Chrysler Repair: Brake locking up, wheel bearings, parts catalogs

Question
QUESTION: Hello Roland,
This may not be quite your area but I cannot find anyone in the Dodge section to answer my question.  I hope that maybe you will have some ideas.  I have a 1978 D-100 pickup with a 360 engine.  A few weeks ago, the front driver's side brake locked up.  I had to buy a rotor to replace that one and I also replaced the calipers on each side.  The master cylinder was replaced about a year ago.  I also replaced the wheel bearings on the drivers side since I was that far into it with the rotor change anyway.  Well....after I got it together and bled the brakes, I took it out to test it.  The brakes are still locking up.  It is on the same side and the caliper actually seizes up and will not release.  Any ideas of what else this might be?  Thanks in advance for any help or advice that you can give me.
Stacy

ANSWER: I believe you may have a problem with the rubber hose that connects the caliper to the metal brake line on the chassis. As it ages, the rubber dries out and fragments, becoming degraded such that the brake fluid will not flow back out of the caliper when you let up on the pedal. While you can push fluid into the caliper to brake the wheel the fluid can't flow backward on its own accord due to the resistance of that hose to the flow of fluid. So go get a new hose, install it, then bleed the air out of the caliper and I suspect that will solve your problem. You can do it yourself or with the help of a friend with an adjustable wrench, no big problem. Be sure to get the correct hose that fits that vehicle (hose length, type of fittings, but that should not be an major issue as the parts catalogs will say which one it is.)
Roland
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---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Roland,
I need to ask you another question.  I worked on the truck this afternoon and had some luck.  It looks like whoever had it before me had replaced the rubber hoses before because the nuts were rounded off.  I did manage to replace the one on the driver's side (ended up using vise grips# but I absolutely cannot seem to break the other side loose.  Do you have any ideas, tricks or tips for this?  The nut #not sure if that is what it would be called) that is on the metal line is 3/8 " or at least used to be! And the part that it threads into on the rubber line is 5/8".  Both are messed up pretty bad.  Do they make any kind of special wrench or something for problems like this?
Thanks again for your help...
Stacy

ANSWER: Hi Stacy,
When the flats are rounded off about all you can use is a vice grip to clamp down on it as far as I know. Good luck.
I might mention if the hoses show signs of having been replaced (recently?), that the pins upon which the calipers slide laterally can also get roughened/corroded and that can cause the caliper to bind and that can in effect cause the pad to drag on the rotor. Those too are replaceable. Did you happen to check those when you replaced the caliper/rotor? And put a light coat of silicone grease on the surface of the pins
Roland

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Roland,
I have had the truck since 1994 and never replaced the brake hoses so it would have happened sometime before then.  I don't believe I have caliper pins.  My calipers are what I believe are called the "sliding" kind?  It has one piston on the back.  It really doesn't look like a very smart setup.  I cleaned everything very well before I installed the new calipers but didn't use any grease. On this type of caliper where would you use it, or should you?  I do believe that the rubber line on the driver's side was my problem.  After I gave up on the other one I went ahead and bled the system and tested the truck.  I drove for quite a while and didn't have any problems.  I would still like to have both lines replaced though and will hopefully have time to try again this afternoon.  Thank you for your time and help with this!
Stacy

Answer
Hi Stacey,
I believe that all calipers slide, either on pins or 'slides' for want of a better name that I can recall. So just look for whether it can move laterally or not and use just a touch of high temp lube on the surfaces would be my suggestion. I am glad to learn that the dragging on the driver side seems now to be solved. You are welcome.
Roland