Stuck rear brake caliper

did you torque all the bolts properly?

 

The rear brake calipers in your European disc brake-equipped Prius are a pretty standard design. I'd check all the assembly looking to see why the pads are binding, going as far as disassembling, cleaning and re-lubing the slide pins before reassembling.

 

A couple of possibilities, one is that the brake pads are dragging. The caliper pins could be sticking, or the pads could be stuck in the caliper frame (the steel of the frame can form rust underneath the stainless steel shims that hold the pads- that rust can pinch the pads and cause them to seize- you have to remove the rust underneath the shims).

A second thing can be if there is a sheet metal shield behind the rotor, that shield or the rotor can/will rust and make noise if they against each other. I run into that problem sometimes when I take the rotor off then put it back on- I accidentally bend the shield a little and it rubs.

 

Hi all, I also have a jammed rear wheel. Few days ago a smell of burned or overheating caught my attention. The rear brake was boiling hot after a 1 hour drive. Did notice the smell earlier but wasn't able to locate it...

Disassembled the complete set and made sure everything is able to move freely. There was a lot of rust, dust and grease built up on the bracket and rear of the pads. So cleaned it thoroughly, polished the slider pins, applied some fresh grease on the pins, some copper grease on the edges and rear or the pads, carefully pressed the caliper back in with a diy nut and bolt construction.

Reassembled it, applied brake pressure while pumping the pedal, was able to hear the brake pump as well and it still didn't release the rear wheel as it should do... Still had to use quite some force to turn the wheel over. Also noticed the disc was discolored due to over heating and the pads were nearly gone.

Also noticed there is a drum brake inside the disc, never knew it had one, but it's the parking brake assembly. This was nice and clean and didn't cause the jam. Tested it and works good and retracts to its original position like it should.

So, what's next? I would think to replace the caliper on this side (don't see the need of replacing the other side as well for now) and new discs and pads for both sides. Will change the discs myself but think the caliper is a bit out of my league as I read all the riscs of malfunction or errors after bleeding the system after replacement. Just let that part to the pros...

I am open for suggestions. Thank you in advance.

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Just read a post about bleeding the brakes without a scan tool and errors. If I want to change the caliper myself, do I need to take care of something first? Like disabling the solenoids for the brake pump or the ABS system? I noticed that if you apply small amount of pressure to the brake pedal and open the bleed nipple the ABS pump will work and pressurize the caliper. What if I detach the caliper, will fluid squirt out of the brake hose like s mad man?

New caliper is around €75,- in NL. Rotors and pads will be €75,- in total for both sides together. Just wondering if I will replace the brake line towards the caliper as well now the system is open and needs to be bled anyways. Also replacing the front rotors and pads while I'm there... €90 it total for left and right. While braking hard I feel the car pulling slightly to the left and suspect the disc is not quite clean and pads are cheap ones. So why not exchange them right away for decent brand like Bosch.

Best regards, Nick

Black 2007 Prius

 

If I have a dragging brake, I safely support the car and remove the wheel. Then I open rhe bleeder screw and see if fluid comes out. If the rotor now turns then there is a problem with the hydraulics "upstream" of the caliper- usually that would be a bad hose but it might be something else.

If there is no change I try to remove or compress the caliper- if it doesn't move at all or won't compress smoothly I replace it. If the caliper is loose or removed and there is still drag the keep removing things until it moves freely.

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I will check if the bleeder indeed shows fluid. I was able to push the piston back, didn't seem much different or harder to push back than I am used to on other cars when replacing the rotors or pads.

I found an A-brand hose for €13, might just replace this as well while things are detached. Do I have to worry for a huge amount of pressure in the break line? Or is the system "in rest" while the ignition is off?

Thanks for the advise!

Best regards, Nick

Black 2007 Prius

 

I did saw a video that you shouldn't keep your key near the car to avoid activating the ABS pump. Or detach the sensor in the center console so the key is jog recognized. Third option is to unplug the specific relais for the brake system, 2 pcs I believe.

Also saw a youtube video about replacing a front caliper on a Prius gen 2 where he just release the bolt and put a rubber plug into the connection at the end of the hose to avoid dripping. That tells me there is no huge pressure on the hose. Also for bleeding he just opens the bleed nipple and waits till the fluid is coming out.

Best regards, Nick

Black 2007 Prius

 

So second gen rear disc brake is sim to Prius v I think.

 

Made a call to my local independent garage yesterday and asked them is the had any experience with hybrids and replacing brake parts. They have done lots in the past and never ran into issues with ecu errors and so. Asked them about a stuck caliper and advised me to drive by if possible and have a closer look at it. Not sure if I will have it revised, would be just as expensive as replacing it with brand new including bleeding. New rotors and pads should be done anyways, I can tackle it all myself and save me quite some money for labor.

Best regards, Nick

Black 2007 Prius

 

Today I finally replaced the rear rotors, pads and one caliper. Took about two weeks to receive all of the parts. I bought a TRW caliper and Bosch rotors and pads. Not a big fan of aftermarket parts for brakes and for "real" brands prices are still OK to be honest. Caliper on the other hand was very hard to find. Sold out at almost every common online autoparts store.

Disassembly didn't took a lot of time because I already took most things apart a few weeks ago and cleaned it. Changing the caliper was easy, loosened up the bolt, filled the new caliper with brake fluid and attached it to the new one. The rotors and pads are easy to replace and put all things back together. Applied a good amount of copper grease to prevent unwanted noises while braking.

View attachment 204385
Old and new...

View attachment 204387
Old one is discolored due to excessive heat.

View attachment 204386
Brake pad almost gone. Pads have been replaced just over one and a half year ago.

View attachment 204388
Assemble

View attachment 204389 View attachment 204390
Ready

So, now the big question... Do I get any error? Yes... Unfortunately the dashboard lit up four lights. Brake light, ABS and VSA. Brake pedal went to the floor but nothing happened at the rear brake. Was able to bleed the brake with the pedal only moving just a few inches to activate the actuator. Still the lights kept burning and beeping...

So, let's Google then. I knew there were some tricks, but didn't have any scanning tool to read out any codes.
After a few topics on this forum I read about the paperclip method. I was a bit sceptical at first but this was a success and errors disappeared and brakes work like supposed. Yeah!!!

After this I replaced the rear right rotors and pads and also the front pads. Front rotors are more than OK but pads had only 2mm left on them. I was able to push the calipers back with a simple nut, bolt and ring solution. And no errors after replacement of the front pads. When starting only had to pump the brake a few times and all lights were gone .

Best regards, Nick

Black 2007 Prius

 

Strange, but photos does not show... Have a tapatalk subscription and have uploaded photos before.

Best regards, Nick

Black 2007 Prius

 

I like to disconnect the 12 volt battery neg cable before doing any brake work. When everything is back together, and before reconnecting the neg cable, pump the brake pedal multiple times, taking out any excess travel. Two reasons for this:

1. The car may otherwise detect excess pedal travel, and throw a code.

2. If you don’t disconnect battery, there’s a decent chance the system will try to pressurize (say when you open driver’s doors) and if the caliper’s off it may blow out it’s piston.

Also, after doing rear brake work, take it for a test drive. Then apply and release parking brake several times. Then raise the rear and check that the wheel spin semi-freely. There should be slight drag at most; a good push and they’ll rotate 2~3 revolutions before coming to a stop.

 

All great points but that wouldn't have changed the end result as in this case he had to bleed the replacement rear caliper.

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