Howdy All,

I'm in a parking lot with a problem.

My car started pulling to the right, vibrating at 40mph, and stinking of hot brake pad. I stopped and the wheel, lugnuts, and brake caliper are too hot to touch.

Pretty sure that the caliper is stuck.

I only have a set of sockets and don't have a c-clamp or anything else to force the caliper to retract.

I'm 15 miles by freeway (only route option) from home and 10 miles from closest auto parts store (in the opposite direction from home). My better half is on a flight out of the country so can't bring me anything.

What would be your prefered option:
1. Throw the tire back on and just drive normal back home. If it breaks; it breaks. Hopefully not on the Causeway.
2. Put the tire back on, get to the auto parts store, find something that will compress (and free up) the caliper.
3. Stay in the parking lot as long as I can and drive home when it is cooler after dark.
4. Some other better idea.

Thanks for your help and ideas.

Door dash a c-clamp and some brake pin grease? Or just Uber to a parts store?

Does your insurance have roadside?
Tow it home?

BenTheGoodAg said:

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Door dash a c-clamp and some brake pin grease? Or just Uber to a parts store?

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Obviously, I'm old as I didn't think of rideshare stuff. I'm out in the sticks a bit, but l'll look into your suggestions.

Also open to any other suggestions, serious or humorous at this point.

Can you pop the pads? Will the calipers each the rotor?

Up date:

Things cooled down so I started prying at and wiggling things.

I can rotate the disk 360 degrees by hand. The caliper slides have some play in them.

Front or rear wheel? You could possibly clamp the brake line to prevent pressure being further applied, but if you were to do that, I'd also be prepared to replace that brake line later.

This is best solved with AAA

Does the rotor have lateral play in it up, down, side to side. Any change the wheel bearing / hub is destroyed?

Final update:

The nice mechanic just called. Both front calipers failed/are failing and need replaced. I need new front rotors and brake pads as well.

He's already slammed with work so it will be a little while before he can get to my car.

I'm surprised that the calipers failed. They are less than 5 years old. Best Stop brand name from Rock Auto.

Any ideas? Is Best Stop just that bad of a product? Or does the salt air (I moved to the Gulf coast 2 years ago) mess things up this fast?

Best Stop is opening very soon on 146, just south of 10.

Just as an fyi, 9 times out of 10 a "stuck" caliper isn't the caliper. Its the rubber brake line feeding that caliper.

The rubber swells with heat and age and you have the leg strength to push fluid into the caliper, but the weak caliper springs can't push that fluid back the other way. Then you get dragging brakes that create more heat and more problems.

In the future you could have loosened the bleeder and let some fluid out. Then try to get home without touching the brakes or the cycle starts all over.

Silvy said:

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Best Stop is better known for their boudin and other coonass delicacies. I've not heard of them making calipers, so I suspect those are Chinese parts.

I lived on Galveston for 10 years and never had a caliper seize or any other issues related to the environment. I don't recommend driving on the beach and/or the water

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This right here is why I Texags. Well done