ATV Florida Forum

My front right brakes don't release. I took it apart and compressed the calipers, put it back on and pumped the brakes, took it off and compressed then back on to pump the brakes. I did this three times. I then added some fluid and blead the lines and it is still sticking. What is the problem?

How hard was it to push the calipers in? Also on ABS vehicles it's not recommended to push the pistons back without cracking the bleeder screw. Forcing fluid back though isn't good for the componets. How dirty is the brake fluid? Has it ever been changed? I bought my truck used and the brake fluid looked like dirty engine oil. I changed it out immediately. It should be clear. The chemical compound of brake fluid draws moisture into the system. If the fluid is very dirty, I would go get a gallon of Castrol LMA DOT 4 brake fluid and a vacuum pump if you don't have one. LMA stands for low moisture absorption. First suck the dirty fluid out of the master cylinder, then refill it. Do one wheel at a time, by cracking the bleeder screw and put the vacuum pump on there and pump all the old fluid out. Pay close attention to the level in the master cylinder, because you don't want it to run dry and get air in the lines. The first wheel will take the longest as you are clearing the lines as well. As you go from wheel to wheel it will take less time. Do each one until they all come out nice and clear. It should take about 3/4 of the gallon and about an hour of your time. It's definitely worth the effort. It helps the brake componets last longer.
Good Luck!

mike, if the piston moves freely then make sure that the caliper slides are free also. the pads will always rub a little.

Good call I forgot about that.

check your brake hoses .. test by getting the brake calb. to stick then open the bleeder if it frees up then it the hoses i had a chevy 1500 doing that last week good luck

could also be a bad master cyl....but sounds like the brake hose has collapsed internally