I have a 1994 Mustang with a V-6. The brakes get a slight shimmy or pulse every now and again and I was told by the dealer it was a stuck piston in one of the front calipers. I was trying to decide between replacing the front calipers, replacing just the one that is sticking or replacing the piston that is sticking.
Any thoughts if both calipers should be replaced instead of just one ( or just one piston ) and any ideas or suggestions of what to look out for? The last time I did brake work was 20 years ago and I just don't want any surprises.
I think to be conservative you should replace both calipers. The cost will not be prohibitive if you're going to do it yourself, and I would recommend doing anything with brakes in pairs, or axle sets. As I think it through, I'm not completely sure of why, or what the risk would be, but to be safe, that's what I would suggest. Rebuilding a caliper is beyond MY expertise, and so I wouldn't consider it, but if you are comfortable with it, maybe you could, but regardless, I wouldn't do anything on one side you don't do on the other. I suspect cost and labor wise, replacing the caliper is the easiest, but again, that's your call.
I think to be conservative you should replace both calipers. The cost will not be prohibitive if you're going to do it yourself, and I would recommend doing anything with brakes in pairs, or axle sets. As I think it through, I'm not completely sure of why, or what the risk would be, but to be safe, that's what I would suggest. Rebuilding a caliper is beyond MY expertise, and so I wouldn't consider it, but if you are comfortable with it, maybe you could, but regardless, I wouldn't do anything on one side you don't do on the other. I suspect cost and labor wise, replacing the caliper is the easiest, but again, that's your call.
Good Luck!!!
I'm also not 100% why but it would seem to make sense to do everything in pairs such as replace calipers, pads, etc. I guess even if the remaining stuff is in good shape, it is still wore in it's own unique way and you would want to have things as symmetrical as possible with the suspension. I just did some looking around at the prices for calipers and for the hassle involved it may be just worth it to replace both. The pads and rotors are in are great shape according to what the dealer said.
How did the dealer rule out warped rotors? That's the most common cause of shimmy. I see no reason to replace both calipers if only one is bad. Replace pads on both sides. Before I did anything I would take the car up to high speed and make some quick stops a few times to see if the heat would un stick the supposedly stuck piston. Or make it worse, but at least you'd know.
I would not do high speed stops in a car with potential brake problems. It's not the safest thing to be doing. Even in deserted areas. The shimmy might be something worse like lose bearings etc. which may fail under stress.
First, if you don't have much experience with brakes then have a professional do the work. This could be caused by a variety of things like lose bearings, worn tie rod ends, warped rotors, a shifted belt in the tires, etc. A good shop will pinpoint the problem(s) and do a proper fix. If it is a stuck piston then one rim should feel hotter than the other from the added friction it causes. I agree that you should replace both sides and I don't have a good reason other than it just feels like the right thing to do. My money is on warped rotors, bad tie rod end or a lose bearing, in that order. Then again I have been wrong with my guesses many times before. A good, honest mechanic will solve the problem for the least cost. AS a side note, I always ask for the old parts in an effort to try and keep them honest. If they refuse then ask to inspect them before paying the tab.
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