So it has taken a month, and I have exhausted the online parts catalogs for the rear brake pads for this car. IPD sent me their Girling rear pads, and they are way longer than what comes out of this car. The rear calipers have the logo with the arm gripping the circle- so Girling.
The pad that came out is 2 3/16" deep and 2 1/2" long.
That pad has a Volvo logo and these numbers- DB 862 EE And then 4462.01
Anybody with any clues?
Thanks!

Don't use any cleaners or oillls. Only use garden hose with full force. Brake fluid is soluble in water. If there is oil or grease build up on exterior use can of brake clean before dismantling

So to summarize so far-
This could be internal clogging or degradation of the hoses, or sticky pistons.
And the process is replace the hoses- relatively simple but expensive (six hoses!)
and see.
Or rebuild the calipers- more dirty and detailed, and the parts aren't cheap when you can find them, or they are far away (at least from California) and see.

Along with the possibility that it will take all of this to get good working brakes.

So it seems like the hoses are pretty available- lots of sources on RockAuto, but rebuild kits not so much.

And it looks like the web wisdom is clean everything and use penetrating oil/chemicals before taking anything apart.

Again, any favorite suppliers/vendors?
Thanks!
Patrick

If you do the calipers yourself dont split them. Nearly all fixed calipers will leak at the quad ring even when new rings are used. Google Girling fixed calipers for details on o/haul, they are not difficult.

...when the bleed valve is open, the pads can be levered away from the disc..."

Aside from possibly needing new hoses, if you have to "lever" the pads away from the rotors when the bleeders are open, then it sounds like the pistons are sticking. Once the pedal is released (or the bleeders opened if the hoses are restrictive) the pads should float off of the rotor on their own and allow the wheel to spin freely (except for a very minor amount of hit-and-miss expected pad/rotor contact).


"...the right front caliper had one pad worn to an angle and it seems wedged..."

I'm trying to recall how those girling calipers are configured. Do they not have double pistons on each half of the caliper for a total of 4 on each wheel? If so, it sounds like one piston is sticking while its neighbor is moving freely which is causing uneven pressure on the pad, resulting in the pad wearing unevenly.

It sound like you need to flush the system out and rebuild/replace at least some of the calipers, if not all four. If, after all this, the pads still won't retract when releasing the pedal but will when opening the bleeder, you can delve into the hose replacement. Or maybe just bite the bullet and go ahead and do it. Those hoses are likely 2013-1971= 42 years old.