Hey guys,

I finally managed to replace the right side lower and upper ball joints on my '94 LX using wonderful air tools. In the process, however, I fudged the brakes somehow.

The symptoms were immediately noticeable after I put everything back together: Brake pedal had a lot more play before the brakes fully engaged, and when it did, there was a soft scrapping sound coming from the right side (that I had repaired). Moreover, the car pulls slightly to the left. Stopping distance also increased.

I suspect that I got grease on the rotors when I was handling the knuckle and replacing the lower ball joint. I forgot to clean the rotor until after I put the knuckle back on, so I sprayed both sides with brake cleaner but only managed to wipe down the exposed side. I also sprayed brake cleaner on the pads to clean off some rust. In addition, I had to compress the caliper piston slightly in order to get the caliper back on.

Any idea what might have caused this?


Thanks!!

 

There isn't too much to screw up when assembling your brakes.

You might want to remove the front driver's side tire, unbolt the lower caliper bolt, swing up the caliper, and verify the brake pads are not wedged in the caliper bracket.

Did you open the bleeder when you compressed the caliper piston? Did the piston move freely?

What did you use to grease the caliper pins?

 

I'll check if the pads are wedged and grease the shims while I'm at it later.

Didn't touch the bleeder. I don't think I re-greased the caliper pin when I removed it. Is this a problem?

 

Re-check your work. If you pulled the slide pins, I would clean and lube them. Once you re-check everything and have it back together, don't put the tire back on and have some one press and release the brake as you watch the caliper movement...is it binding/poping as the pedal is pressed and released?

Next, don't take this the wrong way......as you were doing this work please tell me that you didn't let the caliper hang by just the hose? Internal damage to the hose can cause all sorts of issues.

 

I'll do that. And no, I made sure to bungee cord the caliper; definitely wasn't hanging by the hose.

Thanks again for the replies!!

 

Found the problem: One of the brake pads had split substantially.

Replaced the pads and calipers (on warranty) and everything's back to normal now.

Thanks again. Hope this helps someone.