danxp

hi...

searched the forums and couldn't find a definitive answer... anyway, i just got my car back from the local mechanic (1st time there) and am having an issue with my rear driver side brakes... it seems to be locking up or freezing on me... i smell something burning from the disc and the rim actually feels very warm to the touch... luckily i only drove a few miles on it...

the other 3 wheels seem fine and the car feels like the parking brake is still engaged when coasting...

does the parking brake lock all 4 wheels or is it fewer than that? if it's just the rear driver side, could that have something to do with it?

is there a diy for the brakes posted somewhere here? i couldn't find one... i changed out the brake pads on a lexus before, but it's been said that those are the easiest brakes to work on... ever...

btw, i don't recall having a brake issue before taking it to the mechanic, so i'm a bit suspicious, especially since he tried to convince me to have a "brake check" on the car after spending $1300+ on some issues i had (a/c charge, replace door lock, replace crankshaft position sensor)...

thanks for any help.

shawnoc2003

Parking break only works on the rear wheels. There's a cable adjustment for each side.

Jack up the car and remove the wheel that got hot. Can you rotate the rotor? If not, then have someone cycle the parking brake handle while you watch the lever on the back side of the caliper. You should be able to see it move.

Its pretty easy to rebuild the caliper, especially if you just want to regrease the sliding pins.

danxp

so if the parking brake works both rear wheels, i guess it's safe to conclude that the parking brake is not the issue and the caliper is probably just frozen?

anyone have a schematic of the rear disc brake assembly?

thanks.

Peter Badore

Not necessarily, each parking brake cable operates independently but both are connected to the parking brake handle. I would just buy another rear caliper
to replace the frozen caliper. Also, remember that the rear caliper pistons need a special tool to turn and push them in to retract them.

danxp

stumbled upon some threads in the tech section and found some useful info... looks like i may have to replace the caliper completely or could i just buy one of those "caliper repair kits" and fix that way?

if i replace the caliper completely, do i have to bleed out the brake fluid completely before removing the old caliper?

thanks.

Filthy Scum

this is happening on my front left side and im thinking it might be more than just the frozen caliper, maybe a wheel bearing?

danxp

is there a step-by-step out there that shows how to do a caliper replacement(or repair)?

do i need to do a full bleed?

Sebsecond

How long sinse you changed the break fluid? Every 18 months in cold climate is adviseable.

danxp

i'll be doing a brake flush at the end of my attempted caliper rebuild/repair... i don't have a vag-com (whatever that is) but i'm reading that i should be ok even though my car has esp...

danxp

after much procrastination i finally fixed my frozen caliper issue... replaced the caliper with a remanufactured one from drivewire.com for ~$75...

wow, what a pain in the but getting the old caliper off and getting the new one on...

thanks to all that chimed in and to the audiworld tech articles...