Calipers not fully releasing

[AxelFX]

Last week I took the car to West Houston Infiniti for an Alignment because my car is pulling to the right. They called me within 45mins and told me that everything was with in spec that the reason my car is pulling to the right is because my front calipers aren't fully releasing. The mechanic showed me on the lift that the front tires rotate slower than the rears when he spined them. Since I had everything from suspension to rotors not OEM he kept blaming it on the suspension and rotors which I believe it's bs. They didn't charge me for the alignment but I'm now stuck with this problem any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

---------- Post added at 06:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:06 PM ----------

Anyone?

 

[Themechanic]

Swap your wheels from left to right and drive it to see if the pulling stops. If it does then suspect the tires. If not then you can chase a caliper. But if its pulling to the right its not necesseraly both calipers its either your right front or right rear. It could also be a right side axle binding up.

 

[AxelFX]

Thanks for the info bro. I swapped them and it's still pulling to the right plus I have less then 500 miles on the new tires. I checked the rear right side axle and it visually looks fine no tears or leakage on the boot. Would it be the caliper pins that might need to be lubricated or the brake lines might need to be replaced since their over 11 years old?

 

[trhyne04]

1st gen are know to have caliper issues. Espcially the rear. Good luck!!

 

[Themechanic]

If you had a lift itd be easier to compare freewheel spin as it could also be a swollen brake hose, lubricating the sliders is a good idea.

 

[shadow191]

So both front tires spin slower than the rears? If that's the case, it's not a sticking caliper. For it to cause a pulling issue, one caliper would have to drag more than the other. FWIW, all calipers drag some, the pads always maintain some contact with the rotor. If both front tires are rotating at the same rate, they're fine and something else is causing your pulling issues.

What are your alignment specs?

 

[AxelFX]

Thanks for the helpful info. I'm gonna lift the front end on jack stands over the weekend and check what wheel is dragging more or if their dragging at the same time. Most likely I'm gonna lubricate the pins and then order some brake hoses. Should I just upgrade to SS brake lines while I'm at it ? And about the alignment specs I'm gonna contact the service adviser tomorrow so he can email me the spec sheet.

 

[AxelFX]

Update:
I went to a local shop to get my calipers checked out this Saturday. They removed them and compressed them and they stated that they are functioning fine but they did notice that the right front tire rotated less freely than the left diver side tire. They both have drag but the right has more. They didn't charge since they had no idea what the problem could be but they did recommend me going to a good alignment shop. This is the final alignment specs. I believe west Houston Infiniti didn't even bother making any ajustments. The car barely pulls to the right but my concern is that the calipers still have a drag especially the right one.


---------- Post added at 07:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:02 PM ----------

You guys think the problem might be a swollen brake hose? Since the car has some age already.

 

[shadow191]

If your caliper isn't stuck, it's not your problem. There's no way to have a sliding caliper to not drag a little bit; that's just inherent to the design. Even fixed caliper brakes drag, the pistons will not retract enough to pull the pad off the rotor. It's entirely normal for brakes to have some drag, it doesn't hurt anything.

If your wheel is spinning significantly slower than the other side, maybe you have an issue with the bearings. But if it's only a little bit slower, that may be normal as well since the driveshafts are not identical, they are different and that may account for some difference. I don't think it would be a swollen brake line - that's not really a common issue with modern cars. FWIW, upgrading to stainless lines isn't really worth it. I've done it on multiple cars now - shame on me for continually falling for the hype - but I've never once noticed a difference. I think I'd only do it again if I had to replace the lines anyways, there isn't any real cost difference. The hassle of swapping lines isn't worth it if you don't have to replace them.

Did you change anything else on the car recently, new tires, or anything like that. Your alignment specs look fine so that's not the issue either. The toe was out, but not significantly and not enough to cause a pull, but that's been fixed and I'm assuming it didn't solve the problem.

 

[vancity]

the shop will know if the calipers are sticking or not. if they are then they need to be replaced.

if your car is still pulling them check the control arm. Mine was pulling - even after i did new tires, brakes, rotors, calipers, and i wasn't able to do the alignment until the control arm was fixed. now its straight as an arrow

 

[AxelFX]

Update:

I finally got rid of the issue. I purchased front stainless steel lines and got them installed and the sticking caliper went away right away. Most likely the brake line was internally collapsed. But the car is no longer veering to the right and on the plus side I got a firmer more sensitive brake pedal feel.