Help! 348 front brake caliper locked partially on. Where can I get a rebuilt one?

Tom,

If it were my car I'd have the current caliper carefully checked out and a definite problem found before replacing it. My concern is that the caliper may be "locked" because of another problem in the system.

Brakes are one area where there are no second chances....

 

I had a sticking caliper on the left rear wheel on my 348 causing the wheel to get very hot. It turned out that the pads were worn very thin and had become very slightly "cocked" in the caliper, so that they would not release. New pads fixed it 100%.

It's also quite possible that the flexible "rubber" hose going to your caliper has broken down internally, and it's holding pressure when the pedal is released. The hose can look totally fine on the outside and be plugged on the inside. To me, that's probably more likely than a problem with the caliper itself.

As Lusso said, you want to be sure what's wrong before you condemn the caliper.

 

As mentioned earlier, there are no second chances with brakes. Had some issues with my front right calliper sometime back that could not be resolved regardless of countless tries at identifying the problem. In the end we went the expensive route of changing the callipers and lines and all was well.... just wished there had been a cheaper fix, but for safety reasons this is something I wont save on.

 

Good man!

 

Good luck sorting your problem. If you do need a new brake, PM me. Ive got a pair sitting doing nothing at the moment. Ive upgraded my brakes a while ago.

 

Try opening the bleeder on that caliper. If this releases the brake, then it's the hose.

This is a very common problem especially with older cars and not unheard of on 348's.

 

+1
Double check the hoses before jumping to the conclusion that it is the caliper. The calliper may show the effect but may not be the cause...