self rebuild or new front calipers?

on my 2000 windstar the calipers are oem. It's got 160,000 km on it. I've replaced pads and rotors a few times. I had a pulsating rotor and as the pads were new 10,000 km ago I just replaced the rotors. I know that's not 'suggested' but the pads are in great shape. Now one of the rotors is quite scored and the pad is prematurely worn. So, I'm thinking that the caliper isn't functioning as well as I'd like and I'm going to replace it. My questions are: should I replace both calipers even though the passenger side seems ok? Is it worthwhile buying a new or reman'd caliper and return my oem one (or both)? How hard vs cost savings and PITA is it to overhaul a caliper yourself?

I'm fully tooled up so no problem there but I've never had to replace a caliper before, only pads and rotors luckily.

of course now that the single pad is messed up I'll be replacing all 4 once this caliper situation is addressed.

what do you think?

Piper

Yes, uneven pad wear or rotor scoring can be signs of a caliper that isn't releasing properly.

Note that there is one cause that can usually be repaired easily: Sticking caliper slide pins. Cleaning them and re-greasing (don't get grease on any other brake component!) often helps. Note that you *MUST* use high-temperature grease designed for brake components. Regular grease will quickly burn up, and the pin will stick (a lesson learned from my too-cheap youth). I also clean and grease caliper slide pins when replacing pads, just to avoid this sort of thing.

I don't bother rebuilding calipers anymore; I replace with quality, re-manufactured units. Rebuilding isn't that difficult, but it tends to be messy - and can get ugly if other problems show up during the job. I'd rather let the reman shop deal with it. Given the age of the van, I'd lean toward replacing both of them together.

hello piper,it all depends if you rebuild calipers what needs to be replaced
are the pistons plastic?? if so i'd recemend replacing them with metal ones
are the caliber walls scorn??if so may not be rebuildable
i dont rebuild any more not really worth it
Good Luck.mike

so as a follow up to my original post, I decided to pull both front calipers and replace them with reman'd ones. Got them each for $72 plus $35 for the ceramic pads. I figured for the cost of the whole thing and the fact that I can just unbolt rebolt it's worth the coin. Also as it's my wife's van carrying 3 kids.. I'll sleep easier knowing the job's done right.

FWIW, it doesn't seem anyone is rebuilding their own calipers anymore..

Hmmm... Are you replacing the scored rotor, or did you catch it in time?

I suspect you might have had trouble tracking down a Windstar caliper rebuild kit anyway. A quick eBay search on "windstar caliper rebuild kit" netted zero hits. I even tried looking for Mustang caliper rebuild kits: Only 4 hits on eBay, mostly for older models. Not that eBay is a all-encompassing auto parts market - but it gives you a good idea what's commonly available. Meanwhile, "windstar caliper" results in 129 hits. Yup: Few people rebuild their own calipers anymore.

Yes, good brakes on a primary family hauler are important!

On my '96, I REALLY improved brake performance by replacing the flexible brake hose that goes from the caliper to the hard line.
Even though they looked great.....I think that there was some restriction inside them......
I have pictures posted that show the replacement process......cheap and easy.
I got the Raybestos hoses through rockauto.
You might consider replacing the calipers and the hoses at the same time.

In all honesty.......the braking after I replaced the hoses (front only) was much better than from when I bought the van in 1999.........the calipers had been replaced as well as rotors and pads......bled the brake fluid at each wheel every year.....etc.

Replacement seems the way to go....with calipers.....mine were pitted along the slidding surfaces....intermittently sticking.......not worth messing with........