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I have a 1998 Toyota Corolla 1,3L (EDM/JDM) that's developed an annoying and potentially expensive trait since I last used it (4 months ago, it's been driven regularly to prevent all the symptoms that comes when a car stands for too long).
The left front brake pad will stay/be slightly in contact with the brake disc (rotor), at worst it's possible to feel it decrease the car speed (though slowly) when coating, clutch engaged. Most times/at best, it'll make a hell of a lot of screeching sounds.
Obviously there's a lot of heat generated (I actually burnt my finger when touching the rotor for a split second), and I fear warping it.
A friend of mine suggested intensively washing the wheel and brakes, as he though dirt and ice (it's VERY cold at the moment, which affects nearly every feature of the damn thing, hehe) could be the reason it jams up. I did this, and it didn't make much sound after, nor can I really feel any abnormal retardation of speed when coasting, I have heard it squeak a couple of times though, and I haven't driven far.
Is there reason to think the washing took care of it, or would it just be the soap or chemical wash or even the water that hides the noise but doesn't alleviate the problem?
I did clean it very well, and left it in a heated garage (cleaning facility) for about 10-15 minutes after to let it dry/drip off some before driving and parking in the cold again.
Either way, any thoughts? If this hasn't taken care of it, what are the possible suspects? Could old brake fluid alone cause this, and only cause it on one side?
Thanks for any info.
PS. Neither the car nor me are currently in the US, so directly autoshop related tips etc. aren't useful for me, as well meant as they are.
which pad is sticking, the floating pad on the outside (closest to the outside of the car), or the one against the caliper piston? either way, it sounds like the brake caliper is hanging up. you can rebuild them, but a lot of times it's just easier to replace them. they're usually pretty cheap and it's an easy job.
oh, and even properly functioning brakes are hot after use. don't worry.
Frequently "exercising" the caliper - using a large flat-head screwdriver to lever (gently, carefully) the pads apart, or pry between the caliper and the disc - look at it carefully and you can see what moves and what does not - this does not take Schwarzengger-like strength to do, anyway you can push the pads off the disc, then pump the brake pedal, again not going beyond the normal travel, the pedal will feel pretty "loose" at first, do this a couple of cycles.
There is one other major possibility, that the flexible brake hose has degraded internally and made itself into essentially a check valve, you can identify this by (again, carefully) cracking open the brake bleeder valve (put some clear tubing on it first, direct the open end of the tube somewhere the brake fluid that may come out can go, like an empty jar). If you are getting the check valve effect, if you give the brake pedal a good hard push with the car on a jack and offending wheel off, then crack the valve, you will see a little bit of fluid come out, and the caliper will release.
If your brake fluid is old and dark, sometimes changing it will help this sort of thing.
Brakes are not where you want to be trying to save money. If you have a caliper hanging up, do a complete front brake job, including rebuilding/replacing the calipers and pads. If you don't know what you're doing, take it to an expert. Your family will be riding in that car...!
Brakes are not where you want to be trying to save money. If you have a caliper hanging up, do a complete front brake job, including rebuilding/replacing the calipers and pads. If you don't know what you're doing, take it to an expert. Your family will be riding in that car...!
Neither are they rocket science. If *one* dosen't know what he is doing, fine, *let him* head off to the stealer with his tail between his legs...A sticky caliper just does not justify the "full nuclear" response of, say, a pair of loaded calipers and new discs "while you are in there".
I have exercised calipers on cars and bikes many times and had good luck with it. I think the OP is experienced enough and a competent enough wrench that he can handle this simple mainteance/repair task.
As Stonewall Jackson put it: "Never take council of your fears"...
I had a streetrod have a caliper lock up on me once. It developed some heat alright! Fortunately I was near an autozone and they had a suitable replacement and I swapped it out in the parking lot.
which pad is sticking, the floating pad on the outside (closest to the outside of the car), or the one against the caliper piston?
oh, and even properly functioning brakes are hot after use. don't worry.
Mike
I'm not sure actually, and it's so freezing outside that any lengthy troubleshooting on the car itself is hard to get done. I don't have a garage, and I'd rather not get frostbite, lol.
As for replacing the caliper, I was hoping to avoid that, as the cost would be fairly high.
