Front calipers not fully releasing

[levi]

Right after coming down from Jerome Az, noticed I wasn't rolling right. Pulled over and jacked up one of the front wheels, and when I went to spin the tire, it would only get about 1/2 rotation before stopping. Pulled the wheel and saw the calipers were not releasing all the way. Had to manually spread them. Checked the other wheel and it was the same. So I've driven into Flagstaff by going through this process every time I had to brake. Not that I'm complaining, it's better than walking. But it's getting kinda old. If I don't do this, the calipers get hot fast, and sing to me. I know this just happened this afternoon at Jerome, the difference in drag is noticeable.
Any ideas what could be causing this?
_________________
One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
but till I do I won't be hangin round.
Going down that long lonesome highway,
gonna see life my way

https://youtu.be/cSrL0BXsO40

[Captain Pike]

Rubber lines are shot. Internal faliure, replace them__the rears as well. Then rebuild the calipers. Nasty how much snot accumulates in there.
_________________
LEARN TO SELF RESCUE
59 Panel bus, 1966 Single cab. 73' 181. 73 Westy. 91' H6 Vanagon 3.3L.
....Bad Sneakers....

[fortheloveofvdub]

I’m getting ready to do the same thing. Mine were so hot smoke was rolling out of the bearing cap. The van had sat for so long while I fixed ‘er other stuff I didn’t know the sound from the rear drums (that sounded terrible).

The search on here is kind of tricky but you just have to play with the settings and often what you need will be provided; these turkeys have been ham-hawing around here for a while now to the benefit of the quiet searcher.

On the caliper re-build, check the link out below, it’s in my own “copied and pasted” library.
This is a post from “captain partytime” on how to rebuild your brake calipers:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2394185&highlight=#2394185

By the way,
Van-café: Most everything you’ll need with a smile & California cookies!

Rockauto.com: Rear brake hoses (for my 86) around 8 bucks each (they had five left and are Beck & A (closeout price)

If your front steel got REALLY hot consider new bearings as well, couldn’t hurt if you’ve got the cheddar.
Cheers,
Jeremy

[floggingmolly]

Same problem here, though not quite as bad. My brakes will squeak on a long downhill, even though I'm not on the brakes full time. Problem is that there is still some light squeaking even after I let off the brakes. I plan to do the captainpartytime rebuild, and replace the lines.
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'85 Wolfsburg Weekender

[Volksaholic]

It may be the calipers, but whether you're rebuilding them or not I would go with Bill W's suggestion and replace the lines too. I've seen both drum and disk brakes return really slowly with old lines that are swollen inside. If they haven't been done it's good PM work anyway... I did all 4 rubber lines when I was doing my brakes last summer.
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1988 Wolfsburg Edition, 2001 Subaru EJ251

[MarkWard]

Watch your fingers if you decide to use compressed air to push any seized caliper pistons out. A thin piece of wood between the pistons, will keep them from damaging each other. Use a c-clamp to retain the remaining piston. Once you have one out. Clean it as much as you can and some lube. Reinstall temporarily to assist in getting the second piston free. Another option that works better, but can be messy is to use the brake hydraulic system. This will free up about any frozen piston you may encounter. Brake fluid will go everywhere. Keep a bucket of water or hose incase some fluid gets on the paint. I agree the flex lines would need to be replaced. I was putting my vanagon back on the road after sitting for 8 years. I opted for new calipers rather than rebuilt or rebuilding them. Lastly, I'd say if your calipers are releasing with assistance, you may get away with some new pads which will move the pistons back into the caliper. If the calipers are not leaking, and the pistons are free, you might rebuild at another time.

[iceracer]

I have to say this: My right front rebuilt caliper has been tight for a few years since I installed it. All new fluid etc. I thought it was the rubber lines so I threw in stainless steel braided. Still the same problem. So when I had the dash out for the heater replacement last month, I threw in a new master. Have yest to bleed everything this weekend but I have a feeling I will have to rebuild the caliper. I bet some gunk got in there when I 1st installed it and that is the problem. Weird though as the rubber hose for that wheel was open.
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86 Syncro Wolfsburg edition
63 Beetle (The Iceracer)

[iceracer]

Oh yeah, I have been to Jerome az many years ago with an old girlfriend. Was a very cool place. Still have pics of it and her but we split up not long after.
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86 Syncro Wolfsburg edition
63 Beetle (The Iceracer)

[dokarex]

Is it the piston that's not moving or are the sliders so gumed up that they are sticking?
First thing I would do is remove the calipers and take out the sliders and clean them with a wire wheel and lube them up and see if that allows the caliper to slide back into place?
_________________
1987 Doka 1.9TD from Germany gasser DU tranny, fuel turned up, 1.6 LDA pin, boost at 15 psi,egt and boost gauges,stock diesel tach,air filter behind passenger tail light, IC to come
2006 Jetta Wagen 1.9TDI
B6200 Kubota Diesel
16ft Freestyle catamaran
16 ft Sunray 85 Horse (sunk)

[Dogpilot]

Now not trying to be a mother hen, but brakes are something I consider vital. They also tend to be the easiest system to rebuild. The O rings are very cheap, the hoses and pads not very expensive. Your big investment is labor. Clean them up put in new parts, clean everything everybody has mentioned. You will be happy, perhaps remain alive, you did this messy job. Properly done disk brakes save gas, new rotors save tires. When they get old they contribute to out of balance conditions.

