Brake caliper guide pins not seated properly

[Ceylon Chen]

Hi guys, I recently ran into an issue where one of my rear brake’s guide pins on my Dodge Charger is not moving as bouncily as the other pin (given that they are all properly cleaned and lubed), and I think that it has something to do with either too much air trapped inside or no air is inside that creates a vacuum maybe? To be more specific, they do not sit on the same height level where one pin is higher than the other one. The higher one is very bouncy like if you pressed it down and released it, it would bounce right back up fast, and the rubber boot looks extended/stretched; while the other one is not as bouncy like if you pressed it and released it, it would only bounce a little bit (sometimes won’t even bounce if you do it for many times in a row). But, if you pull the pin in and out and in and out, it definitely has no problem sliding due to lubrication. I am just not sure which pin is the good one or the bad one… I thought that the one that is not bouncy is probably the bad one, but now I think the bad one is probably the bouncy pin after watching many videos for comparisons. I saw one of Eric’s videos that you would need to pull and hold the rubber boot while sliding the pin back into the boot in order to allow air to escape (like burping the air out)? If that’s the way to do it, then I think the bouncy pin probably has too much air trapped inside? What are your thoughts? Thanks.

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[Richard Kirshy]

Both pins should be fully seated in their holes.
My suggestion:
Remove the pins, clean both the pins and the pin guide holes completely.
Apply a thin coating of brake grease to each pin.
reinstall and air burp the pin boot.

[Ceylon Chen]

Great, thanks for the clarification! I did not know that they have to be seated fully inside the caliper holes, looks like the one that bounces back has too much air trapped inside.

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