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Caliper Problems


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OK, i posted this before with out much luck.

 

My Left caliper sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, the caliper bleeds just fine, the MC has clean fluid, the lines arn't kinked... yet the driver caliper works normal and the passenger side sucks most of the time!

 

Any ideas? New MC time?

 

BTW.. both calipers are brand new.. and the passenger has been replaced twice now.. thinking it was a faulty caliper.

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have you checked out the proportioning valve? working sometimes and not others sounds wierd with calipers. i'm thinking you may have something in the line at the valve that would prevent it from working properly because the front brakes are run off the same seal in the master cylinder so if the seal failed then both front brakes would act up not just one. does this make any sense? i think it would be a good place to start.

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Guest rick458

I had a problem with the drivers side on my 260, it wound up being some trash at my porportioning valve, I had replaced the MC and rebuilt the calipers, and was getting NO fluid to the caliper I had to romp and stomp

the brake pedal to blow the trash through the valve

 

open a bleeder several turns so the fluid has some where to go to

and just get on it see if you cant feel an obstruction blowing clear

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OK... now last time i posted this i was told that my car was not equiped w/ a proportioning valve.

It's a 1978 280z 2+2

 

About a month or 2 months ago... I replaced the front brakes.. Brand new rotors and Calipers and pads. After about a week... the car starting pulling rather strongly to the passenger side. after a closer look.. the rotor and pads had broken in on the passenger side.. and the driver side looked like it hadn't even been used...

So i sent the caliper back.. got a new caliper from a local autoparts store. worked a little better... but there are barely any score marks where as the passenger side is well seated.. and it still pulls to the right under braking.

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you don't have an adjustable proportioning valve but there is one there. there should be one on the firewall just to the left and under your brake booster (also called a pressure regulating valve in the haynes manual)(this is where an adjustable proportioning valve would go) and another one on the drivers fenderwall just under the master cylinder (called a dual circuit pressure differential switch in the haynes manual) . either one of those could have crud in them. the one on the fenderwall has the takeoff for the drivers side brake on it and the one on the firewall has the takeoff for the passenger side and rear brakes on it.

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ok... so i just looked under the hood... there are two silver objects one is about 1" by 1" on the fender driver side... other is about 3"x4" on firewall... however the one on the fender i saw no "relief" valve.. or is this a take off and clean? firewall seems to be capable of being disasembled.

-ed

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Another thing you may want to check is your brake hoses. I say this since you stated that your problems started soon after a brake job.

 

Brake hoses can develope cracks internally, which after being disturbed(i.e.Brake job) can break loose and act as a check valve of sorts, only allowing fluid to pass in one direction.

 

This can also be caused by not supporting the caliper properly and allowing it to hang from the hose.

Not only can these "check valves" cause a caliper to not work, They can also cause them to lock.

 

Bottom line when servicing your brakes...

1)Always support the caliper(I like wire or heavy rubber straps)

2) Never stretch or pull the hose

3) Only move the hose as much as necessary

4) If the hose is cracked on the outside, chances are it`s cracked inside too

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