Criticalaccl8im

Hi guys, I know someone will point me in the direction of the solution for this problem already covered on here but I can't find it.
I've come to change my brake pads.... The squeakings been annoying me for a while now and noticed one of the pistons is a bit stiff, it's not completely seized yet. How's the best way to fix this? Preferably without taking the caliper off the car? Thanks In advance

jeffbrig

If you think a caliper might be sticking, you have two options. 1) Leave it on the car, and see if it gets worse. 2)Rebuild/replace the caliper. Either option for #2 involves removing the caliper, and the resulting complete flush/bleed of the brake system. Parts for a rebuild aren't bad, about $20 USD from what I remember. Be sure you up to the task before embarking on a caliper rebuild.

A pad change by itself is a pretty quick/easy job. If I were in your shoes, I'd change the pads immediately. Then monitor how the caliper behaves and make a decision on repair/replacement. I'm not sure how you diagnose that a piston is "a bit stiff", but there's a lot of pressure in the brake system to deal with "stiff".

Also, check your pad wear, make sure that it's even between the inboard/outboard pads. If one side is wearing faster than the other, it means the caliper isn't sliding freely on the floating pins. These can easily be removed and regreased while doing the pad change. I had an Acura manifest with a "sticking" caliper, where the caliper body itself was fine, but it wasn't sliding properly and wore down the pads unevenly. Re-greasing (and a new set of pads) fixed this issue.

Criticalaccl8im

Thanks a lot for the advise! Really appreciate it, ill swap the pads over and keep an eye on them to start with.
Thanks again