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If that's the case, a proper cleaning of the area would to the job?
What about large collections of dirt, mainly brake dust, partially mixed with ice and such.
I lived in Minnesota for the better part of 20 years. 25-30 below zero was not at all uncommon. I never had any brake problems due to the cold.
Regarding the good cleaning... Yeah, a good cleaning will often take care of the problem. But by good cleaning, I'm talking about completely disassembling everything, possibly using WD40 to loosen stuck parts, then steel wool and brake cleaner to get everything cleaned out.
It's not a matter of just spraying some cleaner on it.
Bottom line... Are you absolutely sure this brake is dragging? Or do you just kind of think it might be?
Bottom line... Are you absolutely sure this brake is dragging? Or do you just kind of think it might be?
Oh, no it was definitely dragging before I cleaned the car, after I haven't heard (other than for about 1-2 secs) two times as I went off the brakes, but it stopped, and I haven't felt it either, prior to the wash, you could feel it sometimes (didn't coast/keep speed well) and most definitely heard the damn racket.
The only way to check it is to remove the wheel and inspect the caliper for proper operation... If you dont want to do this or cant your option is to hope it fixes itself and doesnt cause an accident if it fails or park the car,,Its up to you. When it comes to brakes you shouldnt take chances and try to guess what the problem is without knowing..
I lived in Minnesota for the better part of 20 years. 25-30 below zero was not at all uncommon. I never had any brake problems due to the cold.
Yeah even in the midwest it gets on the cold side and never really had any issues with brakes simply because it was cold.
But...do you you ever have issues with brakes from excessive ice/slushy road gunk/sand/salt/whatever the hell else they put on the road getting on the rotor/caliper...possibly causing poor caliper function? It doesn't snow a great deal here in comparison to the great white North of Minnesota so I'm just asking.
I have to go back to my original advice - first get the car inside some sort of garage, jack up the offending wheel and remove the road wheel. Take a look at the caliper. See how bad it's dragging.
Now, step hard on the brake, and release. Is it worse or the same? Can you turn the disc with hand pressure? Or is it stuck to the point that you can't turn it?
If it's the same, and you can turn the disc with your hand, you just have excessive drag between the brake piston and it's cylinder. I have frequently found this on cars that have been in storage for a while, and usually pushing the pads back a little and pumping them back out as I described earlier will free things up. Do keep an eye for any fluid leaks, that may already be there and might possibly arise while you are doing this. If you see brake fluid, you are going to have to rebuld the caliper at least. You really should rebuild both calipers if you rebuld one. The rebuild kits come in pairs.
If you have this situation, if you can bleed some new fluid into the system, it will probably help and not likely to hurt anything. Done properly (get a shop manual) you won't ever get air in the system, it's not that hard.
2nd possibility - you can't turn the rotor by hand - either from the beginning, or after you step hard on the brake. If it's good and stuck only after you step on the brake, it's very likely the brake hose, you will need to at least bleed some fluid under pressure (stepping on the brake pedal can provide the pressure) or more likely replace the hose. You can verify this by just barely opening the bleed valve on that caliper, if it's the hose you will get a little fluid and the rotor can be turned after that.
If it's stuck from the beginning, and you can't turn the rotor even if you crack open the bleed valve, you have a "real" seized caliper, at *this point* you are pretty well stuck with rebuild of the whole system.
The only way to check it is to remove the wheel and inspect the caliper for proper operation... If you dont want to do this or cant your option is to hope it fixes itself and doesnt cause an accident if it fails or park the car,,Its up to you. When it comes to brakes you shouldnt take chances and try to guess what the problem is without knowing..
As far as I can tell the only accident it can cause is me not getting home from school...
If it locks while driving (completely seizes on) I'll just get on the brakes to get the forces more evenly.
Thanks for all the advice M3 Mitch, it is useful, though hard to accomplish. I'll try the car tomorrow, one more long trip, if it starts, I won't have much choice other than repair facility, as there's really no garage I can use for it.
Yeah even in the midwest it gets on the cold side and never really had any issues with brakes simply because it was cold.
But...do you you ever have issues with brakes from excessive ice/slushy road gunk/sand/salt/whatever the hell else they put on the road getting on the rotor/caliper...possibly causing poor caliper function? It doesn't snow a great deal here in comparison to the great white North of Minnesota so I'm just asking.
That's kinda hard to say, but basically I'd say "No." For instance, salt & sand are going to get rubbed off the rotors immediately, so that's never an issue.
I have had - a time or two - caliper bolts that were rusty. But I'm not sure if that was because of the salt & crap, or just typical of driving in the real world.
We get a lot of it, to the point where you have to rinse off the wheels to avoid it freezing on there and messing up the balance.
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