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Brake repair question

Please tell me if this sounds right.

The left front brake began squeaking on my 1994 Chevrolet Corsica. I know that this often means that the brake pad is wearing down, so I took the car to a local repair shop and dropped it off. Later in the day the mechanic called me and said that it needs new pads and calipers on both sides, and that a hose is broken on one side. I told him to go ahead and do whatever needs to be done.

He called me back a while later and said that he was unable to repair the brakes because a special scanner was required to bleed the brake system on this car and he does not have a scanner. I had a mechanic put new pads on a couple years ago and there was no scanner involved. He is now retired and no longer in business so I can't take it to him.

What is this scanner that the mechanic is talking about?

Thank you.

Reply to
J
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He means he needs a GOOD scanner like a Tech 2 or a Genesis so he can cycle the ABS unit to purge it of air. Without the Scanner he cannot purge the air out of the system and make the brakes work properly. If he is an actual mechanic with a shop and doesn't have one I would find a better shop. You need the proper tools to do the job.

The other mechanic didn't replace the calipers or the bad line, by not doing that work he didn't break the system and allow air to enter the system and cause problems.

Reply to
Steve W.

Horse hockey. A scan tool is not needed for a simple caliper change.

Your mechanic doesn't -know- what he's talking about.

A scan tool is needed for certain bleeding procedures when changing some ABS components but not just to change calipers.

Reply to
aarcuda69062

Umm, he's also changing a brake hose...

Pete

Reply to
ratatouillerat

Assuming it's a hose that attaches to a caliper, it's still not enough to introduce air into the ABS.

This "mechanic" did the OP a favor though...

Reply to
aarcuda69062

You got that right...

Reply to
HLS

The brake hose is immediately before the caliper it's just a little more air at the end of the branch than replacing the caliper alone. There should be no need to deal with the ABS computer at all. The ABS system might interfere with using a vacume bleeder but I doubt it. Even if for some strange reason it did, the old fashioned push the brake pedal method would still clear the air from the new hose and calipers.

Reply to
Brent P

If it was squeaking when the brake was not applied, it was because the caliper was stuck and the brake pads were not completely retracted from the rotor and were scraping against it. This is a common failure, and will require new pads and calipers.

Bad hoses are also common. Do you change your brake fluid every year or do you just wait for it to fail?

I believe this car needs a special tool in order to bleed the brake system. It's not required to just change the pads, but any time the brake lines are opened, air gets into them and it needs to be purged out. This includes whenever you do the regular fluid change.

Take the car to someone who has the tool, have him replace the calipers, pads, hose, and change all the fluid.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

The other possibility is that the mechanic goofed and ran the brake reservoir dry while doing a "normal" brake bleed, thus introducing air into the ABS system and making it necessary to have a good scanner to purge the air.... :-/

Modern systems aren't necessarily harder to work on than older ones.... but they can be a lot less idiot-tolerant.

Reply to
Steve

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