Caliper replacement?

[Mr. Man]

MM calipers are obsolete from Ford but the Ford parts guy said they were made by Cardone which is sold by Rockauto. Question is do the calipers need to replaced in pairs or is it OK to just replace the problem one?

[lji372]

Just replace the problem one.

[ctrlraven]

Having an issue with one of your brake calipers?

[Mr. Man]

Having an issue with one of your brake calipers?
Yes, well actually on MsD's hot rod. The RT rear hangs up and drags. It seems to be a 50/50 chance of it spinning freely. I tap it with a hammer and it seems to free up.

Car still has a soft pedal even though it has been bled 3 times, 2 of which a vacuum bleeder was used, once at the local shop and once at the Ford dealer.

The caliper heated up once very badly so I'm going to replace it to be on the safe side.

Paula also hates the rotors and pads that were put on a few years ago so I'm going back to the factory style.

[lji372]

Have the ids bleed done. It actuate the anti lock system. I noticed a difference.

[Mr. Man]

Have the ids bleed done. It actuate the anti lock system. I noticed a difference.
Is that different than the vacuum bleed? What does IDS mean? Don't want to look more stupid than usual when talking to the mechanics. :o

[fastblackmerc]

Is that different than the vacuum bleed? What does IDS mean? Don't want to look more stupid than usual when talking to the mechanics. :o

An IDS bleed cycles the ABS pump to get all the air out of the system. You could also gravity bleed or get speed bleeders.

[Krytin]

I had a rear wheel lock-up problem on the '04 CV and it turned out to be the parking brake shoes - the lining fell off one and wedged under the other. Would lock-up and come loose by banging it / driving backwards. Make sure you don't change the caliper needlessly.
The Cardone units are remaned OEM.
The only cure I found for the sponge brake pedal was the SS flex brake lines from Todd.

[ctrlraven]

I had a IDS bleed done twice and the old school way done three times, after new pads/rotors/master cyl were installed, still had the low pedal feeling.

I've had the front calipers replaced before with new Ford ones after the bleeder screws seized up, rears are original still. Might go ahead and get new brake lines from Todd to replace the SS lines I have from Goodridge that have been on the car for almost 10 years now. Plus that's the cheapest first option.

[Spectragod]

What does IDS mean? :o

Integrated Diagnostic System, That is the software part that requires a yearly subscription. The VCM (vehicle communication module) is the pass thru device that is needed to use the IDS to program modules, clear codes, activate modules independently etc...

Quite handy, just a little spendy.

[RF Overlord]

Eric, you can try Raybestos Police calipers...I put them on the front of Mary's car a while back. P/N RC11525P (left rear) and RC11526P (right rear). Available from Rock Auto. They come complete with police-formula pads.

[MERCMAN]

You can also PM Zack. He always seems to have extra calipers

[Mr. Man]

I had a rear wheel lock-up problem on the '04 CV and it turned out to be the parking brake shoes - the lining fell off one and wedged under the other. Would lock-up and come loose by banging it / driving backwards. Make sure you don't change the caliper needlessly.
The Cardone units are remaned OEM.
The only cure I found for the sponge brake pedal was the SS flex brake lines from Todd. The wheel is not locking up. Perhaps I used the wrong verbiage. It hangs up like the caliper is not retracting away from the rotor after braking.
The install of SS lines is where the soft pedal all started. Like I mentioned I have had the lines bled numerous times. I have not tried an IDS bleed.
I will check the shoes when I put new rotors on. I don't recall them ever looking bad when I did it last time, never use them either. I am not experiencing any of the chatter that usually goes hand in hand with shoes that have fallen apart, but it's worth at least a look.

[ctrlraven]

I asked a co-worker of mine if I could borrow his Snap-On "dealer" scan tool do the IDS bleed. Got to talking to him about soft brake pedal, he mentioned when his dad had an issue with their Fusion having a soft pedal after one time doing a panic stop (abs engaged), for shyts & giggles he did a panic stop enough to engage the abs system and the soft pedal went away after that. The next time the abs was engaged it cause a soft pedal feeling and he did the same thing, another panic stop enough to engage the abs and soft pedal went away.

I'm going to give it a try tonight cause honestly I don't think I have hit my brakes that hard enough to engage the abs... ever.

[71cyclone]

I asked a co-worker of mine if I could borrow his Snap-On "dealer" scan tool do the IDS bleed. Got to talking to him about soft brake pedal, he mentioned when his dad had an issue with their Fusion having a soft pedal after one time doing a panic stop (abs engaged), for shyts & giggles he did a panic stop enough to engage the abs system and the soft pedal went away after that. The next time the abs was engaged it cause a soft pedal feeling and he did the same thing, another panic stop enough to engage the abs and soft pedal went away.

I'm going to give it a try tonight cause honestly I don't think I have hit my brakes that hard enough to engage the abs... ever.

Ditto=A retired Koons Ford Tech told me the same thing ' Lock em up '

[ctrlraven]

Ditto=A retired Koons Ford Tech told me the same thing ' Lock em up '
Funny enough, it actually worked!

My brake pedal feels like it did when I first put on my ss brake lines 8-9 years ago. Did 3 stops from 55 mph to a dead stop, pedal instantly felt better and remained firmer during my hour drive home.

[Logizyme]

The rear calipers are notorious for locking up, especially after you retract them to replace the pads. Calipers just need to be replaced. You only NEED to do whatever caliper is having an issue, but pairs are better maintenance.

The only time Ford technicians use IDS bleed if when the ABS module is replaced or when somebody specifically asks for it because of what they read on the internet. My personal opinion is the IDS/ABS bleed is mostly just an internet myth.