Last night I tried to change the pads on my rear brakes. After pulling the outboard pad out from the right rear caliper, I noticed the lower portion of the dust boot holding the piston was torned. The rotor was scored with some rust on the outer edges. The left rear rotor was fine. My question is: Is the right caliper partially seized? (I can still push the piston in with a C-clamp). Do I need a new caliper (may be a rebuilt one and how much would it cost)? If I change the right rotor, do I need to change the left rotor too? Any advice would be appreciated.

Rotors are reasonably cheap, so I would replace both. The caliper with the torn boot will need to be replaced, just that one, not both.
Replacing the rear rotors is a good time to inspect the rusty parts of the parking brake and replace a few of those parts and grease everything up.

Klaus
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(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)

ONLY the boot if the caliper is not seized.

Also as a rule, calipers are replaced in pairs, because if one goes then the other side goes soon.

BUT I believe you can buy the boot and replace only the boot.

cn

I agree, for safety, replace calipers in pairs. These are brakes, they are for your safety, don't try to cut costs here! The exception would be if they were only a year or two old and one failed permaturely or something tore one of the boots. Another suggestion: replace the rubber brake lines while you are doing the calipers. More cheap insurance against materials failure.

- brake hose lasts about 10 yr or so.
(In my 1983 bmw 735, I changed the brake hose after 20 yrs at which time they start to crack).

- Don't forgte your house, plumbing water hose (rubber) only lasts 10 yrs or so. I have a friend who incurred $20K damage in the house because the washing machine rubber hose bursted while he was on vacation!
Check ALL plumbing hoses that are rubber after 8-10 yrs (below sink, toilet, washing machine etc.)

cn,
Usually if the boot is torn, there is enough dirt inside to warrant a rebuild or severe cleaning. It is easier and cost justifiable to just get a new caliper. They do not need to be replaced in pairs.
Eventhough the piston can be forced back with a C clamp, that is a lot more pressure than a brake pad would have. He was dragging the pad against the rotor for a long time.

Klaus
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(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)

if torn last week, sure replace the boot ONLY. But if it has been torn for 1-2 yrs then replace the caliper.

I am not convinced that he has a seized caliper.
A little rust is normal on the outer edges, where there is no friction with th pads. Typically rust happenes at:
-edge of rotor
-the outer 2-3 mm of the rotor surface

Sometimes what appears to be a seized caliper turn out to be a dry guide pin (lack of lubrication). Happened to me! Lubricated and all is fine.

However it is only $37.81 per rebuilt caliper at autohausaz.com.

It is Louis choice.

cn

Your right caliper will work but if you drive in places that are dusty, like say the earth for example, then that caliper will fail faster and your caliper will seize. If your going for cheap then go for a single rotor replacement. You really won't notice much change in braking performance. I like to replace brakes and as a set and rotors as a set. If one needs it, it's likely that the other one will to. As for the caliper, you'll probably just need to replace just the one. Again if one has failed the other may fail soon after. If you've got a little money and time, it may be worth to do a complete overhaul of your braking system.
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'98 XC '95 855 GLT '83 245 DL (245 for sale! e-mail me if your looking to buy); All over 125k miles

Thanks guys for all the advice. I will replace the caliper and both rear rotors in a few weeks. Will let you know how it goes.

Louis H