braking issue

[lanny]

Good day to you all .I have an 87 190e 2.6 that is giving me the creeps.there are times my brakes bind especially left front and dont releasse.I bleed the affected one and also the right side sometimes trying to alleviate the problem and that dont cut it.right now am contemplating my next move.All the help i can get will go a far wayin solving this problem

[tbomachines]

Did it sit for a while? Stuck calipers are dangerous...IMHO I would replace both with new/reman, you don't want it happening on a highway.

[04 Diesel]

Originally Posted by tbomachines

Did it sit for a while? Stuck calipers are dangerous...IMHO I would replace both with new/reman, you don't want it happening on a highway.

You are right, dont want to take a chance with that.

[lanny]

no guys. the car has been driven almost everyday and all of a sudden the brakes started acting up.when i bleed the brakes at times there is no fluid coming out and I"m thinking now it could be the anti-lock system at fault.right at this time the left front brake is still binding. could i just disable the unit by taking out the relays?and would that alleviate the problem.thanks a million.

[lanny]

also guys i forgot to mention that the brake pedal got stiff at times under braking with no braking of the car.

[d.delano]

24-year old brake hoses

[JohnM.]

Originally Posted by d.delano

24-year old brake hoses

Sounds like the symptoms.

[Ferdman]

lanny, before arbitrarily replacing the calipers open the bleed fitting on each one and check if the piston(s) will retract easily. If so, the calipers are OK and the brake hoses are causing the restriction. Regardless, if the brake hoses are original it's time to replace all 4, then bleed the brake system per the following sequence: RR, LR, RF, LF. Best to use a pressure bleeder rather than the 2-person method (pressing on the brake pedal, closing the bleed fitting, releasing the brake pedal, etc.) because you're liable to damage the master cylinder.

[lanny]

thanks for ur input.the front brake lines were changed sometime ago,so thats out.the pistons retract into the calipers with a little force which is normal.right now my thinking is the master cylinder is a fault.this i will try to replace as soon as i can.

[timmyr]

hey guys,

i have a similar brake problem, and could use some advice.

the front drivers side wheel on my W124 locks up/binds especially in snowy/wet road conditions. i researched the problem a bit, and figured that the problem must be the brake hose, so i replaced it with a new ATE brake hose, but the problem still exists.

ADDITIONAL INFO: 1) replaced pads about 6months ago(textar); 2) inspected discs with a dial indicator to make sure they arent warped; 3)replaced brake fluid 2x ; 4) the caliper seems to retract normally(seal doesnot look damaged) ; 5) kind of weird, but i thought i'd mention it... every morning when i pull the car out of the garage and apply the brake i notice that the brake pedal travel increases by an inch or two on the first stop, the brake pedal travel shortens/returns to normal for all subsequent braking.

what should i look at next? is there some sort of pressure valve for the front wheels? could this be an abs sensor problem or is the master cylinder at fault?

sorry to the op if i am threadjacking,but i figured we have a similar problem. lanny, did you ever sort out this problem?