2006 Chevy Equinox Brake trouble

[bgbdwlf2500]

Friend has an 06 Equinox that the brakes on the driver front are sticking. That wheel is the only one that is so hot you can't touch it. So yesterday i replaced the caliper as that was the only part that made sense to be the problem. Well today, after a longer than normal trip, 20 or so minutes on the highway it started sticking and getting hot again.

The 2 auto parts people both right off the bat said possible defective caliper (2 different auto parts stores). Looking around on the internet brakes are apparently a huge problem on this vehicle especially pads and rotors. Rotors warping and pads wearing out fast is a huge issue.

Tomorrow I'm going to go get another caliper and replace the other one and see what happens. After that i have no other ideas. The brakes felt great yesterday when i was done, even bled them a little to make sure there was no air. Now today its not releasing again. I have not driven the vehicle when it is doing this so I can't give you any seat of the pants feeling. I'm not a car dummy especially with disc brakes since they are so simple, but I've also never had a car that the brakes stuck on.

Symptoms, she says it feels like its sticking, rim so hot you can't touch it and getting the tire hot enough to smell it, black dust all over the rim.

Any suggestions before i have to work on it tomorrow would be great

 

[alpinehyperlite]

Heres what you do.

1. Go out to the vehicle.
2. Start it up.
3. Slowly pull out of your driveway, dont forget to watch for kids playing in the street.
4. While driving down your street, check to make sure they arent heating up enough to cause the tire to catch on fire, had it happen in an impala for work.




































5. Drive straight to your Ford Dealership and trade that thing in for a Ford!








Sorry. Couldnt help myself.

Make sure the rotor's are good. If pads wore groves into them, it might cause them to stick. Aftermarket is always better.

 

[bgbdwlf2500]

While I am not a Ford fan this may be one vehicle that shouldnt have been made.

Yeah, thats the thing, everything else looked great and we couldnt push the pistons back in so we went with the caliper.

 

[alpinehyperlite]

Thats strange. Never heard of that problem on any vehicle.

 

[bgbdwlf2500]

according to the internet brakes are a big problem with the vehicle including calipers. both auto parts stores i talked to including the one i bought the calipers from said defective caliper so thats my first hope

 

[Rolex]

I had that happen on a 26,000 lb truck with air over hydraulics. The front right got so hot that it locked up the wheel. I thought for sure something would ignite, so I walked a good distance away before calling a tow truck. $250 to tow it and a several hundred to fix it, but it was a stuck wheel cylinder that did not allow the shoes to back off the drum.
Pretty much the same with a caliper setup, so that would also be my guess.

 

[jwbadass]

I am a certified mechanic and when you replace one brake caliper you should replace the other one it can cause uneven brake line pressure which can cause pulling while braking and one side to drag the brakes which will cause one side or even both in some cases to get very hot

 

[2revo1maxx]

That's only true if one brake is leaking^^^.
Did you replace the bracket that holds the pads? Or just the caliper? Did you clean the bracket? Remove the metal spring clips and clean under them? How were the sliders?

 

[jcjhl69]

Actually 2revo JW is correct i because now you have one free moving caliper and one that may be moving a little slow which will cause the new one to lock up before the old one does. I would suggest replacing the rotor on that side as well because it could be warped enough to be in almost constat contact with the pads which will build the heat up extremely fast.

 

[30%NitroBoy]

I am a certified mechanic and when you replace one brake caliper you should replace the other one it can cause uneven brake line pressure which can cause pulling while braking and one side to drag the brakes which will cause one side or even both in some cases to get very hot

What he said.....This Goes for the lines too. It's not going to Kill one but you should always plan on replacing the other side as soon as possible. When I was a kid I remember that my father wouldn't let someone just do one brake line or one caliper! You always want your repair to be *balanced*.

On a Vehicle with that much weight I'd HIGHLY reco a High Performance Pad like Hawk HPS. Most OEM Friction materials just don't cut it. Also contrary to Popular Misconception, Cermaic Pads AREN'T a performance option. Most Ceramics have an even lower Coefficient of Friction then OEM Pads. Ceramics are for Soccer moms who want a long lasting Option that wont get their Chrome Dirty.

It sounds to me like you've got warped rotors? I can get you a sweet price on EBC Brake Pads or Hawk.

Peace

 

[2revo1maxx]

Actually 2revo JW is correct i because now you have one free moving caliper and one that may be moving a little slow which will cause the new one to lock up before the old one does. I would suggest replacing the rotor on that side as well because it could be warped enough to be in almost constat contact with the pads which will build the heat up extremely fast.

I don't disagree with the pulling, a monkey would know that.
The line pressure will not be uneven though, the pressure is too much for any seized caliper to stop the piston from moving. The caliper will not be any slower, it's just that the outside pad wont be sqeezing inward. You'll basically have only one pad on the piston side doing the work and that's why the opposite side will bite harder. If the piston in the old caliper still moves good and the bracket can be cleaned then there's no need to replace it.