Really do not cheap out here, replace everything. Bad brakes allow the driver to get to the accident scene first.
_________________
Geology with a Syncro rocks!
86 Syncro Westy AKA "The Bughunter"
98 Disco I
08 Range Rover SC
08 VW Rabbit S
1951 O-1G

[dokarex]

Hi Dogpilot,
I wasn't tring to cheap out on this one just thinking that if the calipers are ok it may just be the sliders. I had and definatly dont miss a 91 Olds Cutlass Supreme with rear discs and if you didn't lube the sliders every 3 months then they would sieze (really bad (stupid) design).
So when the pads on my Doka were draging on the rotors,but the calipers were fine and thanks to my experiences with that lovely Olds may it RIP (and the company to) the first and only thing I did was remove,clean and lube the sliders and they worked fine, I could almost hold speed going up a long sweeping hill (1.6NA very soon to be a 1.9TD thanks to a leaking head gasket )
_________________
1987 Doka 1.9TD from Germany gasser DU tranny, fuel turned up, 1.6 LDA pin, boost at 15 psi,egt and boost gauges,stock diesel tach,air filter behind passenger tail light, IC to come
2006 Jetta Wagen 1.9TDI
B6200 Kubota Diesel
16ft Freestyle catamaran
16 ft Sunray 85 Horse (sunk)

[Dogpilot]

No, don't take it wrong. Whenever we do brakes on airplanes, we always replace the O rings. Its kind of like the children's story "If you give a Mouse a Cookie." You really need to do the whole thing, the more you check the worse it looks. You are correct that many times just cleaning and lubing the slider makes it all better. My Cessna 185 was that way. I just wanted to impress that if you tackle the brakes you should expand your scope of work to encompass the whole enchilada. These bricks are old now, I suspect that many of these systems have never been refreshed since new.
_________________
Geology with a Syncro rocks!
86 Syncro Westy AKA "The Bughunter"
98 Disco I
08 Range Rover SC
08 VW Rabbit S
1951 O-1G

[tikibus]

One ( okay a few) points is the Caliper itself.
Girling or ... drawing a blank here folks..

Dog is right, don't skimp. rust bubbles just at the O-ring seal can cause trouble.
The Link says it all.

The rubber line from body to hard line is important, but the Rabbit Hole starts there. If crusty and rusty, cracking showing on the rubber line....
The fun will start

Best tool to clean when doing a rebuild is a Dremel. Get right in there an shine it up. But sans marring the o-ring seating.

New Bleeder Valves too!
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Happy Trails!
Mark
______________
Founding member of the Empire State VW Camping Club.
http://www.empirevwcamping.org/
1984 Westy - Tiki
1997 Honda Civic -The Green Hornet
1971 Volvo P-1800E- needs TLC

[Captain Pike]

I perfer 400 grit wet paper to get that "hand "feel
_________________
LEARN TO SELF RESCUE
59 Panel bus, 1966 Single cab. 73' 181. 73 Westy. 91' H6 Vanagon 3.3L.
....Bad Sneakers....

[levi]

Thanks to everyone for the great info.
Brake lines, huh? I honestly wouldn't have thought of that as the cause. I would've imagined bad lines distending and causing a soft brake, hard for me to put together why they would contribute to the pads sticking. Just ordered some new ones though. ...along with a rebuild kit.
btw, I had posted that the wheel would only spin for less than 1/2 turn, but that was when it was cold. If I drove for a mile or so, they wouldn't even spin for 1/8 rotation. Bah. But even in that condition if I was at a stop light and got off the brakes, it would roll pretty easily if there was the slightest grade. Makes me wonder how many folks are out there driving around with a similar situation? Gotta be bad for gas mileage.
On the good side of things, just drove all night back to So. Cal (with the pads manually opened), and got the best mileage I've ever had.
_________________
One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
but till I do I won't be hangin round.
Going down that long lonesome highway,
gonna see life my way

https://youtu.be/cSrL0BXsO40

[iceracer]

Took my rt caliper apart today and rebuilt it. Was a rebuilt unit from 2 yrs ago. I found there was a nick/mark on the piston otherwise all was super clean inside. Sanded it a bit and threw it back together and bled and no more drag, fully releasing. So solved my problem, the sliders were free. So even though you buy a rebuild doesn't mean it is a good one or was rebuilt correctly. Hope to get 1 mpg better. woohoo

Good luck Levi, could be the lines or the calipers. You will figure it out.
_________________
86 Syncro Wolfsburg edition
63 Beetle (The Iceracer)