2003 Vibe GT Brakes sticking - need help

[orestes107]

2003 pontiac vibe gt, 6 speed manual
rear disc brakes
front and back brake pads and rotors replaced about a year ago

So the other day my gf (her car) noticed a smell of brake dust while driving and when she parked the car there was smoke coming from the front driver wheel well.

I took the wheel off and checked the caliper and sure enough one of the slider pins was stuck in and was very dry. So I took off the other wheel and lubed all 4 slider pins which seemed to correct the problem.

Now she is noticing dragging and when she stopped heard a noise from the rear driver wheel which she described as sounding "electronic like something was moving in and out".

I have not had a chance to pull the wheels off to look yet but wanted some opinions on what it could be.

Could it just be that the rear caliper slider pins need lubed as well?

Could the parking brake (which hasn't worked well or much at all apparently) be stuck from when I pulled it to lift the front end? (She tried pulling it up and down several times but did not change anything)

Would there be anything electronic that could cause a sound at the wheel? (no abs light on and it may not even be electronic)

Any help would be great.

[Chiadog]

Need more careful trouble-shooting. Noise in rear possible ABS problem, though it's a long-shot.
Corroded parking brake cables always cause havoc! replace them (it).
Sticking calipers can be water contaminated brake fluid corroding caliper pistons in the bore.
good luck,

[orestes107]

So I took a look at it last night. I think the sound she was hearing was not electrical but just the sound from the metal "adjusting" after being extremely heated.

I jacked up the back end and tested both wheels for spin. The passenger side moved with ease but the driver's side was dragging significantly but I could still spin it. I took off the wheel and started loosening the 2 caliper bolts. Just loosening the bolts allowed me to spin rotor.

After taking off the caliper I decided to test the parking brake which did tighten the driver's side wheel after about 10 clicks but not the passenger side. The pads were worn and it was already late so I figured I would replace them over the weekend and also mess with the parking brake.

So I tightened the bolts back to about spec and put the wheel back on. It still spun easily so I tested the brakes. After testing the wheel was sticking except even worse this time. I loosened the bolts but it didn't help this time.

What would my next step be? Replace caliper, pads and rotors? Should I check anything else? Flush brake fluid completely?

With the parking brake, it should hold the passenger wheel as well correct? Should I try tightening that at the rotor and then adjust at the lever?

[orestes107]

Also, I forgot to ask/mention but should both metal sleeves for the bolts be removable? The bottom one came out but the top did not move. It seemed to be fixed but had the rubber boots? Is that correct or could that be my problem?

[Chiadog]

I have no experience with disc brakes on the rear or Anti-lock brakes. so maybe someone will correct me.
Dragging rear brake is generally either a parking brake problem or a corrosion problem in caliper or hardware. Much less likely is an ABS or master cylinder malfunction. You need to get your hands on a repair manual.
Good luck,

[orestes107]

Well I'm thinking it was never an issue with the ABS I just thought it might be considering how she described the sound. Since I could take off the caliper, spin the wheel, then pull the parking break which tightened up on the wheel I'm guessing it is just the caliper. Luckily found out the calipers are under warranty so I'm replacing them along with pads and rotors tomorrow.

Question though, I forgot to look yesterday but is the parking brake just supposed to work on the 1 wheel or both?

Also, anyone have a recommendation on repair manual? Chilton or Haynes? On advance auto website the Haynes says "Does not include information specific to all-wheel drive models, Matrix XRS models or Vibe GT models". Does that mean the rear disc brake problem wouldn't be in there? I guess I could look at the store but planning to buy online tonight.