Rear caliper froze
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
From: Eastern PA
Rear caliper froze
Hi Everyone,
So my rear passenger caliper is frozen on my '90. Is there a backyard fix for this? The car stops okay, but the brake pedal
is a little "mushy". It has the Z51 package if that matters at all. The master cylinder is topped of. Any ideas?
Thanks
So my rear passenger caliper is frozen on my '90. Is there a backyard fix for this? The car stops okay, but the brake pedal
is a little "mushy". It has the Z51 package if that matters at all. The master cylinder is topped of. Any ideas?
Thanks
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 3,245
Likes: 1,406
From: Mid-Atlantic
2025 C4 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C4 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C4 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2021 C4 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist
Without knowing the age and condition of your lines and hoses, I'd say flushing the brake system would be the best start. Get some fresh fluid in there and all of the air out and then see how it does.
My '90 was mushy like that earlier this year. I flushed the brakes and bled a few times. Then worked the ABS on some gravel and bled again. Brakes are good now.
My '90 was mushy like that earlier this year. I flushed the brakes and bled a few times. Then worked the ABS on some gravel and bled again. Brakes are good now.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,685
Likes: 814
From: Saskatoon Sask.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 876
Likes: 76
Could be bad brake hose. Some things you could be looking at. Flushing brake fluid, replacing brake hoses, and/or rebuild or replace the caliper and maybe have to replace the brake pads and rotors depending if say the pads are constantly clamped down while you've been driving it.
When you say frozen, are you saying frozen where the caliper is constantly braking or it doesn't work?
Like someone else said, I'd start with a full brake fluid flush and go from there. And you can do an inspection as well to check if anything looks wrong like damage to the brake hose.
When you say frozen, are you saying frozen where the caliper is constantly braking or it doesn't work?
Like someone else said, I'd start with a full brake fluid flush and go from there. And you can do an inspection as well to check if anything looks wrong like damage to the brake hose.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 2,897
Likes: 592
From: New Port Richey FL
If you know that 1 caliper out the 4 is tight, narrow down weather a bad hose/brake system or just a fairly inexpensive Caliper. Take a screwdriver try to collapse the piston when it doesn't collapse, crack the bleeder if it collapses bad hose or system. if it stays Stuck Bad Caliper.
