Ford E350 XLT - rear right brake keeps getting stuck

[skumancer]

Hey everyone. Scratching my head on what to test/replace next. I've got a 2008 E350 XLT extended that I converted to 4x4. Since before the conversion, the rear-right brake has had issues getting stuck after extended sessions of braking (coming downhill from a mountain).

I've replaced the caliper and I recently replaced the pins again as they were frozen in place after an extended period of usage and the brakes getting stupidly hot.

My thought is that I have to replace the rotor completely and maybe check the rear axle shaft for straightness. Maybe replace the caliper again or rebuild it?

Any help is appreciated!

 

[jquevedo]

Have you checked bearing in the rear axle, I guess your caliper is retracting as expected and is not the issue, that would have been my first guess. Stuck brakes.
Maybe brake fluid flush, move to a higher temperature fluid like DOT5 or DOT4 synthetic.

 

[arctictraveller]

The stock flexible brake lines can deteriorate on the inside causing them to act almost like a one-way check valve. They will then be unable to return fluid to the master cylinder. I’ve also experienced a number of defective remanufactured brake calipers. I’ve had a couple of them with stuck pistons. I doubt that the rotor is the problem.

 

[skumancer]

Have you checked bearing in the rear axle, I guess your caliper is retracting as expected and is not the issue, that would have been my first guess. Stuck brakes.
Maybe brake fluid flush, move to a higher temperature fluid like DOT5 or DOT4 synthetic.

I replaced the bearings and races on the rear axle last year. I feel that shouldn't be the problem.

Last time I changed the pins a few weeks ago, retracting the caliper was a real chore, it took a lot of force on a press to get it open up...could this be it, a damaged caliper?

 

[skumancer]

The stock flexible brake lines can deteriorate on the inside causing them to act almost like a one-way check valve. They will then be unable to return fluid to the master cylinder. I’ve also experienced a number of defective remanufactured brake calipers. I’ve had a couple of them with stuck pistons. I doubt that the rotor is the problem.

The flex line is a good place to start, I'll get a replacement.

How would you test that the caliper is retracting properly? Any clue?

 

[kbeefy]

I second a faulty flex line.


To test for a non-retracting caliper, apply and release the brake the attempt to turn the tire by hand. If it has excesive drag (compare to the other side) the crack the bleeder screw. If nothing comes out, the caliper is likely binding/stuck. If brake fluid squirts out and the wheel then turns freely, it's likely the brake line.

 

[BrianW.]

Yeah, my vote is the brake line, too. A known issue for e-vans. They look fine on the outside even when the inside lining is shot, as @arctictraveller said.

 

[skumancer]

Thanks for your input. I think I've narrowed down what happened.

The van originally had problems on this same caliper (rear passenger) when I bought it. I replaced this same caliper a couple of years ago. I've hear noise from that side ever since.

Doing the test suggested above by @kbeefy, the caliper is definitely shot, but the line is also shot. I believe what happened is this line has always been the problem, and it's damaged both the original caliper and the one I replaced. Does this make sense?

I'm going to replace both lines (left and right) and passenger-side rear caliper, as the driver-side rear caliper is working well.

 

[arctictraveller]

Remanufactured calipers suck, I've had a couple that failed. O’Reilly auto parts has a lifetime warranty but it took a couple try's to find a good pair. Good luck…