1996 Buick Century front disc brakes locking up

Discussion in 'The "X" bodies' started by eagleguy, Mar 1, 2015.

  1. eagleguy

    eagleguy 1971 Skylark Custom

    Driving the car the other day I noticed severe drag. Car would not move easily off a light and took extra pedal to go. Once moving she rolled but not that easy. Jacked the car up today and found rear wheels moved freely but both sides of the front had severe drag on them. Nothing has been touched recently and when I did the brakes over a year ago everything was fine when I replaced the pads, rotors and greased everything before install. I do not know how long this has been going on as the car is driven by my teenage, never tell Dad anything son. Any ideas?
     
  2. TexasJohn55

    TexasJohn55 Well-Known Member

    1) Make sure brake pedal is returning all the way to stop at top.
    2) check brake fluid reservoir for any oil contamination.
    3) See if calipers pistons can be pushed back in and fluid displaced back to reservoir.
     
  3. ragtops

    ragtops Gold Level Contributor

    4) Collapsed rubber hose going to caliper.
    5) Mounting pins/bolts/caliper slides, corroded and stuck, the caliper must slide on the pins freely.

    Mike
     
  4. eagleguy

    eagleguy 1971 Skylark Custom

    Why both sides at the same time?
     
  5. TexasJohn55

    TexasJohn55 Well-Known Member

    Item 1 is most common; if the pedal does not return all the way, the master cylinder piston does not return far enough to uncover the return port and fluid is trapped in the lines and calipers, will worsen as system heats up after driving, eventually locking down front wheels. Other items can also cause it although less common for both sides to fail at same time.

    Oil in the brake fluid will swell rubber components in the caliper and lock down piston movement.
     
  6. eagleguy

    eagleguy 1971 Skylark Custom

    Update: I jacked the car up, removed the wheel and put the car in neutral.Disc moved but with WAY to much resistance. Tried backing the caliper piston off but she was rock solid. Broke the bleeder line and she moved back like butter. Based on my findings I just ordered two brake lines and pads. Hopefully my lines were/are my problem.

    Any advice on making the removal and replacement go smoothly would be appreciated. I am concerned about the fluid loss during the hose removal and the proper way to bleed the front disc if needed.
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2015
  7. TexasJohn55

    TexasJohn55 Well-Known Member

    Take both rubber hoses off and blow thru them. You might find some rubber caps to keep fluid from draining from master cylinder. If fluid does not drain the master cylinder with lines open you have found the problem. (Master cylinder not uncovering the return port)
     
  8. eagleguy

    eagleguy 1971 Skylark Custom

    Seems it was the brake lines. Changed both and bled the system after I was unable to blow through the old P/S one when I removed it for inspection. Got lucky as the pads which were just replaced recenlty seemed to have a lot of meat and nothing was glazed. No more pull or drag!
    Thanks for everyones input!
     
  9. TexasJohn55

    TexasJohn55 Well-Known Member

    Great! You may have one more rubber hose feeding the rear brakes that needs replacing also.
     
  10. eagleguy

    eagleguy 1971 Skylark Custom

    Now I have that burning brake pad smell. When I checked the pads and calipers during the line swap everything looked and worked fine. I had new pads on hand but my olds ones looked as new and were not worn uneven. Could the calipers be sticking just enough to cause my "stink" problem?
     
  11. TexasJohn55

    TexasJohn55 Well-Known Member

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