Disc brake issue after not driving for month.

[twiki]

Hi All,

I was away for work and parked my 2003 Echo.

Upon returning, it started normally. However, there is an issue with the right front brake.
It sounds as though something is binding or dragging. When I brake there is a sound of something hitting the brakes and the brake pedal almost 'pulses'. It increases with speed, so is definitely related to the rotation of the tyre.

It almost feels like ABS kicking in, except this car does not have ABS.


I've not taken a closer look, but thought I'd ask here first.
I can't see how leaving a car unused for a month can cause something like this.


Thanks.

[twiki]

Hi All,

I've taken both front wheels off and discovered the following.

The left brake rotor has come loose.
There is now 4-5mm of play and I can rock the free side of the rotor towards me (right edge in diagram). The side of the rotor clamped by the calipers can barely move (left edge in diagram).

As I can only raise one wheel at a time (scissor jack), I'm not able to free-wheel the drive wheels and rotate the brake rotor.
However, I have compared it with the other (good?) wheel, and there is no play there.



Any ideas as to what might have broken, or even come loose?
Upon cursory inspection, nothing appears obviously broken, so she will have to go on a lift and that means professional help.


Thanks.

[Stevo_Echohb05]

Sounds like you got some rust stuck maybe behind the disc, or maybe a seized caliper, I'd try to take everything apart and clean it up see if the problem comes back.

[twiki]

Hi Steve,

Well, it was a pretty wet month, so that would have certainly contributed to some degree of rusting while the car just sat there.

Still, I've driven twice around the block, and it does not seem to be improving.
If it's just stuck rust, would driving and braking fix this?


How would that explain the loose brake rotor?
Or are they all (supposed to be) loose with the wheel removed? Which would mean the one that's 'not loose' is actually just rusted on (which is fine).

Originally Posted by Stevo_Echohb05

Sounds like you got some rust stuck maybe behind the disc, or maybe a seized caliper, I'd try to take everything apart and clean it up see if the problem comes back.

Thanks.

[Stevo_Echohb05]

The disc will be loose when you remove the wheel.
I would then take off the caliper and chip off all the rust that you can, then lube the slider pins and the pad holders. Put it all back together and turn the disc without the wheel on, if it still makes noise the backing plate might be touching the disc.

[twiki]

Hi Steve,

I've got the front end up on jack stands, and can now freewheel.

Without removing the calipers (I'm not sure how), enough of the rotor was visible/palpable for me to know that there was no significant surface rust. The splash-guard somewhat obscures the inside of the rotor, but I can see enough of the surface to know it appears OK. This is just eyeballing it, but the rotor does not appear to be warped at all.

Also, I've drive it probably around 10Km, so that should be sufficient to 'burn off' any rust that may have formed. And it's definitely from the front end, so it can't be the parking brake either, as that affects the rear brake shoes.

Yet the noise still persists - so I'm pretty sure it's more than just simple rust buildup.

Originally Posted by Stevo_Echohb05

The disc will be loose when you remove the wheel.
I would then take off the caliper and chip off all the rust that you can, then lube the slider pins and the pad holders. Put it all back together and turn the disc without the wheel on, if it still makes noise the backing plate might be touching the disc.

[twiki]

Hi Steve,

There is minimal surface rust, but certainly nothing that would cause the kind of kickback I feel through the steering wheel when braking.

I think that neither caliper is seized, since I can turn the front axle quite easily with bare hands, even one hand rotating the wheel. Of course, turning one wheel, ends up turning the other wheel.

I'm taking it into a local shop, ToyTech here in Edmonton AB.
They don't seem to have their own website, but I've found a positive (old) review about them on a Supra Club. Anyone here use them before?
Their shop rate is now $95/hour.

Originally Posted by Stevo_Echohb05

Sounds like you got some rust stuck maybe behind the disc, or maybe a seized caliper, I'd try to take everything apart and clean it up see if the problem comes back.

[twiki]

Hi All,

Before heading to ToyTech, the front-end was already up, so I took another stab at it.
Managed to get the calipers off, but I did not attempt to remove the pads and clips, as I was unsure how to replace them.

I still couldn't really see any more of the rotor than earlier, but I used a wood chisel to gently scrape the rust off the rotor surface. There wasn't much to begin with, but I did manage to get some off both surfaces.
I put the wheels back on and started off for ToyTech, figuring it might somehow make the drive there more bearable.
Amazingly, the scraping did the trick, and lessened the problem by at least 95%.
There is now barely any noise or kicking to the steering.

If nothing else, I've learned how little an imperfection on the rotor it takes to cause a problem with the brakes!


Thanks Steve, for the advice offered.

Originally Posted by twiki

I'm taking it into a local shop, ToyTech here in Edmonton AB.
They don't seem to have their own website, but I've found a positive (old) review about them on a Supra Club. Anyone here use them before?
Their shop rate is now $95/hour.

[Stevo_Echohb05]

No problem, Safe driving!