brake problems on 96 ford windstar

brakes lock up on drivers side front only when we replace the caliper along with the rotor and pads and brake hoses we are able to get brake fluid out of the brake hose but once it is hooked up to the caliper which is new there is no fluid coming out of it and the brakes go to the floor but then after it is driven for a while the brakes start freezing up again and we are back to replacing everything and back to square one please help

I am at a loss as to the problem that you are having....
I have pictures of the front disk and rear drum brakes on my '96.....

I did not replace the caliper......so I do not have any pictures of that.

I connected my "mighty vac" and pumped up some vaccum.....opened up the bleeder screw....and kept a vaccum on the bleeder screw while I pushed the caliper piston back in slowly....pulling the fluid out the bleeder screw with the mighty vac. It sounds like....for some reason....the caliper is NOT retracting....which would cause the lockup of brakes. You should NOT have the pedal go to the floor at any time. Mine did at first.....and I re-bled the front brakes....as I had a small amound of air that got into them.

http://community.webshots.com/album/201931518cScpNK

ok maybe u misunderstood me we have bled the brakes and re bled and then rebled some more the brakes still go to the floor and the fluid is getting into the brake hose but not in the caliper and the caliper is new i can drive the van for a while a few days or so and then they start to freeze up again hense fluid not getting into the caliper my question is if everything i have mentined in the first post is new then why is there no fluid getting into the calliper

ok maybe u misunderstood me we have bled the brakes and re bled and then rebled some more the brakes still go to the floor and the fluid is getting into the brake hose but not in the caliper and the caliper is new i can drive the van for a while a few days or so and then they start to freeze up again hense fluid not getting into the caliper my question is if everything i have mentined in the first post is new then why is there no fluid getting into the calliper

Hello

It sounds like possibly your brake hose is bad. Hoses have a way of the inside lining coming apart and acting as a one way valve. I've heard of more than one hose doing this.

Try having someone step on the pedel. Just hold it down and loosen the bolt that holds the hose to the caliper and see if you can get fluid out the connection. Next, make sure the hold in the bleader is open.

I had a Caravan that had a bad master cylinder that didn't let the brake fluid pressure release off of the caliper so the brakes got so hot that every rubber part near the rotor was burnt.

Check out the hose, even replace it.

Regards

Dan

I figured that you have bled the brakes...a few times....which is why I am at a loss as to the cause of your problem.....
Sorry for the confusion.

I included the link to my pictures......in case you were questioning something in the general assembly process.

Caliper installation should be pretty straight forward also.......unscrew the line from the old caliper.....and screw it into the new one....assemble as normal brake job.....and bleed....
If you have a leak....fluid would leak out....and / or you would get air into the system....and the pedal would go to the floor....every time. Replacing the hoses is a good thing to try.

Master cylinder suddenly going bad?.....Bad "new" caliper?...Mr Murphy has visited me like that before.....

if its the master cylinder wouldnt it be more than just one brake acting up? and the hose have been replaced

the brake hose has been replaced

a defective caliper, may be new, but what else could it be.

lord someone please helppppp i cant afford to take it to a garage

lord someone please helppppp i cant afford to take it to a garage

We are trying to help. I think the reason you are not getting more responses may be because most are confused as to what the actual problem is. I have read all of the posts in this thread and it is not that clear to me.

Try paraphrasing your original post and how about some background. For example why did you feel the need to replace the caliper and hose? Was there a problem prior to your brake work.

The pedal going all the way to the floor seems to indicate air in the system. Even a hose acting as a one way valve should not cause the pedal to go to the floor but would prevent the pads from releasing.

Did you grease all of the pad to pad holder (frame) contact surface?
(Please note that I am NOT refering to the pad surfaces themselves)

a locking up wheel sure sounds like a clogged brake line, i know it is usually the flexable one at the wheel, but why not disconnet the other end of the metal brake line that goes up to ABS OR master cylinder and make sure it is not clogged.

we replaced the brake hose because the brakes froze up on the drivers side that did not fix the freezing problem so we replaced the calliper

we replaced the brake hose because the brakes froze up on the drivers side that did not fix the freezing problem so we replaced the calliper

Okay.....what's causing the brake to lock up is still on the van. I would think that since only one wheel is locking up it either has to be locking up mechanically or because of fluid not being allowed to go out of the caliper. Does this van have ABS? The ABS pump does control each wheel and is able to lock up any wheel on the van. There may be a problem with the pump. The ABS pump is located under the battery tray.

To find out if the brake fluid isn't the problem allow the brake to lock up. Open up the the brake bleeder and if brake fluid shoots out (without stepping on the brake pedel) there is a blockage some where in the line. No presure I would think that there is something on the caliper causing it keep pressure on the pads.

Do you have any one around that may be able to take a look at it for you? If you were close to where I live I could swing by and give some advice. However, I would be willing to bet there is someone near by that would be able to give you a few minutes and help out with this.

Regards

Dan

thank you i am going to call around tomorrow and see if anyone can look at it without charging me an arm and a leg

If you are wondering if it is the ABS, you could remove the fues for the ABS and see if the problem still happens. I would think that if the ABS is causing the problem....you would have a ABS light. The ABS system is not supposed to apply any brake pressure....it is only supposed to release brake pressure.......and only when the sensor(s) tell it to.

Do you have traction control? That is an optional item. Traction control will apply brake pressure to one of the wheels. The intent is to apply the brake to one of the wheels....if it starts to spin......as on icy roads. Again....I would think that the traction control system would indicate that it has been activated....and light up an indicator if there is a problem.

As I stated.....I am at a loss as to what is causing your problem....and can only suggest a few things to try.

no traction control

Did you figure. Out what was wrong with it? I have all the same issues. Replaced everything twice.... please lemme know how it worked for you