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Hi guys,
About Easter time last year, my rear right (passenger-side) brake caliper failed and started binding. I sent it away to have it re-manufactured, as they don’t seem to make calipers for my car any more (very early N16 almera, May 2000).
It seems to have failed again. The car has been performing very poorly and drinking the petrol up. However, Apex Motor Factors have said that the part (even though it is re-manufactured) is under a 12-month warranty and they’re taking it back to be fixed up again, at no cost to myself.
I’ll be missing the car for a while, and I am worried about fitting the new caliper myself (hydraulics, and the huge potential for topping myself if I don’t get it right!) but nevertheless, it’s great that Apex are doing this for me, and even better is that I don’t need to shell out a fortune for a new part!
So, just out of interest, has anyone else had problems like this?
Thanks,
Cobra
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Yes, it does sound familiar. In November of 04 I replaced the alternater on my 77 Chevy with a rebuilt. One week later I replaced it again. It also had a 12 month warranty so the replacement was free. It’s cold here in November and I did this in my driveway. w00t.gif The most agrivating thing was doing the same job twice in one week. BangHead.gif I’ve had new parts that were no good right out of the box. Just something that goes with driving old cars. crybaby2.gif
When you put it back together, be sure it’s assembled and installed on the car right, all the bolts are tight, all the air is bled out of the system, and the master cylinder is full. It’s not a hard repair, but it is messy. Brake fluid gets everywhere. Push the brake pedal down several times, until you feel normal pedal pressure, go for a test drive and then check for leaks. Hope the caliper lasts longer this time.I’m a complete idiot.
I just checked (because I check everything) the other rear caliper. It is the one that was re-manufactured, and now the other rear one (never been touched before) has bitten the dust.
I called Apex, and told them what I’d done. They’re taking the caliper back and they’ll re-manufacture it for me, should cost the same as the last time (£117). With postage both ways, I’m looking at about £150.
I might have been able to get it done here in Bath, but after the way Apex have treated me I would rather just stay with them. They’re really fair, pleasant to talk to and deal with and aren’t worried about helping you out when you’re too dense to fit brake pads (I had that trouble the last time…)!
Are you sure you really want to send the other caliper to a place that couldn’t do the other one right?
In the US, most auto parts rebuilders have little or no quality control and produce crap. It pays to be really picky where you get your parts.
That’s not what I was saying. Maybe I was a little convoluted in the way I said it (not surprising – no car means more drink). Apex and XL Engineering did a fine job on my other caliper. It’s the caliper on the other side that has failed (Nissan Genuine) and needs rebuilt, just like the other one that failed at Easter.
I have just found out that I can have it done cheaper at Bath, but I am still spending the extra to go with Apex. I trust them. They offered, even though they didn’t have to, to sort it out and guarantee it for 12 months. That gives me a lot of confidence.
It’s me that is at fault, not Apex. :doh:
Quote:That’s not what I was saying. Maybe I was a little convoluted in the way I said it (not surprising – no car means more drink). Apex and XL Engineering did a fine job on my other caliper. It’s the caliper on the other side that has failed (Nissan Genuine) and needs rebuilt, just like the other one that failed at Easter.I have just found out that I can have it done cheaper at Bath, but I am still spending the extra to go with Apex. I trust them. They offered, even though they didn’t have to, to sort it out and guarantee it for 12 months. That gives me a lot of confidence.
It’s me that is at fault, not Apex. :doh:
Quote:I might have been able to get it done here in Bath, but after the way Apex have treated me I would rather just stay with them. They’re really fair, pleasant to talk to and deal with and aren’t worried about helping you out when you’re too dense to fit brake pads (I had that trouble the last time…)!Its nice to actually find a company like that! icon_punk.gif
They’re good. I sent the caliper off today, postage came to £8.95 which is special delivery, so it will arrive tomorrow morning for sure. If it doesn’t, I’ve insured it for £250, which ought to be enough to cover another solution. That won’t happen, though (touch wood).
I don’t know if I need to replace my brake pads, either – how do they look to you?
Pad in front of disc:
Pad behind disc:
Just worried that the glazing might be something to do with the heat they’ll have been subjected to, and this in turn might make the brake less effective and therefore unsafe.
Also, the other caliper had some faffy backplate things which you can see at the top-right of this photo:
…yet this one doesn’t appear to have any, and the piston has been forcing directly onto the backplate of the brake pad. Maybe someone forgot to put them on in the factory. Are they needed, do you think, or are they unimportant?
(and don’t you just love the state my brake pads got into the last time this happened! That’s the COMPOUND SIDE, not the rear of the pad! 😯 Good job I caught this earlier!)
I also bought some DOT 4 brake fluid today (cheaper stuff than the Castrol Response DOT 5 I used last time, but that’s in Scotland just now…) so my overall DOT rating will be about 4.5. I assume you can top up with a lower DOT rating/different brand of fluid.
I also have copper grease, too. Coat the back of the pad with it, stop any more rust.
Those brake pads look fine. Almost new really. If you think they might somehow be glazed, then try sanding them some to remove the glaze. However, I am not necessarily convinced that the glazing you speak of is bad unless it got brake fluid on them.
Thanks zzyzzx – there’s been no brake fluid on them. I’ll sand them down as you suggest – the only sandpaper I have is a little coarse – hope this doesn’t make too much difference!
I have a bleeding kit ready for replacing the brake fluid. Says to connect the tube, loosen the nipple half a turn and pump the brakes gently until no bubbles are visible in the plastic tube. Seal the nipple and you’re done!
I was wondering. I’ll obviously need to refill my brake fluid and bleed that caliper but do I need to do the same to all the other ones?
You don’t need to do them all unless the master cylinder goes dry and lets air into the system. It may be a good idea to do them all if the brake fluid is old. Just be sure to keep the master filled whatever you do.
Thanks for the reply, montefrazer! I did all the brakes ten hours beforehand, but it’s appreciated anyway!
I made sure I kept the brake fluid topped up to “MAX” but it had bled out pretty badly before I could seal it (with cling film, no less!). Seems to be no problems though. I installed the new caliper and bled it through, then (with the help of a generous housemate) we bled everything in the sequence Nissan set out. Shame – I had some Castrol Response DOT5 fluid in there, replaced with ordinary (and much cheaper) Comma DOT4. Brakes appear to be fine now – Bath is a very hilly place, and they got a good test yesterday.
However, the car still appears to be drinking petrol. Maybe my imagination coupled with a dodgy fuel tank sender, and I’ve checked all the wheels – they’re all free. I’ll just need to wait and see, I suppose. Hope there isn’t anything else wrong with the car – I can’t afford more repairs, and I can’t afford to pay loads more for fuel, either!
Nope, the car is fine. Did a fair bit of driving (up a big hill with mates in the car to my house, then through to Bristol and back again – involves a fair bit of town work) on about three litres of petrol today.
Sounds like your problem is fixed icon_applause.gif and I wish you good luck with the car in the future. thumbsup.gif
Now that I have reread the whole thread…
You replaced one brake caliper, then were somehow suprized to find the other rear was just as bad a year later?
At least for me, I change them in pairs. If one is bad I replace all of them on that axle. I believe this is the normal practice. And bleeding the brakes every two years is considered a good practice (even though few people actually do it).
Quote:You replaced one brake caliper, then were somehow suprized to find the other rear was just as bad a year later?I was suprised. Why should they fail in pairs?
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