front brake caliper problem or brake line issue?

[Shadowmeph]

how to tell if I am having a front brake caliper problem or brake line issue? this has been going on just barely over the past year. I dont do allot of driving just sort of hwy driving and know more then 20 Kms to work then home all other driving is very short distances . but yesterday I drove to my mothers to help her out a little and I took the freeway and notices a slight I guess hopping feeling the distance was maybe 8 Kms then i drove my otehrs around to do her stuff and when I drive home it felt a little like I was pushing the front end very very slight pull to the left and when braking very slightly a pull to the right barely noticeable. aslo I put my hand nears the roter and it was a little hot compared to the other side which was warm.
the calipers where replaced around 5 years ago last year I took my truck in to see the cost of getting the rears axle seal replace and the mech told me I needed a new caliper and said brakes were down gave me this whole spew about my brakes so I did them myself and on inspection the fronts were at at least 80% so I didnt take that mech serious ,also that shop went out of business within a few months after I was there.
so again I didnt take him serious.
back on topic how can I tell it is the caliper other the slide bolts sticking ( not sure of the name of those bolts that the caliper slides on) or a brake line I wont to fix it but I will be doing it alone also bleeding alone which I have never done but on youtube it looks pretty easy

 

[55trucker]

Put front end up on stands, remove wheels, manually try to rock the caliper by hand using the steel portion of the brake line, they should have a small amount of movement to them, remove the pin bolts, slip caliper away from rotor, are the sliders seized?.....one or both of them? .....if so service as necessary to free them up......... are the pistons seized? use a caliper piston retract tool to push them back into their bores, if they are seized they will not move freely (open the brake bleeder 1st when doing this).

When was the brake fluid last completely flushed?.......fluid will attract moisture as it ages....moisture = corrosion.

 

[Shadowmeph]

I think the system was completely flushed when the calipers where replaces around 4-5 years ago. I checked the sliders there were like new I cleaned and used new brake lube on them the brakes are very new so the caliper was pretty but all the way open. after I did this I took the truck out drove it for a while on the highway then on the side road I was doing hard braking and it was all good but again this is a intermittent thing after hard braking several times I drove took my hands of the steering wheel to see if there was any pulls and nothing that I could notice .
part of me is thinking I should look for a newer vehicle just not sure how many out there have fully manual transmissions and not to many extras . I am one of those people that think more accessories more possible problems hehe this truck doesn't even have electric windows which I like and also confuses my grand niece on what the handles are for

 

[Dirtman]

Pump the brake pedal a bunch of times and open a bleeder screw on the caliper. If fluid shoots out with pressure then you have a collapsed brake line. Repeat for the other side.

 

[55trucker]

I think the system was completely flushed when the calipers where replaces around 4-5 years ago.

Generally speaking dot 3 should be replaced every 3 years, it doesn't last forever, if you live in a higher humidity climate replace it even moreso often. I see your on the west coast, is that right in Vancouver? That area would be considered *high* humidity, much moreso than what we get here in the GTA.

 

[Shadowmeph]

hmm I never heard of that having to be changed every 3 years in my 40+ years of driving I have never had issues with moisture in the brake fluid and it becoming contaminated and I actually used to worked in a shop mind you I was more not doing brakes and doing other things and to be honest I think only once it has been changed out on purpose sure I have had to bleed full systems which pretty much pushed all the old fluid out but never heard of that . I know that some brake places push that . and I am not saying it isn't true but I would think it more years then 3. ok I am still waking up and a little grumpy before my coffee

 

[MikeG]

It gets browner and browner. You would be appalled at what it looked like coming out of my 97....

 

[Dirtman]

It gets browner and browner.

Eat more fiber.