Ford Escort 93 Hatchback front right brake caliper sticking

[cheesyhoward]

I have a Ford Escort Zetec 1.6 93/L car (92000 miles). Recently the front drivers side brake caliper (Bendix type) has been sticking. A rubbing noise has been progressively getting worse since last week. It only usually occurs after the car has warmed up and after I release the brake. I do not have any noticeable brake imbalance.

I have had a look at the brakes with the wheels off and the front drivers side disk is rubbing against the pads. The dust cover on piston has moved possibly allowing in dirt and water. Can the caliper be easily removed and cleaned to cure the problem or is it best to buy a new one? The current ones are have been on for the life of the vehicle. Would I need to replace the left side as well? I am planning to change all the front pads. The right outer pad has worn considerably as from the caliper not releasing.

Calipers from Ford are £57 each and the pads are £22 for a set of 4.
At Camberly Auto Factors the calipers are more expensive £65 each but the pads are only £16. Are these reasonably good prices?

I have also been to National Tyre and Autocare who told me the calipers / pads would need to be changed. They said the discs would also need changing if I did not remedy the sticking problem soon. The right disc has developed a slight lip around the edge. This annoyed me a bit because I only changed them 2 years ago. They quoted £134 to change the calipers (reasonable) and £78 to change the pads (bit steep). I do not see why the mark up/labour charge on the pads is so high when they are just slotting them into place (max 10 minutes extra on top of changing the calipers). Kwikfit was a lot more expensive as expected and local garages quoted about £220-240.

While I was checking the brakes (with the front wheels raised off the ground) I noticed that the front left wheel turns when the engine is running and in neutral. Is this meant to happen? The right wheel does not turn. This is probably because the brake is stuck on. About a year ago the right wheel turned but at a slower RPM than the left (maybe the stick was developing then?).

Before I spend lots of money fixing the problem is it normal for the drive shafts to turn at different speeds under load as described above? Or does it mean the differential has broken or something.

Any advice/help is much appreciated.

[yotatechie04]

You don't have to replace the calipers, it might actually be cheaper to rebuild them. I think it's possible that they may have some dirt and road grime inside the dust boots and on the piston, and it would probably help to rebuild them. It's rather simple to remove them and to rebuild them. You will have to replace the discs when you rebuild the calipers, mainly because the damage that had already been done to the discs will cause problems with the refurbished calipers.

[Berry0083]

Originally Posted by cheesyhoward

I have a Ford Escort Zetec 1.6 93/L car (92000 miles). Recently the front drivers side brake caliper (Bendix type) has been sticking. A rubbing noise has been progressively getting worse since last week. It only usually occurs after the car has warmed up and after I release the brake. I do not have any noticeable brake imbalance.

I have had a look at the brakes with the wheels off and the front drivers side disk is rubbing against the pads. The dust cover on piston has moved possibly allowing in dirt and water. Can the caliper be easily removed and cleaned to cure the problem or is it best to buy a new one? The current ones are have been on for the life of the vehicle. Would I need to replace the left side as well? I am planning to change all the front pads. The right outer pad has worn considerably as from the caliper not releasing.

Calipers from Ford are £57 each and the pads are £22 for a set of 4.
At Camberly Auto Factors the calipers are more expensive £65 each but the pads are only £16. Are these reasonably good prices?

I have also been to National Tyre and Autocare who told me the calipers / pads would need to be changed. They said the discs would also need changing if I did not remedy the sticking problem soon. The right disc has developed a slight lip around the edge. This annoyed me a bit because I only changed them 2 years ago. They quoted £134 to change the calipers (reasonable) and £78 to change the pads (bit steep). I do not see why the mark up/labour charge on the pads is so high when they are just slotting them into place (max 10 minutes extra on top of changing the calipers). Kwikfit was a lot more expensive as expected and local garages quoted about £220-240.

While I was checking the brakes (with the front wheels raised off the ground) I noticed that the front left wheel turns when the engine is running and in neutral. Is this meant to happen? The right wheel does not turn. This is probably because the brake is stuck on. About a year ago the right wheel turned but at a slower RPM than the left (maybe the stick was developing then?).

Before I spend lots of money fixing the problem is it normal for the drive shafts to turn at different speeds under load as described above? Or does it mean the differential has broken or something.

Any advice/help is much appreciated.

I found the same problem on a 1985 Escort, it turned out to be the rubber brake line that connects to the wheel cylinder had collapsed on the inside, it looked fine on the outside, it would allow the pressure to be applied but it wouldn't release the brake all the way, I replaced the line and it worked fine.
Berry0083