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This is a front caliper on a 03 Mazda protege. The right brake overheated the other day. I tore it apart and one of the caliper bolts was pretty rusted. I got a new bolt, pads and greased the bolts. Today I was on a short trip on the highway and when I got off I could smell the brake over heating again. I stopped to do some errands and took back roads back home. I didn't notice any brake problems on the way back and the caliper was a normal temp when I got home. I'll probably just replace the caliper but I'm wondering what's going on?

UPDATE: I ended up replacing the whole caliper after it overheated again. The overheating of the RF caliper is gone but I still have a weird intermittent cheep sound coming from either the LF or LR brakes. The sound starts when I press the pedal and goes away as I brake harder. I've also noticed it while turning which makes me think it's related to the hose.

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How old are the flexi-hoses going to the calipers? Old rubber hoses can partially collapse internally, which allows the brake to be applied (as you have lots of pressure), but preventing it from being released again (as the back-pressure is much lower), causing the caliper to stick on.

If they've not been done, replace them and bleed the system through with new fluid - much cheaper than a pair of calipers...

It is also worth cleaning up the sliding bolts rather than just greasing them - they should move fairly freely.

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  • I haven't changed the hoses yet but I'm starting to think they need to be replaced also.
    – JDD
    Commented Sep 4, 2013 at 22:35
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The cylinders that push the brake pads in order to slow down the car are probably rusted out and some times do not move back in when you push the brake. Best bet would be to try to open up brake oil reservoir, put some wd40 between the cylinders and push them back in with pliers. Then put it all together again and push the brake few times and see if it will work :)

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