Front Brake issue

So, what I thought was a possible wheel bearing issue was not. I jacked up the front and moved the wheel around. No movement on both sides. Then, I noticed the passenger side front wheel was very hard to move. I removed the wheel and it looked like there was no pad left. This was strange as I had changed my pads about 3 months ago. I lifted the caliper off the pads and removed them. The inner brake pad was worn down to the metal and the outer brake pad was about 1mm away from being completely worn down. I was running out of time so I didn't check the other side.
I bought new brake pads and proceeded to replace the pads. I have slotted rotors by Ate. I don't think that would have made a difference as the rears have powerstop slotted rotors and the pads have been doing well for over a year.
I go to replace the driver's side front brake pads, expecting there to be almost the same wear, and it is normal for 3 months of driving. So, I don't know what's going on the passenger side front brakes. Anyone else experience this? I also got new calipers when I replaced the rotors. The odd thing about these calipers is that I cannot fit the brake pad clip onto the caliper. It doesn't allow me to slide the brake pad on. Not enough room. That's odd because I could fit both clips on the driver's side caliper and the rear calipers.
Today, after my drive in to work, the brake pads on the passenger are smoking literally. The driver's side isn't. I could smell this maybe about two months ago but couldn't track it down to anything. Well, now I know.

Any brake experts here know about this? Brake caliper is about three months old.

Did you lube the hell out of the caliper guide pins and tracks for the pads? Make sure you don't get any lube on the pad or rotors and buy the brake grease. Also are you sure the caliper was the right one? Do you have a part number of the one currently on the car?

^^ What he said about the grease.

I installed two new front calipers about two months ago and there was almost no grease on the sliders when they arrived.

I greased the hell out of them including filling the rubber boots.

Your caliper isn't releasing after you let off the brake and the pads are dragging,... burning them up and wearing them out.

^
I second this. Your caliper is done, new or not. The piston is not retracting and the pad is dragging.

I got a Centrix remanufactured brake caliper for my model car from Rock Auto. I don't have the part number, I just installed it assuming it was the right part and everything was rebuilt and lubed.
I didn't get any lube on the rotors or pads. I coated the brake discs with brake cleaner to remove the oily anti-rust stuff that came with the rotors.

If I lube up the caliper slider pins, that should fix things? What kind of lube do I use? The driver's side caliper and rear calipers are the same brand and did not have this issue.

I think you've got a really good chance that your caliper is OK. You'll know when you retract your piston to put the new pads in.

Remove all the grease and check for rust on the guide pins. You can get away with sanding off some amount of rust. I removed my one guide pin to clean it up. (or replace them,... there's a kit).

Keep a close eye on that caliper for heat, smell or excessive pad wear.

Grease the sliders on all your calipers.

Thanks.

A seized caliper is a fairly common problem. When I installed new pads and rotors at 70,000 miles I discovered the rear passenger side wheel had one badly worn pad. The caliper was seized onto the bracket pins. I put the thing in a bench vise, heated the crap out of it, bashed it with a 3 pound hammer and it wouldn't budge! I had to replace the caliper and bracket.

Be sure to use high temp grease on the slide pins. You can usually get a "ketchup packet" for a buck at the parts counter. Also, keep an eye out for leaks or indications of a melted seal. If the caliper got hot enough you might have damaged a seal or O-ring in there.

mtnbiker26 said:

A seized caliper is a fairly common problem. When I installed new pads and rotors at 70,000 miles I discovered the rear passenger side wheel had one badly worn pad. The caliper was seized onto the bracket pins. I put the thing in a bench vise, heated the crap out of it, bashed it with a 3 pound hammer and it wouldn't budge! I had to replace the caliper and bracket.

Be sure to use high temp grease on the slide pins. You can usually get a "ketchup packet" for a buck at the parts counter. Also, keep an eye out for leaks or indications of a melted seal. If the caliper got hot enough you might have damaged a seal or O-ring in there.

Click to expand...

Well, it's not frozen. I had a frozen rear caliper. I was able to push the piston back using a C-clamp. The brake seemed to slide easily on the caliper guide pins. I put in new brake pads and was able to install new pads. I bought a tube of brake grease anyway.
There are no brake line leaks.
I'll clean the guide pins and pack it with brake grease and see how it does. There is less smoke coming from the pads after a drive, but I can tell it is still getting hot.

I just bought another one. I read on another site of a car with the same symptoms. The piston is probably hosed and is not retracting since the guide pins are sliding okay.

I got my previous pair of front brake rotors turned down. I'll be removing my slotted rotors. I don't want to use the front right one since a brake pad got worn down to the metal. I haven't looked at it but I'm guessing it is scored and damaged. I don't want to have one slotted and one unslotted front rotor too. Turning them down cost $20 each rotor. I'm guessing that's an okay price. Another place was charging $50 for a pair.

It's been a couple days driving with the new pads, new caliper and turned down rotors. My fuel efficiency has gone up. Wheel shudder is gone and is quiet.
I don't recommend Ate slotted rotors.