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Old 11-16-2021, 01:18 PM   #1
Belz
 
Drives: Chevrolet Camaro SS
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Brake pads sticking to piston

Hi,

it seems I've got a problem with my front brakes and wonder if some of you had the same issue and what was their solution to it.
I drive a Camaro SS (European model) with the OEM brakes/brake pads installed. The car has run about 27000 km (~16.7 k miles), daily driving, no racing/track driving.

Short story:
The inner brake pads of my front brakes are sticking to the pistons.


Long story:
I had to break somewhat abruptly a few days ago and noticed the car was shaking very hard. All the linkages seem to be tightened and nothing has come loose. As I wanted to take out the brake pads to inspect them, I noticed that i could'nt take out the inner brake pads. When I push down the break pedal, they press against the rotors, and I can push them back by hand just like the outer ones. So I don't think the pistons are the problem. It seems like the pads are stuck to the pistons, as they move with them but I can't get them off. I tried give them some light knocks with a plastic mallet and even tried to pry them off gently, but I didn't want to damage the calipers/rotors. Seems like there is a lot of crusted brake dust in there too.


Do you guys have any tips on how to get those pads off without damaging something? Or should I take the car to the dealer and let them do it?
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Old 11-16-2021, 02:52 PM   #2
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Do you have any pictures? I've never heard of a pad getting that stuck to a piston without some serious heat that lets the backing plate soften up and form around the piston. I'd think a flat pry tool between the pad and piston with a few taps from a hammer to drive it in should enough to separate the pad and piston without damage, but I'm curious to see what it looks like first.
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Old 11-17-2021, 06:42 AM   #3
Belz
 
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I didn't think of taking pictures when I had the wheels off. I can take some when I get back home in a few days.
I saw that backing plate on the outer pads and wondered how that can stick to the pistons at all. I wanted to pry the pad off of the pistons but was worried that I could damage the piston seals.
I also find it a little strange that only the inner pads on the front brakes give me that trouble and the outer ones can be taken out just fine.
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Old 11-19-2021, 03:56 PM   #4
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Yeah, its definitely a weird situation that I couldn't speculate on without seeing it.

If you use a flat pry tool and make sure it stays against the backing plate you shouldn't have any issues with damaging seals or the dust boot or anything like that.
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Old 06-13-2022, 01:49 PM   #5
Belz
 
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Sorry for the late reply.
Turns out the OEM brake pads generate a lot more break dust than I imagined even after reading in some other threads about it.
The calipers where completely gunked up, so the inner break pads couldn't move towards the disc.
That's why I couldn't get them away from the piston. And since they couldn't be pushed against the disc I was practically breaking with only the outer pads...
I have not seen or heard of something like this before.
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Old 06-16-2022, 07:21 AM   #6
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Interesting. Is there grease on the surfaces where the pad slides against the caliper? Sounds to me like there was grease or something similar that caused excess brake dust build-up and seized the pad. If that's the case I'd recommend taking the pads out, cleaning all surfaces that pads slide on in the caliper, and re-assembling the caliper without greasing those surfaces. The pad should be able to move freely then.
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Old 06-16-2022, 09:28 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Belz View Post
The calipers where completely gunked up, so the inner break pads couldn't move towards the disc.
This sounds very strange. I would clean the whole thing up and verify proper operation. Consider switching to ceramics.
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Old 06-16-2022, 01:16 PM   #8
Belz
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpha1BC View Post
Interesting. Is there grease on the surfaces where the pad slides against the caliper? Sounds to me like there was grease or something similar that caused excess brake dust build-up and seized the pad. If that's the case I'd recommend taking the pads out, cleaning all surfaces that pads slide on in the caliper, and re-assembling the caliper without greasing those surfaces. The pad should be able to move freely then.
I don't know if there was grease because everything like cement. I brought the car to the dealer and they disassembled and cleaned everything. The calipers are basically like new.
I asked them to dispose of the OEM break pads and install the ones I had bought right after getting the car. (After reading not much good things about the OEM pads).
They are EBC YellowStuff pads and I'm really happy with them. At least now I know I have to check for buildup on the calipers more frequently.
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