rear brake calipers.....MOT WOES

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el plates
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rear brake calipers.....MOT WOES

Post by el plates » Sat Sep 19, 2020 6:08 pm

what a nightmare...

Rear calipers sticking despite removal and clean up.

purchased two new calipers and had to provide old calipers as part payment.
so they are no longer in my possession.

fitted and adjusted the new replacement calipers and they seamed to work with the car elevated,
and also when put on the ground..

But
Failed MOT again.......
rolling road test said that passenger side was below required limits.

mechanic said that it initially held then would give way under load.
he tried it several times.

garage then replaced caliper with a replacement unit and same issue.

garage then replaced again with another new unit and same issue.

they said that the ford probe brake calipers had originally had a recall back in the day for this particular problem,
but with over 10 years of probe ownership i have never come across this.

Shout out to Duncan, ever heard of this one????

any how,
still no MOT.

i have a couple of other cars which i can try and swap out the caliper to try and get me back on the road.

but failing that the garage cant pass the car.
Car off the road because the handbrake wont hold on the rolling road,
but does on the ground??????????

All the UK supplies seam to be reconditioned....
would i be better going to rockautos, do they supply brand new?

suggestions welcome...
asap as i am off the road.....
all other MOT items have been done......

all the best

Kit
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Re: rear brake calipers.....MOT WOES

Post by Kit » Sat Sep 19, 2020 7:13 pm

@ my last MOT, it got through on a similar thing on the ‘good will’ of the tester,

My be a weak hand cable :?:

Could it be a worn spline adjuster :?:

Kit

Micron
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Re: rear brake calipers.....MOT WOES

Post by Micron » Sat Sep 19, 2020 7:29 pm

I would also go with the handbrake cable, I replaced them all on the white one and even then, the garage adjusted them some more as it didn't pass first time.
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Kit
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Re: rear brake calipers.....MOT WOES

Post by Kit » Sat Sep 19, 2020 9:07 pm

If you go for hand brake cables, get both from the same source, we found different ends at the hand brake end

Kit

Dakota
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Re: rear brake calipers.....MOT WOES

Post by Dakota » Sat Sep 19, 2020 9:27 pm

Definitely go with a handbrake cable had these issues on a Swedish car moons ago

el plates
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Re: rear brake calipers.....MOT WOES

Post by el plates » Sat Sep 19, 2020 11:03 pm

many thanks peeps.....

was starting too think that way, well sort of...

if in doubt change it all out... lol

thanks Duncan,
funny you should say that...
the tester of my cars over the years liked the car, and has always given it a little wiggle room,

however he has since retired and the new guy likes the modern cars that his diagnostic tool tells him what he needs to do......

thanks again for all answers

best i get on it...

:)

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Re: rear brake calipers.....MOT WOES

Post by jrh » Sun Sep 20, 2020 8:21 am

Don't buy that brake cables theory.
If the cables are intact, with no broken strands, then they should provide and sustain a sufficient ' pull' between handbrake lever fully down and less than fully up.
In fact, IF you can pull the handbrake lever fully up I would say you have a problem with the body anchoring points 'moving'.
So, back to calipers.
They are ,truly, the design of an evil genius.
IF they are in good condition AND the discs AND the pads are good/perfect, then the system works. Otherwise no.
You really have to look at every item on that list and put it right.

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Re: rear brake calipers.....MOT WOES

Post by jrh » Sun Sep 20, 2020 4:52 pm

An after dinner thought.
To get the rear calipers adjusted properly it is VITAL that the brake system is ABSOLUTELY free of air in the system.
Because to get that 1/4 turn back-off between discs and pads , lock-up/ off , is impossible if air is present.
Have you bled the system enough, to be sure ?

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Re: rear brake calipers.....MOT WOES

Post by Incognito » Sun Sep 20, 2020 10:16 pm

Mines in for test next month and its always handbrake, my garage adjusts its but leaves it off, one time test on mot it passes , but then after that it would fail.

el plates
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Re: rear brake calipers.....MOT WOES

Post by el plates » Sun Sep 20, 2020 10:31 pm

all i can say is that i have had four reconditioned calipers on the car now,

one bled and adjusted by me, and i thought it worked okay,
but i dont have a rolling road.

Garage has fitted the other 3 and wont pass the car.

i can only assume that they are doing it right?

as said try to eliminate every thing.

i have brand new cables on order.
mid, left and right.

i have replaced both calipers,
i have fitted new pads.

will fit a different caliper, bleed it all and see if the garage will pass that one.

will post up results...........

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