Cpt. Spock

Ive been searching for this specific issue and i dont think ive seen this topic yet, or at least with my symptoms so forgive me if its out there...

Long story short, my rear brakes have been dragging and its been getting progressively worse overtime. Initially i tried re-greasing the old slide pins/boots, and did not fix the issue long term. It ended up progressively going back to feeling like the ebrake was on all the time. Today i went and changed the Slide pins, boots, and grease. Cleaned the slide pin holes pretty well, and popped the new stuff in. Greased the sh!t out of the pins, adjusted the ebrake to OE spec (9-13 clicks, mine was 7-8 so a little tight), and its still dragging ever so slightly. Not like a "coast to the stop light and it has a little drag before moving backwards", its legit catching and stopping the car and not allowing it to "move backwards" on slight incline. You can also feel/notice it (the drag) on acceleration and shifting. Now my original slide pins/boots/grease were old, and i noticed the rear brake pads were uneven inside to outside. It is Better, just doesnt feel 100%. I drove it a couple miles after installation of new parts, with various braking patterns.

Does it take a couple hundred miles for the new stuff to even things out?
Should it be an instantaneous fix and there is something else detrimental going on with the car?

Any experience/insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

starchland

rmerchant3

Are you certain that the caliper piston is properly aligned to the pad pin locators?

Cpt. Spock

Are you asking if it may potentially be bad?...could be...i dont know the characteristics of a failing/dragging piston

I would assume it is. Theyre oem rear pads, they've been on the car for over two years. This particular issue didnt start until this past year. I put them in the proper way and everything went back together just fine. Is there something else i should be aware of?

rmerchant3

The rear pistons have a + indention in them. the + has to be aligned to the posts on the backing plate of the pad, otherwise it will apply uneven pressure to the pads and can cause what you are describing.

Pay close attention starting at 1:35

starchland

kkroto18

Great info

Cpt. Spock

Thank you guys for all of your responses. @rmerchant3, i will have to double check the pistons to see if they are aligned. i will admit, i dont recall trying to line those up...i would assume that would cause a bit of drag as well, and it was slightly difficult putting the calipers back together as the video mentioned. Hopefully its something as silly as that...

B serious

I'd check your piston grooves first to see if they are aligned with the pad pin.

Then check the e-brake actuator.

did you put the pins back in the right bores?

What type of grease are you using?

Good used calipers are cheap AF on ebay. Don't waste your time. If your calipers are seizing at the piston or the e-brake actuator...the easiest fix is buying different calipers.

You can also use new or good used calipers to help you diagnose. Does swapping calipers fix your issue?

Cpt. Spock

-top pin is the smooth one, bottom pin is the angled one

-Permatex ultra lube

If it comes down to it, after everything else has been tested, i will end up buying new calipers. I want to get this resolved! Definitely hinders the driving experience!