well i just insured my GS after sitting roughly 6 months. quick charge of the battery, fixed the choke and she was ready to rip.

however i've noticed just now that i'm getting a vibration coming from the front, sort of feels like steering somehow. could i have gotten out of alignment in this time? the tires are all brand new and i had a alignment maybe 2 months before it was parked...

when i stab the brakes the vibration gets a bit harsher and the car pulls a bit to the left. so i was thinking maybe a stuck brake caliper but after checking the brake pads they seem to be wearing evenly. then again ive just drive it today for maybe 100k

most searches ive done on the forum are for vibration due to the driveshaft or other tranny related problems and this really does not feel like that.

any idea's? can alignment go out just by sitting?

 

The calipers are real bad to stick on these cars.

My last one was stuck when I got it, and then stuck again when I got the engine back in it. then the other side stuck.

 

Sounds like your right side front caliper is frozen and your brake rotors may be warped.
As for the vibration...it could be as simple as a little mud/dirt buildup on the rim. Could also be a wheel out of balance.

 

ok, so to unstick it i do what?

i've heard just smack it with a hammer, but then again thats coming from a friend who works in a junkyard.. heh

 

check them and see. if the piston is stuck you will need a new caliper, or do a rebuild on the unit.

 

also, for shouts and laughs, check your tire pressure. if you replace your caliper, i reccomend doing the other side as well. this will avoid the possibilities of uneven braking. also, check your suspension components. sitting cars rot fast. rubber cracks from the cold and you never know what could have happened. i hope in your case, nothing. let us know what you find.

 

ya ive already covered the basics. tire pressure, wheel bearing torqued, idler arm is brand new, bushings are good..

looks like a draggin' brake. yay. well since i will be replacing them i'm going to try the hammer trick first. i guess i have nothing to lose, right? damn calipers are pricey for these cars!!

what about a big brake upgrade? is there such a retro mod for these cars?

 

Check bwaits ReSpeed site. He has something to set up 2nd gen 4-pot calipers.

 

Put the car in nuetral and see if it will roll freely. Maybe one of your tires got a little messed up from sitting in one place for so long... Also, as opposed to a stuck caliper, maybe you have one that is stuck open (as in not working at all). This would have the same effect as one dragging would. Check it out though, brakes are kinda important.

 

i pulled the front wheels off and tried to turn it by hand, no go. pried the brake pad off the rotor and it span fine, but as soon as i hit the brakes again it stuck. so ya.. looks like i'll be needing new calipers. the respeed looks sweet but the biggest wheels i have for the car are 14" limited editions.

i think i'm going to re-do the brakes entirely, calipers, rotors, pads, etc. they are pretty worn and rusty. this could get costy, but hopefully worth it.

 

For me, brakes are the first repair/mod that should be done on a car. What's the point of making it go faster, if you need to find a tree to stop it.

Spray some P B Blaster all around the caliper, concentrating on the piston area and the mounting pins, (keep it off of the rotor and pads, of course), then flush the brake system with fresh fluid. This may free up the caliper for a while until you refresh the brake system.

 

Heh... I just had this happen. My front driver's side caliper was siezed and I drove around for a long time like that (without knowing). Finally my back brakes started making a grinding noise and when I checked it out the driver's side was down to the backing plate of the brake pad. Just bought all four new calipers (back ones were probably ok) and my car's been off the road for a month while I save to get the rest of the parts for the brakes. I decided that while I was plugging away at the brakes (and didn't have parts to finish) I'd check out some other things. Now I'm getting a new rad (you should see the old one, literally falling apart), got an FC oil cooler that is getting plumbed at the same time, electric fan, rat's nest removed, smog pump and related items removed and the idler arm is getting replaced (which refuses to come off right now)... I'm also looking into doing the rear suspension modification to the Watts link and upper trailing links. So yeah the car should be pretty killer fun to take to the track this year.... when it's done.

Darren

 

how much do new calipers run? I know my driver's side front caliper is stickin, just not sure if i should rebuild or buy new..

 

what about a big brake upgrade? is there such a retro mod for these cars?[/QUOTE]

I think racing beat sells the kit. Power slot rotors, braided lines, and pads. check them out.That happend a lot if the rotor is warped. Or sometimes the wheel itself may need to get torqued down. Sometimes we hit bumped and it applies pressure to that spot or others. good luck.