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Brake caliper Issue, do I have to bleed brakes?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by PriusIzLife, Nov 8, 2022.

  1. PriusIzLife

    PriusIzLife Junior Member

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    I had a series of events that unfortunately lead to a brake caliper issue. I was replacing studs on a bearing and when go to put the car in neutral forgot to put the caliper around the rotor which was removed. Obviously the caliper push all the way forward and started leaking fluid.

    Two fold question now. Is fixing the caliper as easy as putting the the part back in the rubber sheath and pushing i t back in or do I need to buy a new caliper? Also now that it has leaked brake fluid do I need to bleed the break system once everything is put back together?

    Thanks for any advice in advance
     
    #1 PriusIzLife, Nov 8, 2022
  2. Montgomery

    Montgomery Senior Member

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    Short answer is "yes", but there are some details to this that some of our more storied experts here in Priuschat will give you to get this done right...... You definitely are in the bleed the brakes territory and there is more to resetting the cover.
     
    #2 Montgomery, Nov 25, 2022
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2022
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  3. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    If you didn't let the fluid drain out of the master cylinder, just a simple bleed is all you need.

    Clean up the puck, put some brake fluid on it and carefully "ease/force" the puck in.

    Always easier said than done, but, doable. Just take your time, and try to stay patient.

     
    #3 ASRDogman, Nov 25, 2022
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  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    You should know the rubber sheath that you see is only the visible dust boot. The rubber piston seal is down in the cylinder where you don't see it, and that's what you need to get the piston reinserted through.

    It wouldn't be crazy to pick up a junk caliper just to practice on even keeping the original caliper on the car.
     
    #4 ChapmanF, Nov 26, 2022
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  5. PriusIzLife

    PriusIzLife Junior Member

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    Ended up replacing caliper and bleeding the brake system.
     
    #5 PriusIzLife, Dec 2, 2022
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  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    For next time: it's always good to disconnect 12 volt neg cable before lifting off caliper, and after everything's back together, before reconnecting 12 volt, pump the brake pedal several time, take up any excess pedal travel.
     
    #6 Mendel Leisk, Dec 4, 2022
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