Nasty seized caliper

[marcva]

I had a caliper seize in me in the way home. Wheel shaking, then even smoke ( on the highway when no good place to stop.)
Without handy tools, I stopped and tried banging on it to free it when mixed success. I limped home and rebuilt it tonight. Boot was torn.

Any other field remedies to get home in this instance?

I had my x wrench and a 25 lb dumbbell in the trunk for previous snow traction,and I fitted the wrench on the caliper through my rim and gave it a couple taps to try to shock the piston loose. I was within a couple miles of home or would have considered a tow.

Marc

[roninB4]

Better try the piston in the bore without any seals to see if the bore has gone egg-shaped. Mine did, requiring a re-bore to true round shape and a light honing. Not all parts are created equal just because they look like it.

[MarcoZandrini]

I prefer to buy rebuilt calipers. The best solution is to flush the brand fluid every 2 years. Brake fluid is hydroscopic: it absorbs water.

[ross1]

re-mans are dirt cheap and often come with the bracket and hardware.
Beats the daylights out of cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, honing and struggling to get the damn boots in correctly. Plus the unrebuildable cores(which yours may be) have already been culled.
I haven't rebuilt a caliper since the Reagan administration.

[shadowpuck]

i've noticed the reagan administration was a key turning point for ross - anti-seize, brake calipers, etc.....lol.....

i agree - upon chris' suggestion, i now do reman calipers on the track car....

[bmwdirtracer]

Yup. Who needs the work? I don't mess with it. People still rebuild starters, too...not me. I just buy the ones that are remanufactured by the best people who do nothing but that.

Does that make me lazy? Yeah, maybe....but Ben Franklin claimed that laziness is the mother of invention; that works for me. I work on other people's cars quite enough that I like to make my own EASY.

[marcva]

So who makes the best, most complete kits? I think Chris mentioned going to NAPA at one point.

Also, I never got any field recommendations for getting home with a stuck caliper. I cam close to towing it, but was close enough I was going to make it work.

Marc

[shadowpuck]

hey marc - where possible, i've been using WBR rebuilt calipers. i've found them a few places online, but, easiest for me was ordering through a local shop.

I show the part numbers for e36 m3 fronts as:
W0133-1908344
W0133-1908345

i don't think they reman rears on the m3....
i have used centric rears without any problem on the track car thus far.

you've asked a good question - i'm not sure what i would do other than a tow....