I know a rotor is warm after use, but when I can put my finger on the right one for 2-3 seconds before it starts getting uncomfortable, and the left one is so warm I got a tiny burnmark on my finger when touching it for a split second, I'd say it's geting a fair bit warmer than it should.
Quote:
Originally Posted by M3 Mitch
Frequently "exercising" the caliper - using a large flat-head screwdriver to lever (gently, carefully) the pads apart, or pry between the caliper and the disc - look at it carefully and you can see what moves and what does not - this does not take Schwarzengger-like strength to do, anyway you can push the pads off the disc, then pump the brake pedal, again not going beyond the normal travel, the pedal will feel pretty "loose" at first, do this a couple of cycles.
There is one other major possibility, that the flexible brake hose has degraded internally and made itself into essentially a check valve, you can identify this by (again, carefully) cracking open the brake bleeder valve (put some clear tubing on it first, direct the open end of the tube somewhere the brake fluid that may come out can go, like an empty jar). If you are getting the check valve effect, if you give the brake pedal a good hard push with the car on a jack and offending wheel off, then crack the valve, you will see a little bit of fluid come out, and the caliper will release.
If your brake fluid is old and dark, sometimes changing it will help this sort of thing.
I was actually thinking the brake hose might cause something like this too, unfortunately I don't have the space, nor if I'm honest, the skill to do this and reach a conclusive diagnosis myself. I'll check the brake fluid though, as I know it's old.
Is it possible that the clean actually resolved it though? That ice and dirt (it's been consistently between 0F and 4F degrees here for two weeks now) simply made it less responsive and the clean took care of it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nayabone
Brakes are not where you want to be trying to save money. If you have a caliper hanging up, do a complete front brake job, including rebuilding/replacing the calipers and pads. If you don't know what you're doing, take it to an expert. Your family will be riding in that car...!
I don't have any illusions when it comes to the importance of properly functioning brakes. That said, I'm not going to fix something that might not need fixing simply because it's important. The pads themselves are fine, I know that for a fact, the caliper may be malfunctioning, but it's not a given, and I'm not going to throw money into a car where I'll lose all of it, unless I need to. Realize a job of that magnitude would easily tip $1000 where I am.
As for my family, they'll be fine, I'm the only user of the car, and I know the potential problems is it is in fact bad. It's not like it'll suddenly stop working, at worst it'll warp the disk, making the car immobile once they cool down (and warp or crack), or possibly stay on the rotor, full force, in which case I can bring the car controllably to a stop by re applying the brakes to even the brake forces.
Neither are they rocket science. If *one* dosen't know what he is doing, fine, *let him* head off to the stealer with his tail between his legs...A sticky caliper just does not justify the "full nuclear" response of, say, a pair of loaded calipers and new discs "while you are in there".
I have exercised calipers on cars and bikes many times and had good luck with it. I think the OP is experienced enough and a competent enough wrench that he can handle this simple mainteance/repair task.
As Stonewall Jackson put it: "Never take council of your fears"...
You're proving you are just a back yard mechanic by your statements.
I have been an ASE certified mechanic for many years, and a real mechanic does things the right way, and the safe way. You don't do a half-a$$ed job on brakes..! If you have a caliper hanging up, you can waste your time trying to prove you can fix anything, or you approach it the correct way.
Do a complete front brake job, and be ready to stand behind anything that might happen to that car in the future. If you want to do it your way, back yarder deluxe, and be ready to go to court when your family gets wiped out, then do it your way, but know that you are completely wrong.
A professional does things the right way, they safe way, and stands behind his decisions...
If you like to experment and try to save money, do it on seat covers, not brakes....!
To clarify, I could perform the caliper "exercise" myself (I understand the principals of it), but I don't have the location to do so, and it's just not warm enough outside to start doing it there.
Thank you though, M3 Mitch, for your suggestions, had it been summer I would've done so.
How much can the cold weather affect the brake system?
Brakes are not where you want to be trying to save money. If you have a caliper hanging up, do a complete front brake job, including rebuilding/replacing the calipers and pads. If you don't know what you're doing, take it to an expert. Your family will be riding in that car...!
I gotta go with you on this one.
No offense intended to the OP but obviously he doesn't know what he's doing or he wouldn't have touched a hot rotor, or asked if washing the wheel and brakes would fix it.
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