gostinger
Sep 9th, 2006, 06:25 PM
I was replacing my rear pads on a 2004 Ford Freestar Van and noticed leakage around the piston and seal......put on the new pads.....still under warranty....what do you recommend?
ES_Revenge
Sep 9th, 2006, 10:19 PM
Simple enough--get the caliper rebuilt or replaced under warranty and do it as soon as you can. The latter is much more likely since it is usually cheaper/easier for them just to replace the entire caliper rather than going to the trouble of rebuilding it...
Keep in mind a leaking caliper has several dangers. One even if your brakes are okay now (and the leak is small), if the leak should get any worse you can suddenly lose a lot of braking pressure which will increase your stopping distance by a huge amount without any warning.
Also if the brake fluid is leaking enough that it is hitting the wheel it is going to start to eat away the paint/finish of the wheel (assuming it's an aluminum wheel); furthermore if the wheel "spins" or splashes any of the fluid on the body it will destroy the paint there too.