95 Camry 2.2 IL Brakes

[mandyfig]

I am miffed with this brake issue. Months ago, I had a braking problem where the passenger side seems to be "sticking" creating a lot of dust from pad wear. I torn them down, checked on the caliper pins and boots (I did not replace the boots) and they seemed to be ok. I had the rotors turned and put in new Sumitomo brake pads.

1st few weeks, they ran fine and most recently it is back....the passenger side wheel seems to accumulate a lot more brake dust.

One thing that I noticed, when I ran 65 mph, I get a vibration (maybe from unbalanced tires) but I feel it is the brakes sticking, but not sure...

I am dazed and confused and this brake dust is wearing me out!

Any ideas, comments?

Maybe it is time to get my mechanic involved. Next step woould be to repleced the pins and boots on the calipers?

Thanks.

[Mike Gerber]

Is the vibration when braking or when your foot is off the brake pedal? If it is when you are braking, then it is warped rotors. Warped rotors could be cause by a number of things, including a stuck caliper (piston not retracking inside the caliper) or a stuck slide pin. Either of these 2 things could cause the braking to be done by only 1 pad on that side or constantly leave 1 pad in contact with the rotor. This can overheat the rotor causing it to warp, along with noticeably wearing just 1 pad on that side.

First I would jack up the front of the car and try to spin each front wheel. See if one wheel is noticeably harder to rotate then the other. If it is, start taking that tire off and inspect the slide pins, boots and the caliper on that side. If you don't find anything by rotating the tires, then I suggest you take both front wheels off and inspect the slide pins, boots and calipers on both wheels again. See if one is sticking. This becomes easy after you have done it before. You know what to look for.

Good luck.

Mike

[mandyfig]

Vibration is noticed while running (not braking), hence it feels similar to an unbalanced tire. But since I have put on a new set of tires, I think it is something else.

I will however try what you said, raise it up and check on how free wheeling they are. But since this is a Front wheel drive, it might be hard to notice any sluggishness. But I will try.

I have inspected the pins and boots and they seem to be fine. The Boots are going to be a pain to replace. The pins look good.

[Mike Gerber]

Originally Posted by mandyfig

Vibration is noticed while running (not braking), hence it feels similar to an unbalanced tire. But since I have put on a new set of tires, I think it is something else.

I will however try what you said, raise it up and check on how free wheeling they are. But since this is a Front wheel drive, it might be hard to notice any sluggishness. But I will try.

I have inspected the pins and boots and they seem to be fine. The Boots are going to be a pain to replace. The pins look good.

It could still be a warped rotor. It could be so out of round that it is hitting the pad(s) when the high spot reaches the pad/caliper area. You can varify a tire problem by putting the spare on each front wheel and then taking it for a ride. One of the great things about the Camry is that full sized spare in the trunk.

The boots only need to be replaced if they are ripped or you rip one while working on the brakes. They really aren't that hard to replace. There is a metal ring that actually seats on the caliper mounting bracket. If you are replacing a boot just cut the rubber away and you will see the ring. Work it off using a slotted screwdriver and a needle nose pliers. Then tap the new boot/ring in to place.

Mike

[mandyfig]

Thanks, good advise on the boots. Somebody told me the price on the pins and boots. The rotors are true, I had them turned. Although, I must say, prior to the last turning, it was burnt. That's the reason why I re-surfaced and changed my pads, I suspicion is that the calipers stick on high speed. That is my issue? What will make it stick on high speeds?

I do not feel a pull, as if one side is braking.......mystery.

Mystery that is busting my chops!

[Mike Gerber]

I had something like this when my 94 was about a year old. After driving for an hour or so the car would start pulling right when braking and I would feel some pulsation. The dealership could never solve the problem. I hurried home one day when I noticed this problem occuring and jacked up the front end. I rotated the tires like I suggested you do and found the left side was much harder to rotate. The caliper was sticking and putting pressure on the rotor. This was heating up the rotor and pad on that side causing the rotor to warp and also the heat generated on that side made it pull to the stronger (unheated right side) when braking. Why it took an hour of driving for this to occur I will never know. The dealer tech apologized for not being able to find this himself and they replaced the caliper under warranty. All's been fine since then.

Good luck searching out your problem.

Mike