Binding Front Brake

[Ramigojag 19 1 Cars]

On Tuesday this week I took the car out for a short drive when I got back I could smell hot brakes, I went around the car to inspect and the n/s front wheel was red hot, so hot you couldn't touch the wheel. The car gave no evidence inside of anything being off. Tracked straight and true and the same under breaking.

 

So yesterday (Wednesday) I stripped and cleaned the n/s front brakes peeled back the piston seal cleaned and lubricated. Worked the piston in and out a couple of times and all seemed fine, I could see the piston moving back slightly when the brake was let off. Took the car for another drive with the pads and sliders all clean and freshly greased. The brakes were still red hot on only the one side so I repeated the procedure.

 

Took for another drive (to tesco) and this time it was fine, on the journey home though it was warmer again, nowhere near as bad as I could still touch the wheel, whereas I couldn't before but it was definitely warmer than the o/s.

 

My next step I guess is to replace the caliper even though I'm sure if seemed fine to me really. Easy to push in and out.

 

About 6 months ago I changed to braided steel lines, racing dot 4, ebc greenstuff and grooved discs. Probably done about 500, miles on this set up absolutely fine.

 

Also worth mentioning it's '90 1.6 gti with the BDA? Bendix calipers

 

Any further tips or hints would be appreciated

 

Callum

Edited July 10, 2014 by Ramigojag

[alync406 4]

I find these can normally stick where the caliper moves where its bolted onto the hub, at the pins. Check that these are free. Also if someone has fitted a bearing at some stage or something it could be possible to bend the hub where the caliper bolts on and when you bolt the caliper on then it pulls the pin so the caliper is tight and does'nt move freely.

[Ramigojag 19 1 Cars]

Thanks for the reply, with no pads in the calliper should be able to move left and right on its sliders then?

 

I had 4 wheel bearings fitted not that long ago, if the hub was bent where the caliper bolts up surely you would have been able to tell when it was being reassembled. (i stripped and reassembled, someone else pressed in the new bearings)

[commievid 8]

I had issues with my N/S caliper sticking too, got to a point where on some occasions the car would struggle to accelerate, akin to the hand brake being firmly on and attempting to drive.

 

When I replaced the caliper, I still had it warming up much more than the other side.

 

I took a punt on the master cylinder, which seemed to have done it. I guess I bodged the installation of the preceding one (maybe too eager with bench bleeding it, or something to have inverted or damage the seals inside).

 

I don't think this would be the first course of action I would take though, maybe swap the front braided lines over to see if that affects it? That would then see if the line was the cause.

 

Another stab in the dark could be to just give the pads and disc another bedding in procedure, as they've only done 500 miles?

[alync406 4]

With no pads in you should be able to move it freely.

The hub doesn't have to bent much to cause a problem, it could happen if pressing the bearing out and it was really tight and having the hub sitting on something at the caliper mount. It might not be visibly bent but try moving your caliper in and out on the sliders without the pads in.

[Ramigojag 19 1 Cars]

Well the peugeot did a 2.5 hour journey last night not working the brakes as most of it was up and down the M5, and it performed absolutely fine. Which is a bit disconcerting because i don't know exactly what i did to fix it bar stripping cleaning and greasing twice, so perhaps that's all it was. I will have another look on the weekend.

 

The disc spins fine with no pads in, I can't comment on the hubs really because visibly they look fine and it was just a favour from an acquaintance so haven't exactly got much to fall back on.

 

Thanks for the info.