my dart sat all winter and now the driver side caliper is sticking bad. I tried using a clamp and pushing the piston back down into the caliper but it will only go in if I loosen the bleeder screw , then it goes in easy. I did this a couple times but it still sticks unless I open the bleeder screw and let off the pressure.
any ideas?

Collapsed brake hose, restricting flow back into the m/c.

never had that happen before. but the lines are 23 years old.
if it were a messed up caliper the piston would not go back in even after I opened the bleeder screw, right?

I agree with Mark, and you are right, if the caliper was stuck, breaking the bleeder would not free it.

Jess

Pull both calipers, & disassemble them. Sandblast the castings & check out the bore & the pistons. If the bores are crusty, you can probably hone them & clean everything up, buy new pistons & rings if needed - very cheap, & VERY easy to do. Then paint everything & reassemble. I rebuilt mine for my AAR & both pistons were stuck in place, so I hit each one with a blow-gun to the inlets but made the mistake of not holding a towel over the pistons. One shot-out & hit my garage ceiling & blew fluid all over. Duh!

Are we talking about a single piston caliper or the 4 piston Kelsey Hayes calipers? I would think that a 70 A-body would be a 4-piston one unless it was changed out to a single one.

23 year old brake rubber lines are overdue for replacement anyhow.

Change the hoses 1st then rebuild later if necessary.

the front suspension is from a 73 dart sport. its a single piston. I replaced the brake hose on the sticking caliper and it does not stick now.
I put about 3 miles on it and pulled back in the garage and both of the front brakes were tight but not locked up. I don't remember them being that tight before.

my exp with the single piston ones is that they vary alot in how far the square ring/tolerances etc will retract the piston therefore how much drag you see at rest. rebuilt calipers are cheap & pretty dependable. I'd consider getting another pair of parts house rebuilt calipers. that's what I did on my last deal & the drag was halved. it'll never be close to being free/as you know its the nature of the beast.

After a normal drive you should be able to keep your hand on the wheel. If you cant because its too hot your caliper is excessively applied- sticking. Great news is calipers are very affordable. Ive rebuilt calipers too- its easy and fun but sometimes its just nice to take one off and pit one on!

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web/Par...chedFrom=header

they are dragging too much for sure. I drove it to church this morning and when I got home and pulled in the garage i could really tell they were tight. when i jack it up it takes a lot of muscle to turn the wheels.
it only does this after i drive it a few miles. when its just sitting in the garage over night i can jack it up and the wheels spin free even after i jump in the car and push the brake pedal hard a few times they don't stick, its only when i am out driving it. i don't know if they get hot and then they stick some how.
i might just go ahead and get new pistons and seals and rebuild them. never done that before but seems like a good time to learn.

take a cheap screwdriver and heat it & bend the tip to a 45 angle & use it to clean out the square o ring groove in the bore. use a rubber tipped air nozzle and a helper to expand the boot so you can (much easier) get the piston started going in. EDIT I reread your post & it might be a psi issue, ain't sure

Turned out the master cylinder was the problem. I rebuilt it and it was all Good. And still works good 7 years later.