lazy left rear brake

Brake caliper piston is seized would be my first thought.

Thanks for the swift reply! I was thinking that but wanted to see if there might be other opinions. How would a seized piston be best remedied, buying a rebuilt g20 rear caliper? Rebuilding it with the kit from nissan?

i had the same issue with my right rear 2 years ago but it ended up being the slider was seized so i replaced the whole caliper with a used g20 one for less then a rebuild kit. your probly going to need a 10mil open ended brake wrench, 10,12,14,17mill and its takes 2 hours including brake bleeding if you get it the first time. If your gtir has abs its easiest to get the brake fluid done at a shop.

Section BR38 at around page 1800 in the nissan repair manual details the r&r fpr the rear disk brake caliper piston removal procedure if needed, and it seems relatively straightforward to DIY. You could do it yourself with medium mechanical skills and the manual likely.

http://www.gtirworkshopmanual.com/default.aspx?v=1800

A set of needle nose pliers to twist the pistons anticlockwise, maybe some snap ring removers and safety glasses, and a couple screwdrivers or picks to remove the seals would be needed as tools if you needed replace the piston. I wasted time not reading the manual; i didn't know enough to twist the pistons to move up or down unlike my german cars, go figure! lol

Maybe twisting it left and right back and forth might get yours moving freely again, but then it may then leak if it's scored or rusted in the cylinder and you have to repair it anyways later.

I've not up on pricing new, but at a guess you'll save tons on a rebuild kit or caliper.If the kits still can be had via a parts jobber with usdm nissan parts lists, all the better. I may be looking at a rebuild myself as brakes likely due in the springtime on mine.
*Good for the heads up on the abs fluid replacement best done professionally, my right rear sensor is done and i'll be wanting that fixed later.

Cool, thanks guys. I'll look into it when I get the chance. Seems I get to learn about different car components as they fail lol.

If you go the replacement route with a rebuilt caliper (I picked mine up at Part Source for $160 + core), keep in mind you need to order the OPPOSITE SIDE caliper for an Infinite G20... they fit reversed on our GTI-Rs. Cheers,
Ty

The rear calipers are the integral park brake type and servicing them was one of the first things I did to mine when I got it. It's also a good idea to use a small pocket screwdriver to break the dust boot loose too so it doesn't become twisted with the turning of the piston. Some manufacturers make a special tool to fit in the divots of the piston. Also make sure the divot lines up with the dowel on the pad before reinstalling them.

what year g20 is the same calipers??

You need the p10 generation '91-'96. I got around to changing mine last night, bought a rebuilt one from partsource. The slider bracket thing (not sure what to call it) is different on the g20 so remember to just switch it for your old one.

yeah I was wondering because I just changed both rear calipers. Used new p10 g20 replacements. The pad holder is 12mm closer to the hub, so it wont work without a spacer. Had to use the old one. Also, the caliper is slightly different. The ebrake mechanism is rotated so that the bracket the holds the cable in place on the caliper contacts the rear suspension link. The bracket has to be bent, and then it works perfectly.

Now I want to replace the E-brake cables. Anyone had any success sourcing these?

just out of curiousity do u still have the g20 pad holders

no put them back in the box with the calipers for core. why?

oh may have bought them off u its all good :)

you can't use them anyway? they need a spacer to fit on the pulsar.

I wouldn't even be totally comfortable having a spacer myself. Seems like it might be flimsy if not done right.

oh its not that i have other plans thats all :)

non gtir brake conversion?
I was wondering myself if you put a g20 caliper bracket on, if the other stuff would fit on then aka rotors.