I replaced the front brake pads on my Ranger today. It started grinding suddenly yesterday. Thought I'd broke a pad but nope. However, when I removed them, the inner one on the driver's side was gone while the other 3 were only about half worn, if that. I replaced them last year about this time.

Does this mean my caliper is shot? Or sticking? Is there a way to fix it without replacing it? And can I drive it with a spent caliper and just replace the pads as needed?

Thanks in advance if anyone knows. My brother's not answering his phone and I'm not the most patient person.

What do your rotors look like? Are they groved and worn? I would check those along with the calipers. Your roters, if still ok, you might be able to get away with having them turned.

Yes you may have a sticky caliper on that side which is not releasing completely. It could be one or both of the pins are rusty or bent. Or the caliper itself is stuck. Some can be disassembled and rebuilt.
No I would not suggest driving with a stuck caliper as it can warp the rotors.

And yes it's a good idea to get the rotors turned.

The calipers sometimes stick when dirt gets into the sliders and traps moisture which in turn causes rust. Taking the caliper off and cleaning it will both expose the problem and cure it. Sometimes the piston sticks and the caliper need to be rebuilt. I replace the calipers with rebuilt ones when I change pads due to the abuse I give my Jeep. (high water here I come).

Even if all you plan to do is replace the pads, it is a good idea to clean everything with brake cleaner. Clumps of brake dust can fall into the pad and cause problems.

The rotors are fine. I checked 'em and no grooves or major wear. Was pretty sure it was the caliper but unclear as to what that meant exactly. I'll try cleaning 'em if I burn right through that pad again, or have 'em replaced with rebuilts if necessary. That's a harder job than I can handle in my driveway.

Thanks for the responses. Much appreciated!

If you can change the pads yourself you can change a caliper.

Just undo the brake line replace the caliper and bleed it.

I would also purchase a hardware kit !Cheap insurance.The pins can become rusty and or bent as was already mentioned but it does sound more like a caliper problem.I had all kinds of problems with ford calipers over the years .

No, it sounds like it may be a master cylinder problem. Hows the level? You might have to regrease the pins, but make sure you have new ones near by or you may paint yourself into a corner...

Level's fine. Regrease the pins? Does that mean I'll need to do a lube job? 'Cause I'm way outta practice.

Not sure I have the proper tools. My brother said something about it being way more complicated than that because it's a 2003, newer truck so it's not like the old days when you could be a backyard mechanic. If it was just unbolt the thing and replace it, I could swing it but from what he said, it's not that easy.

Oil change, brake pads, minor repairs I can handle. It's not like I could swap out the engine or drop a transmission or anything. Hell, I don't even know the proper terminology for most things. I just call my bro, usually with "you know that little round thingy that sticks out of the big square thingy?.." questions. He's good at translating Kristyese though.

He meant grease the slider pins for the shoes .Grtease them as it will help the calipers !

Thank you. I knew what he meant. I was joking with him but I appreciate your advice none the less.

See if any of these help...

http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_441_tips-change-brake-pads.html

NEVER "grease" brake pins, keep them dry & smooth. Grease attracts dirt & will cause a caliper to hang. Get a manual & read it. If you can change pads, with a little study you can fix this problem.
Glad to see a lady wrench.

Nope.... this is not that kind of grease... it is specially made just for brakes.... doesn't attract dirt....

Wish I was handy with cars!! I can do a few small things but, I can't change the break pads or oil. Mostly just replacing a bulb, checking oil, etc & adding to it when low. Now, if a car starts making a noise I can usually tell what's wrong with it from my ex husband. Just most of the time I never helped him or watched him make the repairs. Now, I wish I'd paid more attention!! But, I can lay tile & sheetrock!!

It sounds to me that your caliper is hanging up maybe not all the time but enough to keep that divers side from releasing faster than it should.If it was not releasing at all then you would likely notice a burning smell much like a clutch burning up as your brake shoes would be getting very hot.Even though brake shoes can last for years a dragging brake shoe can be worn out in a few days.You should also notice a hard pull to the left or right if one brake caliper is not working.It will pull the car in the direction the wheel is trying to stop.

Trying to fix a sticking caliper is usually a losing battle.You can try taking the brakes off and extending the caliper piston all the way out and squirting some WD-40 down the boot and letting it sit for a few minutes.Then you can extend and contract the piston many times wiping it down and re-oiling it to remove any dirt that may have gotten in there.You should not use grease or any heavy oil as this will just attract dust and dirt and ruin the seals.Bleeding the brakes is always a good idea and typically solves alot of brake problems.Check the brake pad pins that the pads slide back and forth on.It is not unusual for these to be bent or warped.A bent pin could be preventing the brake shoe from sliding all the way back and wearing it out faster than normal.These pins should also should not have heavy rust on them.If you have a wire wheel buffer buff them up shiny.

If you do think the caliper is bad and you are short on money you can pull one from a car at the junkyard.Replacing one is not a hard job but you will need to buy a bottle of brake fluid and bleed the brakes.

Maybe not now, but I bet you could learn (it's easy) and do them better than most guys do. Both front brakes and oil changes are very easy to do. Rear brakes are a little harder, but not much. Some cars have discs in the rear too, so they are easy all around. Not only that but just think of all the money you will save working on your own car

He's right. If you can turn a wrench or socket, you can do the oil change and brake pads once you're shown once. I can do the former in about ten minutes or less and the brake pads took me about an hour but only because one lug nut was stuck on! Each side only took about fifteen minutes, if that.

Isn't that always the case though...something inevitably has to be a pain in the arse. I had to hammer the end of the 4 way to get it to crack but I finally got it with a little help. The only thing that makes me nervous is working underneath a vehicle without someone around to watch me, but I use jack stands once I get it up with the floor jack most of the time.

Angel...the money is precisely why I try to do it myself if I can manage. Being a female, the price automatically goes up 25% when you walk in the auto shop door, I swear! They once tried to charge me $150 to replace a battery!!! I was like "Dude, I could put a Diehard with a lifetime warranty in for less than that in five minutes blindfolded with my hands tied behind my back. Give me a break!" I walked out with a free battery!

I've been struggling with a crappy car that something minor goes wrong constantly. Had to have my brother change a coil pack & it was 2 bolts to remove & replace & I didn't know how! lol I did bust the parklight out & knew how to replace that & get my signal light working again. Maybe I just need a nice looking guy to show me!!