So, the van is totally in my name and legit now.. happy day. I drove around today, when I pulled into my parking lot, I hear this awful grinding sound..
I knew it was the brakes.. so I pulled off the wheel on the driver's side and took a look.. there was NO PAD ON the inside pad at all. Metal on metal.
So.. I bought two new rotors and new pads for the front. Cheapies, because I don't intend to have this van for TOO long, and I'm broke.
Anyways, I changed out the pads and everything on the driver's side and drove around my parking lot, and I heard this sound every tire rotation or so(whether i'm braking OR NOT), it's hard to describe.. and then I heard a sound similar to if you tried to back up with your parking brake on, it would come on as I came to a stop or started to go forward.
I have no Brake light on, and my pedal builds up pressure if you press it while the car is off, then slowly goes all the way to the floor when it is on.
Any ideas on this one? I followed Autozone's how-to exactly, plus, this wasn't my first time changing disc brakes (just the first time on the van).
Old rotor:
shows grooves dug into it
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l211/protegechris/brake%20pads%20on%20van/CIMG5868.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l211/protegechris/brake%20pads%20on%20van/CIMG5873.jpg
Old brake pads:
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l211/protegechris/brake%20pads%20on%20van/CIMG5866.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l211/protegechris/brake%20pads%20on%20van/CIMG5865.jpg
new setup:
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l211/protegechris/brake%20pads%20on%20van/CIMG5870.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l211/protegechris/brake%20pads%20on%20van/CIMG5871.jpg
00molavi
03-24-2008, 06:32 PM
I will make sure the piston is not stuck or almost stuck. Do the wheels/rotors get really hot after a short drive? By the way do you have ABS, I ask because I have not worked on a car with ABS yet and have heard that instead of pushing the piston back you have to open the bleeding valve and then push the piston back so that you don't push dirty oil in the ABS pump.
protegechris
03-24-2008, 09:35 PM
I will make sure the piston is not stuck or almost stuck. Do the wheels/rotors get really hot after a short drive? By the way do you have ABS, I ask because I have not worked on a car with ABS yet and have heard that instead of pushing the piston back you have to open the bleeding valve and then push the piston back so that you don't push dirty oil in the ABS pump.
I redid them today with proper lighting, and it was a lot easier. They don't get too hot, and the pistons aren't stuck but they *are* worn. One actually had part cracked off (though still functioning with the broken piece kind of.. just lodged into place)
I have ABS. I don't think I've properly bled the system because the brake fluid is full but the pedal still sinks to the floor, unless I press it REALLY fast, really hard. . and it wasn't like that before.
After about 60 miles of driving today, the brakes squeal when coming to a stop sometimes, as they do when your pads are worn down. What would cause this, any opinions?
protegechris
03-27-2008, 10:09 PM
Let me update this one.
The squealing is obnoxious. Both sides, not present when FIRMLY pushed.. however that's not my braking style.. also, after about 15 miles, 7 or 8 being stop and go, even TAPPING the lugnuts results in a burn, and you can feel the heat radiating from the wheel. I don't know if that's normal or not.. but I'm pretty positive the calipers aren't sticking, I jacked it up and the wheel turns, had a friend push the brakes.. it stops. Released, it turns.. Lug nuts are too hot to touch.. even momentarily.
I believe these issues are being caused by the cheeeap pads I bought. 13.99, the cheapest SEMI-METALLIC pads at autozone (I was broke with I bought them.. now I'm not). I used brake grease on everything, but it simply WON'T go away. I've put almost 200 miles on them since about 2 or 3 days ago.
Are these issues simply because of the cheap pads? And if so.. should I expect it to go away, or should I just bite the bullet and buy better pads (recommendations appreciated)?
protegechris
03-28-2008, 09:52 AM
Update again:
Passenger side is a bit cooler, but still very hot. I still need to bleed the brake lines, but .. still can't find a suitable hose.
Rear wheels are completely cold to the touch.. I suspect this is the issue.. how do I inspect/adjust them?
XDGT03
03-28-2008, 11:05 AM
I'm not sure I understood everything. Did you change the rotors and pads on both sides? Is the piston of a caliper cracked? Are you sure about that? You are getting squeaking from the pads when lightly pressing the brakes? The drivers side seems to be getting very hot? Is that the side with the cracked caliper piston?
Did you use the antisqueal stuff on the pads? If not then that is the squeal problem. You can also use a bunch of brake grease for that.
If the caliper piston is cracked then that needs to be replaced. Under pressure the cracked part of the piston will shift.
Those cheap pads are the worst. I've used them as a stop gap measure before. They are horrible.
Where did all the brake fluid come from? Is that what is on the ground?
protegechris
03-28-2008, 11:39 AM
I'm not sure I understood everything. Did you change the rotors and pads on both sides? Is the piston of a caliper cracked? Are you sure about that? You are getting squeaking from the pads when lightly pressing the brakes? The drivers side seems to be getting very hot? Is that the side with the cracked caliper piston?
Did you use the antisqueal stuff on the pads? If not then that is the squeal problem. You can also use a bunch of brake grease for that.
If the caliper piston is cracked then that needs to be replaced. Under pressure the cracked part of the piston will shift.
Those cheap pads are the worst. I've used them as a stop gap measure before. They are horrible.
Where did all the brake fluid come from? Is that what is on the ground?
The side with the cracked piston is the passenger side, which is performing a little better as far as temperature and squeal goes, oddly. I assume replacing the piston requires replacing the entire caliper?
I used a ton of the antisqueal stuff.. and I went back and added more after the first day. I'm going to return the pads on my next day off. The pads were veeeeery old/brittle/cracked.. so I'm willing to bet that the rear shoes are in horrible condition.
All the brake fluid came from the bleeder valve, which squirted it out everytime I applied pressure to force the piston back. I replaced the quantity lost through the reservoir.
monkeywrench06
04-01-2008, 09:02 AM
As XTGT03 said, the squealling under light braking pressure is most likely just a lack of antisqueal compound on the backs of the pads. Next time lightly coat the areas where the pads contact the piston and the caliper with this antisqueal compound, or antiseize - available at Autozone/Pepboys.
The wheel getting hot almost definitely due to the caliper seizing or partially seizing - not fully releasing the pressure when you let off the brakes. It is definitely not caused by cheap pads or rotors. You need to rebuild or replace the caliper. Rebuilt calipers are not that expensive - $30-$40 typically.
