Brakes problems

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Rgod
Confirmed BX'er
Posts: 38
Joined: Sun Jul 19, 2009 5:14 pm
Location: Isreal

Brakes problems

Post by Rgod »

My right wheel brake is rubing the new disc that i changed,the problem is that some times the brake gets caught and after some times their is a lot of smoke,i have been told that i need to change the piston thats braking their,is this the problem or could be something else,in the left wheel its not doing this .
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MULLEY
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Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Derbyshire
My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
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Post by MULLEY »

Not being an expert, but it sounds like the caliper is seized. Best bet as a temporary cure is to take the wheel off, take the brake pads (either take a picture or make sure you remember how the metal brake clips fit onto the pads) & disc off. Then try pushing on the caliper to move it towards the bodywork. It should be relatively smooth & easy to push.

If it doesnt move at all, get some wd40 or something similar, spray it on the metal sliders that are coverd by the rubber bits on the end, then to free the caliper use a large hammer on the caliper to knock it as per above. Once it starts to move, use more wd40 on the sliders & use your hands to move the caliper backwards & forwards. Continue to do this until it moves quite easily.

Next step is to get some grease to replace the wd40 (might be an idea to wipe off any residue thats been left) & then work the caliper backwards & forwards again. Once youre satisfied that they feel quite smooth to push backwards & forwards just put the disc back on & the brake pads.

You'll probably find that there doesnt appear to be enough room to re-fit the pads. Not to worry, when looking at the caliper you should see a metal disc (its the piston) with some prongs on it, use a large flatbladed screwdriver to wind it around so that it retracts back into the caliper to make enough room to re-fit the pads. If its really stiff, just use a hammer on the screwdriver to help it move, you dont need to hit it really hard, just a firm tap should do it. You may find that once it starts to move, you can just use your strength to move it with the screwdriver. If not continue to tap it around until its wound in.

Once everything is back together, just pump the brake pedal a few times with the engine running to get the piston to connect with the pads. Check to make sure that the handbrake doesnt need adjusting, i presume you know how to do this?

What i found is that if i continue to use the handbrake, it can still seize up, so i just leave the car in gear instead of using the handbrake.

This is a temporary repair, as the sliders may well need to either be replaced with a kit or sanded down if they are pitted. I found it cheaper to just buy a new caliper than get the actual repair kit.

Hope that helps? Or alternatively take it to a garage :lol:
2002 C5 2.0 HDI Estate - Jasmine - Now SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - My daily
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired.
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN

I'm not just a username, i'm also called Matthew.
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