So my 92 lax is having a issue where the passenger side front caliper/ pads smoke after about a 12 mile drive. I have checked the obvious culprits. Slide pins are good and greased, pads are in good shape, rotors are too, pads are greased at caliper contact points. No grease on rotors, I am lost, break lines are good too. Could a crapped out caliper be the cause?

 

If you can easily slide the pad out of the caliper bracket after you lift the caliper,, then I would suspect the caliper.

There are some good ericthecarguy YouTube videos on replacing front brake pads. Watch how he bleeds the caliper and see if you can push in the piston on the caliper.

 

The piston seemed to be substantially stiffer than the other, the pads move freely but the caliper is dragging and turning my wheel dark rather quickly, I also noted some heat cracking on the pads on that side

 

I had this happen long ago on a 78 toyota wagon. The caliper piston boot is lost and piston gets rusty. Result in pistion is essentially a one-way piston, it applies pressure but doesn't relay when brake pressure is released.

I've also heard of hose flaps on inside of hose creating a check valve effect and also preventing caliper brake pressure release.

In either case, a new or used caliper is indicated.

good luck

 

If the reason is a flaky hose with a flap of rubber creating a check-valve, then you need to replace that hose (new caliper doesn't come with that hose).

 

You can check for trapped pressure from brake hose by cracking bleeder on caliper.

good luck

 

Just to elaborate a bit on what TH said, if you crack the bleeder and it sprays out the hose is bad.

 

ok so no spray without pedal pressure, just a steady drip to small trickle. my booster, master cylinder and proportioning valve pads and calipers are all new,i Have discovered my driver side rotor remains cold while passenger gets very hot rapidly but moves free and doesn't drag, and when applying breaks hard car pulls right and right rear wheel locks up/

 

Plugged brake lines might cause hard pulling. Try bleeding driver's side aggressively to see if fluid comes through easily.

good luck

 

That it does, I have repeatedly bled them, also I noticed the breaks are very firm when engine off but not when running, and idle drops when they are applied