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Discussion starter · #1 ·
So i have a 2011 Fx4 and i noticed my brakes would randomly stick. The burnt brake smell was coming from the front drivers side, so I took an infarred temp gun and measured the temp of all my calipers after a test drive, the drivers side front was 400 degrees compared to 150 degrees of all the other rotors. So I replaced the drivers side caliper with a ford remanufactured one, took it for a short test drive and the same thing happened, i noticed a pull to the left, got home and smelt the burnt brakes, checked the temps and the rotor was at 650 degrees this time compared to the 167ish of the other ones. I jacked up the drivers side and I could not turn the wheel. I'm at loss of what to do other then take it to a brake shop. Any ideas or suggestions that something else might be going on? It is only the drivers side front wheel with an issue

I know its possible that the new reman caliper could be bad, but I hope not.
 
I had that issue when I did mine, realized the brake line was blocked up and keeping the caliper front disengaging. Replaced the line and it’s working good.


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Discussion starter · #3 ·
I had that issue when I did mine, realized the brake line was blocked up and keeping the caliper front disengaging. Replaced the line and it’s working good.


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I bled the front brakes pretty intensely, I went through two whole bottles of brake fluid, if the line was blocked up wouldn't that prevent fluid from going through the caliper and bleeding?
 
I bled the front brakes pretty intensely, I went through two whole bottles of brake fluid, if the line was blocked up wouldn't that prevent fluid from going through the caliper and bleeding?
Theoretically yes, I was able to push fluid through when I bled mine but it was stiff. The there was enough pressure to push the caliper closed but then too much pressure built up to release the caliper

If they makes sense, I’m not a true mechanic so I could be describing it wrong


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Discussion starter · #5 ·
Theoretically yes, I was able to push fluid through when I bled mine but it was stiff. The there was enough pressure to push the caliper closed but then too much pressure built up to release the caliper

If they makes sense, I’m not a true mechanic so I could be describing it wrong


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gotcha, what about the ABS module? i've read a few things about that, and how it could be the culprit, but I think the abs light would come on or something though.
 
I guess that’s a possibility, in my mind if there’s no light or codes it’s probably fine. I am a firm believer in the KISS principal (keep it simple stupid) because mine didn’t indicate that and the brake lines are a LOT cheaper lol


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Probably change the rotor too while you're at it, since you more than likely warped it.
 
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These were my rotors from 1.5 years ago. The outside looked great while the inside were trash. Only 30,000 miles on them. I never had weird issues until they started to make noise. Caliper felt ok. I've heard the brake lines fail more often then they should. If I have the issue again, I will replace the brake lines.
Auto part Wheel Automotive wheel system Clutch Hubcap


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These were my rotors from 1.5 years ago. The outside looked great while the inside were trash. Only 30,000 miles on them. I never had weird issues until they started to make noise. Caliper felt ok. I've heard the brake lines fail more often then they should. If I have the issue again, I will replace the brake lines. View attachment 166829

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It sounds like a lot of the issue is people don’t flush the system enough, I’ve always heard the interval should be around 30k miles but I’m not sure if that’s still the right advice. If I understood it all right brake fluid absorbs moisture and can allow rust and stuff to form inside, the heat cycles of stopping our 6k lb vehicles as daily drivers can take its toll too


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But heating 1 rotor repeatedly to over 600 degrees could have warped it. May have been a stuck caliper that he already replaced that started the issue. You warp one enough, could be why it seems stuck still. Its a pretty darn much easier and possibly cheaper thing to try before taking apart a bunch of other stuff. A shop may choose to replace this first anyways, as well as the pads, if they knew that he took temps of all 4 wheels, and the results of said test.

If it were me, rotor and pads for that wheel, minimum. Probably rotors and pads on both front wheels.
 
Did you change the whole caliper AND the bracket?
 
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But heating 1 rotor repeatedly to over 600 degrees could have warped it. May have been a stuck caliper that he already replaced that started the issue. You warp one enough, could be why it seems stuck still. Its a pretty darn much easier and possibly cheaper thing to try before taking apart a bunch of other stuff. A shop may choose to replace this first anyways, as well as the pads, if they knew that he took temps of all 4 wheels, and the results of said test.

If it were me, rotor and pads for that wheel, minimum. Probably rotors and pads on both front wheels.
Ooh I completely agree, especially if you already have it all apart change em I


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Ooh I completely agree, especially if you already have it all apart change em I


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Good time to do some poking around into what else could be sticking out like a sore thumb too.
 
When I did my brakes I had a stuck pad which I had to pry out with a long screwdriver. What I saw was that the shape of the bracket changed. I don't know if this is from heat and it warps, corrosion, or the metal swelling, but the pad would no longer fit in the bracket from the face of the rotor to the end of the slide travel. I took a dremel tool and increased the clearance in that slide channel to open it up. No problems since. So that's why I ask if you changed the bracket. I think that is the root of the sticking brake problem. The caliper moves fine, but the pad gets stuck in it's travel on the slide in the bracket where the hardware goes. This pinches the ends of pad and binds it up.
 
Grease up the slide pins real good too/ inspect for sticking there
This... when I did mine there was a dot of grease on the end of the pin. The rest was bone dry


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Discussion starter · #17 ·
Did you change the whole caliper AND the bracket?
No I didn't change the bracket, just the caliper. The slide pins were moving freely with no resistance, and I made sure the pads were able to slide in and out of their brackets. So I replaced the brake line this morning and everything seems to be working great, the brakes on that wheel are no longer sticking.

I have not replaced the pads and rotor yet, as I have drilled and slotted rotors, so just buying one rotor to replace isn't an option that I could get at the local parts store. I'll see how it acts and feels over this week and I may end up buying a new set of front pads at a min. or if I can get a good deal on another set of drilled and slotted rotors i'll replace those as well.

But I do feel the rubber brake line was the culprit.
 
No I didn't change the bracket, just the caliper. The slide pins were moving freely with no resistance, and I made sure the pads were able to slide in and out of their brackets. So I replaced the brake line this morning and everything seems to be working great, the brakes on that wheel are no longer sticking.

I have not replaced the pads and rotor yet, as I have drilled and slotted rotors, so just buying one rotor to replace isn't an option that I could get at the local parts store. I'll see how it acts and feels over this week and I may end up buying a new set of front pads at a min. or if I can get a good deal on another set of drilled and slotted rotors i'll replace those as well.

But I do feel the rubber brake line was the culprit.
I’m glad to hear that it worked!


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Good deal. Thanks for updating with the fix. Might help others down the road.
 
So i have a 2011 Fx4 and i noticed my brakes would randomly stick. The burnt brake smell was coming from the front drivers side, so I took an infarred temp gun and measured the temp of all my calipers after a test drive, the drivers side front was 400 degrees compared to 150 degrees of all the other rotors. So I replaced the drivers side caliper with a ford remanufactured one, took it for a short test drive and the same thing happened, i noticed a pull to the left, got home and smelt the burnt brakes, checked the temps and the rotor was at 650 degrees this time compared to the 167ish of the other ones. I jacked up the drivers side and I could not turn the wheel. I'm at loss of what to do other then take it to a brake shop. Any ideas or suggestions that something else might be going on? It is only the drivers side front wheel with an issue

I know its possible that the new reman caliper could be bad, but I hope not.
Check that your brake pads are orientated the right way, the inside pad (closest to engine) should have two humps at the top while the outside pad (closest to wheel) should be a rounded smooth top. if you by chance have them backwards the caliper will be locked down onto the rotor when youre done.
 
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