Hayes Mechanical disc brake issue

[shankldu]

So I have every thing lined up ,but the issue is the pad wont retract and stays cockeyed n the chanel with one side constantly rubbing.the rotor . Befor u ask there is no amount of adjustment that can corect it .the issue is the aforementioned pad on the piston side I can take the wheel off push it bad into place w a tool but as soon as I pull the lever it gos cracked and.binds up against rotor any ideas?

[Bisquik]

Can you reverse the brake pads to see if the problem follows the pad or stays with the Piston side? If not, then you should replace the pad. Hopefully it's a pad issue.

[benb]

How old is it? The caliper could be corroded or the seal is shot. They have parts and rebuilt instructions if I recall correctly but it’s maybe just time to replace it?

This happened to a Hayes HFX set I had on my MTB after about 7 years of hard use, it was easier to just suck it up and get a new brake setup. Not very expensive and easier to install and setup. I got Hayes stoker brakes the second time around and they’ve been trouble free for another 6 years.

I talked to an engineer at Hayes about this and was advised not to use commercial brake cleaner even cycling specific. They said only isopropyl alcohol. I’ve been doing that on the second set and there’s been no sign of corrosion or sticking. The alcohol is super inexpensive too.

[shankldu]

just an update so if someone has a sim prob they can fix it , so I removed both pads and hit em w an electric wire wheel then used cycle specific grease in the caliper after cleaning them w aic and a rag. now they work better but also need to shim the rotor so its in the middle of the caliper as opposed to rubbing one side .