kevcomdude 0 Posted January 4, 2006 Hi can you help? I have an '87 1.6 Gti, just replaced the rear brake drum shoes, but now my front drivers side brake disc keeps heating up to a point where they are glowing red. Looks cool yes but it really affect the steering and ride of the car as I think they are warping under the heat. - I have checked the brake fluid level and this seems ok. - Also checked the self adjusters in the drum and these are working ok - Have also replaced the rear hand brake cables on both sides. When changing the rear drivers side brake, I did notice a very small leak from the brake cylinder in the drum, would this be the problem for the front brakes overheating? Thanks Kev Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
easypug 0 Posted January 4, 2006 Have you checked your pads to see how worn they are? Or the face of the disk for damage? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cactus 1 Posted January 4, 2006 Sounds like the calliper has seized on for some reason. Can the front wheel be turned easily by hand? if not I would take the wheel off and investigate. I am no expert but if you have put new shoes on the back I would think fluid would be forced back through the system which may have had an affect on the front brake. Brake systems are afaik diagonally split so rear will be linked to front. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anthony 1,003 Posted January 4, 2006 Front and rear brakes are on seperate circuits on a 1.6 GTi, so the rear drums shouldn't really affect the front brakes. Jack up the car and see if the brake is binding on that front corner - I'd guess it would have to be binding very badly to get the disk hot enough to glow... Brake systems are afaik diagonally split so rear will be linked to front. They are diagonally split on 1.9 GTi and base model cars, but 1.6 GTi's have a front-rear split. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mbayley77 0 Posted January 4, 2006 take the brakes off and woo hoo no overheating sorry totally worthless i know! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rossimura 0 Posted January 4, 2006 Remove the pads from the calipers and check that the caliper body can slide easily on the pins. If not pull it apart and grease them. Other option is that the brake pipe as broken down on the inside and isnt letting brake fluid back to the resevior when you take your foot off the pedal. Easy to check , remove the brake pipe from the caliper (may need to clean it up with a wire brush and heat it up with gas first), and check that fluid drips out at a reasonable rate. Probably worth changing the flexi brake hoses anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kevcomdude 0 Posted January 9, 2006 Thanks People, I sourced the problem this weekend, the dust cover for the braking piston had come off, therefore dirt was getting in and stopping the brakes from releasing. Thanks again for the ideas, especially taking the brakes off to resolve the problem, ha ha Kev Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
