Who makes the best remanufactured brake calipers, regarding price and quality? Any specific brands to stay away from?

As long as they don't leak out of the box, AND, the slide holes allow free sliding http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3758533&postcount=16
Any reman is fine.
Very seldom will I get a bad caliper itself on the vehicle (where the piston won't retract or the piston seal leaks), but rather, the slide holes are corroded and shrunk, or the slide bolts themselves are galled or frozen in place. If the piston retracts easily, and doesn't leak, and the bleeder can be opened, then the caliper is generally not the problem, but rather, the mounting hardware needs love or replacement.

I have good luck with the remans that NAPA gets. They seem to have consistent quality, I bet there aren't that many companies doing the reman work but I have never had a problem child unit from NAPA.

The only recent issue I have had with a reman caliper was a unit from Nu Way auto parts, the local ac delco place. The threads for the pins were funky. Chased it out and finally got the pin in straight.

Heymccall is right, prep and maintenance is the key.

As long as they don't leak out of the box, AND, the slide holes allow free sliding http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3758533&postcount=16
Any reman is fine.
Very seldom will I get a bad caliper itself on the vehicle (where the piston won't retract or the piston seal leaks), but rather, the slide holes are corroded and shrunk, or the slide bolts themselves are galled or frozen in place. If the piston retracts easily, and doesn't leak, and the bleeder can be opened, then the caliper is generally not the problem, but rather, the mounting hardware needs love or replacement.

I was hoping you'd see this thread haha :D. I have a truck that gets driven maybe 3 times a month during the summer when it's not plowing in the winter. The calipers get stuck not at the beginning of the drive, but after 10 or 15 miles. Are you hinting that I might just need new slide pins, and clean the holes, if the pistons are not leaking and the bleeder still bleeds?

A) The bleeders can be rusted solid, so long as whatever you're doing won't require bleeding.
Thorough inspection, followed by refitting the pads and using the proper lube, should solve your problem.

If ALL the brakes drag after a short drive, have you recently changed the hydrobooster? Improper pushrod length will yield the same results (dragging brakes).

I got the truck off a corporate lease, so I'm not sure if they put a new hydrobooster in or not. Is there any easy way to tell? The bleeder screws are seized, so it looks like I'll be putting new calipers on next week...

hey mccall:

A couple questions - my slide pins are dirty with black grease. How do I clean the old grease from inside the ear hole? Is the rubber gasket attached somehow to the ear? It won't come off! Any idea what causes one of the two pads to feel like rough sandpaper? They both have even wear, and the rotor is fine. I'm getting ready to put the new caliper on...

hey mccall:

A couple questions - my slide pins are dirty with black grease. How do I clean the old grease from inside the ear hole? Is the rubber gasket attached somehow to the ear? It won't come off! Any idea what causes one of the two pads to feel like rough sandpaper? They both have even wear, and the rotor is fine. I'm getting ready to put the new caliper on...

If the old grease is still "grease" and the pin slides in it, just add a film of new grease and reassemble. Otherwise, the outer boot is similar to a crankshaft seal, and must be destroyed to remove. The boots are available, both thru the aftermarket, and the dealer. Once the boot is off, use a large wood screw or a drill with a larger bit to remove the inner sleeves. Wash with brakeklean, install a grease coated new bushing, and then drive the new boot on with a 12 pt 3/4" chrome socket, making sure that the accordian is within the socket prior to driving the boot on.

In the beginning, when I compressed with the c-clamp, it took a lot of force to bottom out the piston. After I released pressure, the caliper slid in and out just fine, and the pads were loose - so I wasn't totally convinced that I needed new calipers. Not knowing what caused the lockup issue in the first place, I decided that I'd put front ones on to start with, and evaluate the condition of the pieces.

Since the calipers came with new pin boots and pin sleeves, I assumed that they had to be replaced. Three hours later - after some coaching on the phone, I was convinced that I didn't need to replace the sleeve - and shouldn't have bothered with the boot either.

Since the pins were still greased and in good condition when I pulled them out, I'm wondering if I need new brackets instead of calipers. Can you advise if there is an easy way to tell if the pushrod is the correct length before I go doing more unnecessary work?

Can you advise if there is an easy way to tell if the pushrod is the correct length before I go doing more unnecessary work?

I kinda got lost in most of that, but the above is easy.

Loosen the two nuts (15mm sized) that secure the master cylinder to the brake booster, enough to allow you to pull the master cylinder away from the booster a 1/4" or so.

Now, simply test fit the master cylinder against the booster while the truck is running. When putting it against the booster (where it belongs), you should be able to mate it back with ZERO resistance. If the pushrod length was wrong, you would contact the pushrod BEFORE the flange set into place.

Loosen the two nuts (15mm sized) that secure the master cylinder to the brake booster, enough to allow you to pull the master cylinder away from the booster a 1/4" or so.

Now, simply test fit the master cylinder against the booster while the truck is running. When putting it against the booster (where it belongs), you should be able to mate it back with ZERO resistance. If the pushrod length was wrong, you would contact the pushrod BEFORE the flange set into place.

Can this be done with a dry master cylinder, or do I need to wait till I bench bleed the cylinder, and then the system?

Any time you like, but I wouldn't recommend depressing the pedal while master cylinder is loose.

Looking at the back of your master cylinder, you'll see the rear of the piston. If that piston is even slightly depressed, fluid can't return to the reservoir as it expands from heat, which will result in brakes dragging after driving a little while. That piston must be at rest when the pedal in the cab is released, and an inncorrect pushrod or out-of-skew pedal assy can cause the booster's pushrod to extend, hence the check while the engine is idling.