Can replacing rotors damage brake calipers

sandysp1 · 07-05-2008, 11:25 AM

I have a 2000 Ford Econoline 250 van with approximately 30K miles. It's been driven on a lot of salted roads and exposed to a lot of rain and I between these nasty environments got pretty well rusted rotors. I had 2 shops say the rotors needed to be replaced (the rust went too deep to resurface the rotors), so I replaced them.

After getting them replaced, I noticed that there was a fair bit of smoke while driving around town at slow speeds. I called the shop that did the replacement, and they said this was normal and should go away in a day or two as it the protective coating needed to wear off.

Then when I got it on the freeway, I quickly noticed that the van pulled sharply to the left when stepping on the brakes. At this point I immediately when to another repair shop of the same franchise that replaced the rotors as I was too far away to go back to the same shop that replaced the rotors.

The second shop found that the right front caliper was stuck on which was the cause of the smoke, and the van pulling to the right when breaking. For another $250, I had them replace the caliper.

Obviously, the shop replaced the rotors should have caught the caliper being stuck as it was pretty obvious to me that something was very wrong after I got the van at freeway speeds. But how likely is it that the repair shop actually damaged the calipers when they replaced the rotors, or was the calipers just another victim of rust?

I know very little about breaking systems, so this may very well be a bit of a newbie question. Also, if 1 caliper went out, are the other three also likely to have problems?

Thanks for your comments!

--Sandy

**bruiser** · 07-05-2008, 01:14 PM

Best guess is the rotor was already bad. The first shop should have noticed that.

**bruiser** · 07-05-2008, 02:14 PM

Geeze, did I screw that answer up. I meant the caliper was already bad. They should have noticed.

dcraker · 07-05-2008, 06:54 PM

is it four wheel disc brakes?

in any case, the one that had the bad caliper, you should replace the other one on the same axle as well.
IMO, you should always replace them in two's, don't just do one side at a time, cuz that would just make one side better than the other, and that is a risk during bad weather conditions.

I would say that the caliper was a victim of the rust, i do not believe that it was sabotage

**mack1** · 07-06-2008, 07:53 AM

Hi Sandy,

Getting a second shop to look at the problem was a very good idea. Having rust on the rotor under the pad's normal contact surface is rare and indicates that you have left the van parked for a length of time.

It's unfortunate that you picked the wrong shop for repair. It is part of their job to make sure the sliding surfaces on the calipers are greased and working. The caliper assembly rides on pins that allow it to align with the rotors during normal use and wear.

When you apply the breaks during a normal stop, the van should stop without pulling to either side. If you turned loose of the steering wheel, it should stop in a straight line.
If you make a hard stop, it should be about the same.

If your van pulls left or right during a stop, you should have it checked. After a stop from normal highway speed, you can get out and put your hand NEAR, not on each wheel to feel heat. If one is a lot hotter than the others, it will be the problem one and should be attended to. At a different shop from the first repair, of course.

Hope this helps,
Mack1

07-05-2008, 11:25 AM	#1 (permalink)
sandysp1 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1 OS: Vista	Can replacing rotors damage brake calipers I have a 2000 Ford Econoline 250 van with approximately 30K miles. It's been driven on a lot of salted roads and exposed to a lot of rain and I between these nasty environments got pretty well rusted rotors. I had 2 shops say the rotors needed to be replaced (the rust went too deep to resurface the rotors), so I replaced them. After getting them replaced, I noticed that there was a fair bit of smoke while driving around town at slow speeds. I called the shop that did the replacement, and they said this was normal and should go away in a day or two as it the protective coating needed to wear off. Then when I got it on the freeway, I quickly noticed that the van pulled sharply to the left when stepping on the brakes. At this point I immediately when to another repair shop of the same franchise that replaced the rotors as I was too far away to go back to the same shop that replaced the rotors. The second shop found that the right front caliper was stuck on which was the cause of the smoke, and the van pulling to the right when breaking. For another $250, I had them replace the caliper. Obviously, the shop replaced the rotors should have caught the caliper being stuck as it was pretty obvious to me that something was very wrong after I got the van at freeway speeds. But how likely is it that the repair shop actually damaged the calipers when they replaced the rotors, or was the calipers just another victim of rust? I know very little about breaking systems, so this may very well be a bit of a newbie question. Also, if 1 caliper went out, are the other three also likely to have problems? Thanks for your comments! --Sandy

07-05-2008, 01:14 PM	#2 (permalink)
bruiser TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,608 OS: xp	Re: Can replacing rotors damage brake calipers Best guess is the rotor was already bad. The first shop should have noticed that.

07-05-2008, 02:14 PM	#3 (permalink)
bruiser TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,608 OS: xp	Re: Can replacing rotors damage brake calipers Geeze, did I screw that answer up. I meant the caliper was already bad. They should have noticed.

07-05-2008, 06:54 PM	#4 (permalink)
dcraker Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 62 OS: Windows 2000	Re: Can replacing rotors damage brake calipers is it four wheel disc brakes? in any case, the one that had the bad caliper, you should replace the other one on the same axle as well. IMO, you should always replace them in two's, don't just do one side at a time, cuz that would just make one side better than the other, and that is a risk during bad weather conditions. I would say that the caliper was a victim of the rust, i do not believe that it was sabotage __________________ Thanks, David If you cover it in chocolate, it'll look better.

07-06-2008, 07:53 AM	#5 (permalink)
mack1 TSF Articles Team Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Texarkana, Texas Posts: 717 OS: xp sp2 My System	Re: Can replacing rotors damage brake calipers Hi Sandy, Getting a second shop to look at the problem was a very good idea. Having rust on the rotor under the pad's normal contact surface is rare and indicates that you have left the van parked for a length of time. It's unfortunate that you picked the wrong shop for repair. It is part of their job to make sure the sliding surfaces on the calipers are greased and working. The caliper assembly rides on pins that allow it to align with the rotors during normal use and wear. When you apply the breaks during a normal stop, the van should stop without pulling to either side. If you turned loose of the steering wheel, it should stop in a straight line. If you make a hard stop, it should be about the same. If your van pulls left or right during a stop, you should have it checked. After a stop from normal highway speed, you can get out and put your hand NEAR, not on each wheel to feel heat. If one is a lot hotter than the others, it will be the problem one and should be attended to. At a different shop from the first repair, of course. Hope this helps, Mack1 __________________ "If you like yourself others will like you also" me "Don't drink downstream from the herd" Will Rogers Submit New Articles Here