2009 Vibe parking brake sticking on rear disc brake

Discuss any problems, warranty, repair, or replacement issues you are having with your Vibe & Matrix
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justaskin
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2012 9:11 am

2009 Vibe parking brake sticking on rear disc brake

Post by justaskin »

In the spring I discovered my rear brake pads (2.4L, 4 wheel disc brakes) were worn out, mostly on the passenger side. At the same time I noticed the parking brake was staying on for the passenger side. The cable was retracting fine but the return arm at the caliper wasn't sliding back.

I changed the pads but not the rotors because the parts supply store (Canadian tire) sold me the wrong size rotors.

At the same time I used some penetrating oil to free up the parking brake lever, which then seemed to work fine.

A month later on a hot day I stopped at a store and noticed a tiny bit of smoke coming off that wheel. Probably from the brake shim lubricant I'd applied. I guessed the parking brake was back to sticking and I was overheating the brake.

On the rear disc brake the parking brake is integrated into the brake cylinder so I assume I'll have to change the entire caliper.

I stopped using the parking brake at that point and found out Canadian Tire no longer carried that caliper. Since I was leaving for the summer I told my kids to avoid using the parking brake and thought I'd just fix it in September.

When I returned after driving a Celica all summer I was surprised at how far down the brake pedal travels on the Vibe, but I can't remember if it always did this. Perhaps the sporty Celica just has touchy brakes and I got used to them. I'll bleed all four brakes just to be safe.

Today I went to Napa auto parts and was told that they have no rear caliper with an integrated parking brake for the Vibe listed in their computer. Same with the 2010 model. I asked them to check the Matrix and they found one. Fingers crossed it's the same because parts suppliers always seem to worry that parts won't match.

They seemed to think the rear brakes were swapped out for Matrix rear brakes sometime after the car was originally sold. That seems unlikely to me since I bought it from a new car dealer after it was returned from a 4 year lease. I wouldn't think leasers would modify a car and risk a problem at the end of their lease.

Did the Vibe come with 4 wheel disc brakes and Napa Canada's just missing this information or should I be investigating what's been swapped between my car and the Matrix?

Also, since I'm on here, any tips to R+R the caliper without changing it would save me a few $''s but on my own I'm left to assume I should simply swap it out for a new one.

Justaskin... cheers.
jolt
Posts: 945
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 2:07 am
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota

Re: 2009 Vibe parking brake sticking on rear disc brake

Post by jolt »

I just did the brakes on my 2009 Vibe base model with the 2.4L engine. Mine does have 4 wheel disc brakes. The rear calipers have integrated parking brakes. I just checked on line at Auto Zone and like you said with NAPA, they do not show the rear calipers with parking brakes. I then checked at Rock Auto parts and they show the proper caliper. You do have to be careful looking it up because the base model Vibe 2.4L takes different brakes then the 1.8L. Also the 2.4L base takes different rear calipers then the AWD and GT model Vibes. Another note is that the Vibe and the Matrix drive trains are the same for the most part so you have very good odds that the parts are going to work.

Picture of caliper from Rock Auto Parts: http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php ... cc=1442296

Listing of caliper at Rock Auto: http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/pont ... liper,1704

Here is listed as the rebuild kit for the rear base model caliper at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Centric-Parts-14 ... iac%3Avibe

NAPA does list the caliper rebuild kit too : https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/UBP2928
but they do not have rebuilt rear calipers listed for the Vibe

You may be better off rebuilding your own calipers because of the $95.00 core charge at Rock Auto. You have to pay the shipping on the core return and you may not get your core refunded if it does not meet these guide lines : http://www.centricparts.com/tech-suppor ... guidelines

R&R to me stands for remove and replace. I do not know what you are asking when you refer to R+R. I will also say that other then seals for the rear calipers, I could not find any other parts. So if the problem with your caliper is more then seal leakage, you are better off getting a rebuilt or new caliper. Brakes are a very important safety item in any car. It is not just your safety but everyone else on the roads safety too. A couple of hundred dollars is cheap compared to what it would cost you if someone got injured or killed.
Last edited by jolt on Sat Sep 09, 2017 4:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
justaskin
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2012 9:11 am

Re: 2009 Vibe parking brake sticking on rear disc brake

Post by justaskin »

Just finished the caliper replacement. Identical part, rebuilt from OEM, which even had matching numbers and stamps with the one I removed.

I was surprised at how tight I had to make the bolt connecting the brake line to caliper before it would stop weeping. Given the warnings about not overtightening the bolt into the aluminum casting, I just did it a little at a time.

I still don't think I've got the bleed screw tight enough on the new caliper. It seems to weep slightly after use. I guess I'll just have to keep tightening until it stops. Anyone know of the torque on these? I have torque wrenches in both ft-lbs and inch-lbs but I don't have the recommended torque values to know if I'm overtightening it.

One other issue I encountered was an inability to bleed the driver's side front brake. All others bled nicely with my son pumping the brake pedal. The driver's side screw turned but nothing came out.

Is this just a rusted closed screw or is there usually more to it than a simple replacement?

justaskin... cheers
jolt
Posts: 945
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 2:07 am
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota

Re: 2009 Vibe parking brake sticking on rear disc brake

Post by jolt »

Rear Brake Hose to Caliper Fitting (Base Model) 29 N·m 21 lb ft

Rear Caliper Bracket Bolts (Base Model) 63 N·m 46 lb ft

Rear Caliper Bolts (Base Model) 35 N·m 26 lb ft

Rear Park Brake Cable Bracket Bolts (Base Model) 6 N·m 53 lb in

Go to NAPA and pick up a new bleeder if you can not clean out your old one. There should have been rubber protective covers over the bleeders to keep them from getting dirty and rusted. Did you have the key on when bleeding? Try having the motor running when bleeding. Be sure to clean up old brake fluid with an alcohol flush so that it does not rust the brake parts like the bleeders.
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