'72 Rear Caliper

[USNA1969]

Returning from my weekend drive to exercise everything and get the engine and exhaust up to full temp, I had a fair amount of smoke coming from the left rear wheel well. It turned out to be a leaking caliper putting brake fluid on the rotor. Surprisingly, I didn't notice any weakness in the braking action.

I'm going to replace the caliper, but was wondering if anyone had a strong preference for lip seal or o-ring versions. I also think it makes sense to change all four at the same time, thinking that if one is leaking, the rest may be nearly in the same condition. Does anyone think that would be a waste of money? The car has about 75K miles on it.

The problem that most concerns me is that the rear wheel was so hot I couldn't touch the center hub cap to pull it off to get at the lug nuts. I had to grab it with a rag to keep from burning my fingers. Also, after breaking the lug nuts loose, I was spinning them off using a socket and extension and the socket got very hot to the touch and I could even feel the temperature rising in the extension. Any ideas as to what would cause that?

I'd appreciate any insights anyone can give me.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Sounds like the rubber flex hose on that caliper has collapsed internally, trapping the fluid pressure. Very common. Change those as well as the calipers. As to o-ring vs. lip seal, you'll get convincing arguments from both sides. How long did your existing calipers last with their lip seals?

 

[tshera388]

I tend to agree that the caliper was either stuck or that the brake hose was collapsed keeping the pads against the rotors and generating a huge amount of heat. Along with the hoses, I would check the rotor to ensure that it didn't get warped from the heat and I would change the brake pads. I recommend the ceramic pads as they tend to work better when hot without fade and bite really well.

 

[USNA1969]

I tend to agree that the caliper was either stuck or that the brake hose was collapsed keeping the pads against the rotors and generating a huge amount of heat. Along with the hoses, I would check the rotor to ensure that it didn't get warped from the heat and I would change the brake pads. I recommend the ceramic pads as they tend to work better when hot without fade and bite really well.

Thanks for all the great info. I'm sure I wouldn't have noticed the collapsed line on my own.

I guess I'll go with the lip seals. At the rate it took to put 75k on the car, I'll be long gone and any recurrence will be my grandchild's problem when he/she inherits the car from my son.