Re: brakes - The 2002 Series Message Board

Bad brake hoses can cause the calipers to hang. The internals can come loose and actually act like a bit of a one way valve, leaving some risidual pressure in the caliper. If yours are old and cracked/crusty looking, change them regardless just for some cheap insurance. Stainless brake hoses will give you a little stiffer feel on the pedal, but the braid will wear on the hose and you will need to change them more frequently.

The big bolt behind the brake booster that acts as a hinge pin is another possibility. Mine was sticking, not enough to drag the brakes, just enough to leave the brake lights on. A little cleaning and lubing cleared that right up. Careful not to overtighten it when reinstalling, the lock nut should hold it together without needing to be cranked down.

I also just had a sticking caliper on my '72 2002 that was due to some gunk build up (cooked brake fluid?) around the caliper piston. A thorough cleaning and caliper rebuild kit fixed that up. I found a cheap source of caliper rebuild kits at about 1/2 of what everyone else was asking - just can't remember exactly where. Buying a fully rebuilt caliper is another option for this situation - which is what I had to do after I rebuilt mine and then found out the bleeder was stripped. Kragen actually had significantly lower prices than the usual vendors.

I have heard of severly worn pads causing calipers to hang. The piston pushes out so far that it can get [Oops!] eyed and not return.

As mentioned, your master cylinder could be hanging. I would think it might also cause some dragging on the rear brakes if that was the case - unless of course they are not adjusted very well ;)

Finally, there could be some binding in the pedal pivot and linkage.

That is about all I can think of. If it is 1 caliper hanging I would first check out the hoses and check for gunk sticking the pistons. If it is both calipers I would probably first suspect the master cylinder.

Good luck.

Brian
'72 2002