 

[jcjhl69]

I don't disagree with the pulling, a monkey would know that.
The line pressure will not be uneven though, the pressure is too much for any seized caliper to stop the piston from moving. The caliper will not be any slower, it's just that the outside pad wont be sqeezing inward. You'll basically have only one pad on the piston side doing the work and that's why the opposite side will bite harder. If the piston in the old caliper still moves good and the bracket can be cleaned then there's no need to replace it.

The bracket has nothing to do with it. Because the bracket is usually secured and the caliper slides on the pins squesing the inner pad to the rotor to the outer pad. The pins on the other hand could also be frozen which to my knowledge can not be cleaned the must be replaced. That should have presented a problem when chanking the pads. It really sound like warped roters to me.

 

[2revo1maxx]

Actually, the pads go in the bracket, and the outer pad has to move within the bracket or it no longer does it's job. The bracket gets rusty behind the metal clips and sometimes the outer pad will freeze there and force the inner pad to do most of the work. The inner pad can do this too but the piston is powerful enough to overcome the corrosion. It's very rare to see these newer calipers have pin problems.

 

[bgbdwlf2500]

Thanks for the replies. Replaced the rotor on that side and after a few small trips its doing it again. the brake line is next. after that, I'm at a total loss. i can see the "theory" of doing both sides but the other side is fine and the same side is the trouble.

 

[jcjhl69]

I am not going to argue over that anymore 2revo. bgbdwlf2500 the only other thing I can suggest is the wheel bearings, because if they are binding they will creat heat and it will transfer all the way out to the wheel. Since you have replaced the rotor, caliper and pads, I take it the pins are smooth enough to allow the caliper to slide on them. And since the bracket bolts directly to the spindel and does not move it leads me to the only other parts left and that is the bearings. Try those and let us know.

 

[2revo1maxx]

Only a bearing with no balls left inside will generate that much heat. You'll know if the bearing is bad anyway because they make a very noticeable humming noise.
I can't remember now, but the pins on that vehicle should be in the caliper bracket, with 2 short bolts threaded into them. They rarely have problems with seizing. Other pins are whole pieces that simply unscrew from the caliper itself.
I think what you should do is get the brake to stick again, then jack it up, open the bleeder, and see if it releases. This procedure will rule out the caliper as being the problem and it will be time to investigate the abs valve body.

 

[dridge81]

I'm having the exact same problem with my 05 Equinox. The passenger side caliper locks completely up. I replaced it a couple of weeks ago and now it is doing it again. Today I concluded that the line itself is retaining pressure after the pedal is released. I pumped the pedal until the caliper stuck and then unscrewed the bleeder screw; brake fluid shot out without any pressure on the pedal, the piston released, and the rotor became free . Any ideas? Is there a valve on the line somewhere that would prevent the brake fluid from backflowing?

bgbdwlf2500, loosen the bleeder screw while the caliper is stuck and see if fluid squirts out.

* edit - oops didn't see 2revo1maxx's post....will the abs valve body cause only one line to freeze?

 

[flm_savage]

I have heard of the brake lines wearing out and not allowing the pressure to release. Lines would be my next choice.

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

Holy dead thread!

Having said that:

Any ideas? Is there a valve on the line somewhere that would prevent the brake fluid from backflowing?

No, but if the internal lining of the brake hose splits, it can act as a one-way flap valve.

The Equinox if is a Primary FWD vehicle, meaning the proportioning is LF/RR and RF/LR, rather than conventional RWD/4WD, which are proportioned LF/RF and LR/RR. Check your driver rear wheel to make sure it isn't also hanging up. If it is, the problem is in your master cylinder.

will the abs valve body cause only one line to freeze?

Could, but it shouldn't be able to under normal braking, unless something is really wrong in there. Does the ABS and traction control seem to be working properly when the wheels lock up or spin?

If the rear wheels spin freely and you lack the equipment to have bi-directional communication with the EBTCM, start with the cheap and simple approach; replace that brake hose.

 

[kelly norton]

I'm having the exact same problem with my 05 Equinox. The passenger side caliper locks completely up. I replaced it a couple of weeks ago and now it is doing it again. Today I concluded that the line itself is retaining pressure after the pedal is released. I pumped the pedal until the caliper stuck and then unscrewed the bleeder screw; brake fluid shot out without any pressure on the pedal, the piston released, and the rotor became free . Any ideas? Is there a valve on the line somewhere that would prevent the brake fluid from backflowing?

bgbdwlf2500, loosen the bleeder screw while the caliper is stuck and see if fluid squirts out.

* edit - oops didn't see 2revo1maxx's post....will the abs valve body cause only one line to freeze?

I also have a 06 equinox doing exactly the same thing,let me know what you find.