96 Grand Am left front brake gets red hot!!

Hi All, HELPPPPP! I have another problem. My 96 Grand Am SE keeps smoking the left front brake. When I bought the car used it needed new calipers and brakes. I replaced them plus the rotors. After replacing all of this it would pull hard to the left under hard braking. After awhile the brake would heat up so bad that it cooked the new caliper. I replaced the caliper again. I thought it may have been bad. It still heated up. I thought it may be the abs so I replaced the master cylinder and abs brain from a scrap yard. It still kept heating up. No change. It got so hot the last time it melted the inside of the hub cap and boot on the lower ball joint. All the metal rusted because it burnt all the paint and grease off.
I called the dealer because I was thinking I didnt bleed the abs right. I was thinking there may be a special way to do it. The dealership seamed to think the right brake hose has a restriction (rubber collapsed) causing the left brake to do more of the braking.
I replaced both brake hoses and the brake pads and rotor on the left side again! The rotor and pads were cooked again. It got so hot it made the pads crumble on the edges. I just test drove it and it doesnt pull but it seams to be still doing more of the braking and getting hot.
My question is: Is there a special way to bleed abs brakes? Could that be causing the left front brake to do more of the braking and getting so hot?? Theres nothing else to replace. Thank You for any help you can offer!! Passnbyu

You could have an issue with the master brake cylinder.

Hi, I replaced the master cylinder. I went to the junk yard and got one. It had everything on it. (master cylinder, Abs brain and abs valves) I hooked up all four brake lines and elec. wires. What could be wrong with both of them? The car it came off of left wheel looked fine. This is why I'm thinking it could be a bleeding problem but I don't think theres any air in the brake lines. I've bleeded them more than once.

I would inspect front right caliper make sure that the piston can move in and out freely and see if you are getting any oil there.

Hi, thanks for the response. I replaced the caliper two times on the left side, and the right side is new. The right side works fine. I had to replace the left side after the brakes cooked the first time. The caliper got so hot that it cooked the rubber booty on the piston. This time, I had to replace the brake pads and rotor because it got hot again with the second caliper on.
It's got me stumped!!!
I did notice that on the side of the master cylinder where the abs is, all the brake lines to the other brakes have an abs valve next to them except the left front brake line. It comes out of the abs from the front. It looks like its not controled by the abs by itself???

Your hydraulic brake system is divided diagonally - front to back so (front left with rear right and front right with rear left.) This is so because in the case that one of the lines develops a leak you will still have some front and rear braking action (some kind of balance and better breaking since front do 70% and rear 30% . So check the line that leads to rear right wheel check for damage and restrictions, check wheel cylinder on the rear back wheel. Maybe it is stuck.

Below are some causes that can create uneven braking action (side to side) there were some more but I was able to eliminate them since they did not make any sense to me for your problem.


leaking brake line or connection
leaking wheel cylinder or piston seal
air in brake system
contaminated brake lining (in your case this refers to your front left pads, but I don’t think this is the case since you replaced them twice if I red it correctly)
restrictive brake fluid passage or sticking wheel cylinder piston
loose front suspension attachments
sticking wheel cylinder of caliper piston
faulty proportional valve

If I had to guess I would say that you did not bleed the (front right and rear left wheels) maybe that side has some air and is not reacting as fast as the other diagonal side when the brake pedal is pressed. Or your rear right wheel cylinder is sticking and all the pressure is forced to your front left brake. Or front right caliper piston is sticking and not doing much work thus forcing your GA to pull left even more.

Hi 3100,
Thanks for the info. I will be pulling the back wheels off sat morning and checking the wheel cylinders. I'm also going to bleed them all again. What order should I bleed them and someone told me the abs valves need set to get all the air out. They are elec. valves. I always start bleeding right rear, left rear, front right and last left front. The closest to the master cylinder. Is this right? Thanks again for the help! passnbyu

take off calaper off and loosen bleeder and if piston go's in it's the rubber line is colapsed inside. if it was master cyl both sides would lock up..

Could also be the proportioning valve is bad of clogged or has air trapped. Do you have a scan tool that can purge the ABS mod ?

Also are the slide pins moving freely in-out ??

Hi Xeroinfinity,
I was hoping you would look at my thread. You seam to be good with Grand Am problems. You were a great help with my dash gauge problem a while back. Thanks!
Anyway, Ive done everything I can think of. I replaced both calipers (left side twice), both rear wheel cylinders, new brake pads, rotors, rubber lines and even went to a scrape yard and replace the master cylinder with the abs and proportioning valve as one unit. The only thing I think it could be is air in the lines somewhere causeing the left brake to do more of the braking. The pedel feels fine when I push it. I don't have a scan tool for the abs. The brake light has never flashed or came on. There has to be a way to push any air in the lines or proportioning valve out. I just don't understand it. I've never had a brake problem like this before. This weekend I'm going to pull everything back apart and give it a double check. Thanks for any help you can offer. Passnbyu

Ps I just thought of something. When I was changing the right rear wheel cylinder the metel line twised off so I had to rebend a new line from the rubber brake line to the wheel cylinder. It had a sharp bend in it. If I crimped the line off some, would this cause more force to go to the left front. 3100 said the brakes work a cross from each other.
Thanks Again!!

Well I'm lost! I checked over everything this weekend and couldn't figure this out. The new rotor and brakes on the left side are still heating up enough to smoke. I can see were the rotor has changed colors from heat. Every thing in the front is new or replaced. I'm going to have to take it to the dealer and have them go over it. It stumped me!! passnbyu

I think you have to take off the master cylinder

Thanks for your input but I replaced the master cylinder with the abs box and proportion valves. Its not the rubber lines because they are both new too! Thats the problems I don't know what to replace. Its all new! I just keep thinking its something to do with bleeding the proportion valve or wheel sensor.The pedel feels solid? I dont see any air when I bleed it. Its got me!!

Something I just thought of...
When you replaced the MC , if you got a front and rear line crossed, that could be the problem.

If not, its something to do with the proportioning valve. Need an ABS scan tool to read these trouble codes.

Hi everyone, I finally fixed my problem! (yeee haaa) It took me awhile and I gave up for a few weeks because I was ready to smash it with a dozer. This is what I did. I unpluged the ABS elec. plungers. I drove it for 5 miles. The Abs light was on the whole time. Then I bleeded everything again starting at the master cylinder and working out. I then pluged the ABS plugers back in. Drove it and again and it hasn't heated up yet. Its been two weeks. Don't know what I did but it worked!!
Thanks to all that helped me with this. It was a brain scratcher!!
Thanks passnbyu

Sounds like you had some air in the system, somewhere?

Yes, I think the air was in around the plugger for the right front, left rear abs valve. Although it didn't feel like there was any air in the system. It was keeping the fluid from going to those brakes which caused the left front to take most of the braking. They had to be retracked to release the air. Then again I could be wrong!! As long as it works right?

Yes you got that right.