CV axle replacement

[dlb]

yes, you need to replace the caliper. as they age, corrosion and dirt can build up between the caliper body and the piston, eventually causing the piston to seize.

since you will have to disconnect the caliper from the brake flex hose, this is a good time to check the condition of the hose too. bend it around, looking for cracks. if you see cracks, you should replace it too.

i think it is recommended to replace calipers in pairs, the logic being if one side is bad, the other side is probably bad or will be bad soon too. since you haven't disturbed the other side, i would probably be inclined to just jack that side up and spin the wheel while a friend steps on the brakes so you can confirm it is not seized or dragging as well. then i would just be aware of it in the future and be prepared to replace it as well if any issues with it pop up. i encountered a similar situation on my most recent rescued terc where one caliper needed to be replaced while the other seemed fine. after only about 50 km of driving though, the 'good' side started squeaking and causing pulling on brake application. replaced it and all has been peachy since.

[Petros]

it is common to have calipers seize when they get very old, as DLB points out. Get a rebuilt one and replace it, and the felx hoses too (they do not cost much). You can drive on it if you want but it will drag and likely wear that side more than the other and possibly pull to one side.

Once you replace the front calipers, pads and flex houses, make sure you bleed out the whole system good so it will stop well.

If you are replaceing both clipers anyway, I highly recommend doing my brake upgrade going to vented disks, larger calipers to fit and new flex hoses. It will only cost a few $ more and will greatly improve braking. See my thread on brake upgrade over in the Repair guides section. There is no reason to put back the undersized brakes at all.

[jann_e_gunn]

Thank you for the words. I just ordered a rebuilt caliper from Rockauto for that side. Unfortunately, I'm pretty strapped for cash right now so I'm just going to stick with the smaller calipers and this side for now. The hose seems to be fine as well, so I'm going to reuse it to. Hopefully, the caliper will come in tomorrow and I can get back on the road. I was supposed to be leaving for California on Monday, but this string of repairs has held it back.

[jann_e_gunn]

Got everything put back together and made it to California. I built a little storage rack for the top and was curious to see what that did to my gas mileage. With the topper I still got around 36mpgs! Thanks for y'alls help!