMMY JEEP]

Definatley sticking caliper, take your wheel off and remove the calipers two bolts and then inspect the rubber dust boot/damp seal. If it's split then you are going to have to buy either a new complete caliper(expensive) or a new piston ,inner seal,and dust boot and repair it yourself.You can free it off as a temporary measure by pumping the piston out(not to far) and spraying lube on it then pushing it back in using a g clamp or similar, this will need to be done several times. And if surface rust has got inside then it will come back pretty soon so it's just a temp fix until you can repair it.If your not careful you will warp your discs with the heat and cook the pads which will turn soft and crumble.

 

[JeepJeepster]

Calipers are not expensive. You can get one for under $100 Im sure. I paid $68 for a rear one this past summer. Takes around an hour to change it out and bleed the brakes.

You will usually notice a stuck front caliper as they do most of the braking. If the Jeep rolls freely then its probably normal heat from braking.

How many miles are on the current set of pads?

 

[JIMMY JEEP]

Calipers are not expensive. You can get one for under $100 Im sure. I paid $68 for a rear one this past summer. Takes around an hour to change it out and bleed the brakes.

You will usually notice a stuck front caliper as they do most of the braking. If the Jeep rolls freely then its probably normal heat from braking.

How many miles are on the current set of pads?

They are expensive over here i just paid £175.00 for a front one from a stealership.

 

[dnm45227]

replaced both rear claipers (yep, they were both sticking!) and pads for less than 200 bucks. still have receipt for the calipers, just in case there is ever a recall. it was our '05 rennie and there's no way both should have failed w/less than 40k on the clock!

 

[flair1111]

just curious, but is it pretty easy to rebuild one yourself? Ive never tried it, but I have pretty good mechanic abilities (sp?)...better than my spelling of course....if its not to complicated. They seem very simple just looking at them. Can someone fill me in as to how easy it is?

 

[JeepINgeek]

Jeep parts are expensive enough domestic! id hate to have to pay import prices for them! i feel for you!.

 

[JeepJeepster]

Ahh, didnt know you were over seas. Pretty much anything like that will be $$ over there. I replaced two front calipers on our ZJ for under $150.

A rear caliper should not fail at 25k like mine did.

Rebuilding a caliper isnt very hard. Ive not done that in ALONG time so idk if they even make rebuild kits for them anymore. Its alot easier to just replace the caliper.

 

[JIMMY JEEP]

They do make rebuild kits and there a lot cheaper than buying a caliper,but mine was quite badly corroded on the piston and liner so to be safe and avoid leaks i bought the whole caliper .I am going to have a look at the other side this week and if it's starting to show signs of problems i will buy just the repair parts because if i catch it early it should seal fine.I stripped the old caliper i replaced to see how much of a job it would be and it's pretty simple looking . If you buy a new piston ,inner seal and dust/moisture seal and make sure everything is really clean when re-assembling i think most of us would be able to carry out the repair in a couple of hours.