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Front brake calipers sticking Posted by NCCaniac [Email]  (#352)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from NCCaniac) on Mon, 30 Mar 2026 07:57:51
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(Note I also have this thread being discussed on the Groups.io VSAAB mailing list, but posting again here to pull in other experts that may not follow that.)
As I had mentioned in earlier threads on this forum, I am having an issue with the front brake calipers not releasing on my '71 Sonett III and one theory was the old brake lines may have been collapsing inside causing the issue. So, I decided after 10 years of owning this Sonett (4th owner) that it was a good idea to replace the front rotors, calipers, pads, along with the brake lines.
Having not done a full brake job before, I hired a mechanic friend of mine to do the work. While he has not worked on V4 era Saabs before, he has lots of experience with classic VWs, Triumphs, his wife's C900 Commemorative Edition, as well as being a Honda/Acura master tech with his own shop.
He contacted me a few days ago saying that the front brakes were still locking up on a short test drive and not releasing. He removed the pads and calipers, and re-greased everything. He also thoroughly bled the brakes numerous times and nothing seems to be helping. He also adjusted the brake pedal free play with no luck. He says he can release the brake pressure at the lines coming out of the master cylinder and the front brake calipers release. So, before putting the blame on the brake master cylinder and a rebuild, is there anything else to try/check? Could it be the cross-connection of the brake systems (front left to back right, etc.) not being bled in the proper sequence that is the problem? The rear brake lines were also replaced along with new rear brake shoes.
The master brake cylinder was rebuilt by the previous owner of this Sonett (10+ years ago) and had been working fine until last fall when the brake sticking issue first showed up before I put the Sonett to bed for the winter. Having no idea how old the front calipers were, I had assumed that they might be the cause, hence the new ones.
_______________________________________ 1971 Sonett III (since 2010) 2000 9-3 5-door (since new) 2008 9-5 2.3T SportCombi (since 2014)
, Mon, 30 Mar 2026 07:57:51 <-- Viewing This Message
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