Felt like something was holding truck back when driving. Driver side rear brake area hot as HE!! and brake dust all over. Pads wearing funny so replaced pads both sides. Test drive...still doing it after only driving a short distance (less than a mile). Stuck caliper? Bought 2 rebuilt calipers from Napa.

When I remove caliper, should I clamp brake hose?
If I don't clamp will all my brake fluid run out?
Anything else I should do while I have the caliper off?
Bleed brakes?

Charlie. Check the caliper slide bolts.

On my truck the problem is the caliper bracket, not the caliper itself.

Over time crap gets in there and it tears up those slide bolts and the interior surface of the bracket. I am going to buy a new one when I get a chance.

I suppose a gun brush could clean it out but mine is well past that.

Bleed the brakes for sure. I bought new hoses for the rear calipers when I replaced my calipers a while back. My hoses were pretty worn and taking the calipers off just added to their worn condition.

Dough,

Forgot to add I did buy new upper/lower caliper sliding pins (Stealer @$10 each!) for driver's side. You are right, the lower sliding pin gets really corroded. Doesn't seem to have helped. The reason I bought the rebuilt calipers is my calipers are pretty corroded. It seemed easier then trying to clean them up, I would have to buy a rebuild kit anyways, and then having them still be stuck.

I thought about the hoses but was going to try it with the old ones. I hate the fact that everything small has to be ordered & then at Stealer prices! If I tear up the hoses getting the calipers off well then new hoses it is!!

I hate to say it, seeing that you were just talking about nickel and diming yourself to death at the dealer. I as a normal practice, replace the hoses when the calipers are rebuilt or replaced. The brake system is the most important system on a vehicle, (steering is there too <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />) You own a 93 and if they have not been done, they are old, replace them.
On your other question, I have discussed clamping brake hoses with other techs over the years. Many have been clamping them with no ill effects. I don't. I plug the end of the line. Hoses collapse, sounds like you have one, and you can't see it. Clamping them can reduce the life of a hose by slightly separating the rubber at the reinforcment layer. Your call.
BTW, if you are going to replace the hoses anyway, clamp them so you can work w/o fluid running all over the place. Then when you are ready to replace the hose, disconnect it and installl the new. Fluid will run out, but not that fast. Yes, you will have to bleed the brakes, so get a big container of fluid.

That was my worry exactly with clamping the hoses. They are old & could be compromised with the clamping force. Guess I'll go order 2 new ones. Probably what, $20 each?!?!?!

You say "Hoses collapse, sounds like you have one..."

Are you saying I have a collapsed hose? I understand that some collapsed hoses you cannot see unless they are under stress, like when braking occurs. Like when a radiator hose has a pin hole leak. Can't see it unless cooling system is under pressure...

Usually you can't ever see a collapsed brake hose. The inner layer collapses because fluid leaks between the layers and squeezes the inner. The result is pressure staying in the caliper when you let off the petal. The best way I know to test for a collapsed hose is when the vehicle has just been driven. Let it cool for 10 min, (don't want to burn your fingers) open the bleeder on that caliper for just a split second and close it. If fluid shoots out fast then stops. It is a collapsed hose, if it trickles out, it is normal, if it does not come out at all, possibly a stuck caliper piston. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> This is not 100% accurate, 95% maybe.

Shoot, wished I would have tried your hose tests before buying the calipers. Oh well, they're so crusty I'm replacing them along with the hoses. Thanks for the info.

Dough, you called it! For some reasom, I thought the calipers actually slide on the pins. Well, they don't! The caliper moves with the pin which slides inside of the caliper support (caliper bracket). My caliper supports were all gummed up. I could barely pull the sliding pins out of the caliper support! I am going to give your gun brush a try to clean them out. Probably didn't need these rebuilt calipers...the supports were causing the problems!

FWIW, whenever I'm messing around with calipers, I clean the pins on a wire wheel & use wire brushes everywhere else and I coat the pin with anti-seize. I was going through calipers every year or so on my Gen I (they kept seizing) before realizing how gummed up that bolt gets. Ever since I started using anti-seize I haven't had a single problem...

Yeah, I actually bought NEW pins cause the old ones were scarred & pitted. AND used anti-sieze on them. It's just that there was so much gunk in the caliper support.

Can you think of anything else that could be used to clean out the sliding pin passage in the support?