I just finished a front brake job, and took it for a test drive. When I got I could smell the brakes. My right front rotor was blue from the heat.

 

I took the tire off, and the hot rotor had play, when I bolted the tire back on the brakes are dragging? Could it be a bad caliper, where piston is not all of the way in?

Yup, or seized slider pins where the bolts hold the caliper to the bracket.

I just finished a front brake job, and took it for a test drive. When I got I could smell the brakes. My right front rotor was blue from the heat.

Did you use Brake & Caliper Grease in all the right places?

Right, you often can't just 'pad slap' used cars. At the minimum the sliders must be serviced, and sometimes, pushing the caliper pistons back into the bore, will make them seize up if they had any rust around the bore (which you can't really see).

I just finished a front brake job, and took it for a test drive. When I got I could smell the brakes. My right front rotor was blue from the heat.

 

I took the tire off, and the hot rotor had play, when I bolted the tire back on the brakes are dragging? Could it be a bad caliper, where piston is not all of the way in?

 

can you be more specific about everything you did in you 'brake job'? pads only? rotors and pads? new hoses?

 

is the problem on one side only?

 

also, did you put on different wheels?

Right, you often can't just 'pad slap' used cars. At the minimum the sliders must be serviced, and sometimes, pushing the caliper pistons back into the bore, will make them seize up if they had any rust around the bore (which you can't really see).

 

 

This happens

I got a new caliper, and it looks like the old needed about 1/8" more compression. So even though the caliper was loose on the rotor, bolting the wheel on tried to compress it more into the caliper. Let's hope this it, I'm half way through installing it, and it raining

I got a new caliper, and it looks like the old needed about 1/8" more compression. So even though the caliper was loose on the rotor, bolting the wheel on tried to compress it more into the caliper. Let's hope this it, I'm half way through installing it, and it raining

 

 

???

 

you replaced the inner and outer pads, were able to slip the caliper back over the rotor, and the wheel still hit the caliper?

 

If anything, a piston that won't retract should create MORE clearance for the wheel.

 

I think I'm missing something here.

Sounds like seized slider pins weren't letting the caliper move over enough. When the rotor was loose on the hub it could center itself in the caliper, when the wheel was bolted down it was pressing against the inboard pad because the caliper couldn't move over.

^^ I'd agree with that theory, especially if it's a gt/outback with the dual piston brakes. The slide pins on those always seize up in the rustbelt.

Sounds like seized slider pins weren't letting the caliper move over enough. When the rotor was loose on the hub it could center itself in the caliper, when the wheel was bolted down it was pressing against the inboard pad because the caliper couldn't move over.

 

excellent.

 

bet that's it.

The new caliper fixed it! The dual pistons needed to go back in about 1/8" more. The sliders were good, and I reused the slider without re-building it. This was very weird because I never thought to test the rotation of the wheel after the tire was installed.