Bearing or Caliper

My right rear wheel is making an obnoxioux "burning rubber" smell, but under specific conditions.

After I've been travelling usually in excess of 60mph for a while (eg on a motorway) and come off on the slip road... there's a nice smell eminating from right rear. This is usually followed by brake fade too.

Braking on the slip road, gives a sort of slight bunny hop sensation...

I can trundle round all day at 40 mph and brake all over the shop with no problems.

I recently had my left rear caliper changed, but afterwards, noticed that the right hand side also had copper grease on the brake shims - presumed the garage had a fiddle with that caliper, which would make things really coincidental if it were the caliper at fault.

But Im inclined to think (given the speed issue), that maybe the bearing is getting superheated at high speed causing the discs et al to overheat or something?

Cya Simon

Reply to
Simon Dean
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Generally I would think that a bearing would be audible.

It might be useful to include make/model/year of vehicle?

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

probably a slightly seized caliper, it would give your symptoms exactly

Reply to
mrcheerful

94 Nissan Primera, 2.0, Hatch, Auto.

Anything else?

I'd agree with what you say on the noise, if it wasn't speed related. Of course, car repair 101, brakes are friction devices, so sure, higher speed = more heat... :-p

Reply to
Simon Dean

Then question...

Why only after I've travelled say 5 miles on the motorway?

And could it be anything to do with the garage that have obviously had their greasy paws on the right caliper when they changed the left?

I guess no one can really answer the second question.

But I find it extremely co-incidental this one failing about a month after they touched the car... and I wonder if I can expect more repair bills for the front two calipers... Do they usually go bad one after the other on a 12 year old car?

need a new car

Ta Simon

Reply to
Simon Dean

Not unknown. Check the handbrake, & next time you come off the motorway look, you'll be able to feel the heat some distance from the disc. They'll have fitted new pads when they changed the other caliper.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

"301: Brakes bind - Only after driving for a while."

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Andrew

Reply to
Andrew Morton

Sadly, I don't think the brakes are sufficiently binding for those few tests.

But that's a great website, thanks for the link.

Cheers Simon

Reply to
Simon Dean

Was thinking... Had the rear disks and pads changed back in August last year... I think when I had my left caliper changed, they must have reset the right caliper to allow the handbrake auto adjustment to work, since the handbrake has no excess play anymore. (just looking through that website andrew morton gave... would make sense... why there's copper grease on the right).

You're right about the heat.

When I pulled up last time, the right disc was radiantly hotter than the left.

I wasn't billed for new pads (they break everything down on the receipt), so assume i wasn't fitted them. but I might be inclined to think they adjusted the handbrake caliper mechanism which explains the copper grease.

When you say "Not unknown", is that, not unknown for calipers to go very quickly succession?

I take it you're voting for partially seizing calipers too?

Thanks Simon

Reply to
Simon Dean

Yep. I'll bet they fitted new discs, hence the pisyon now in a differnt position & has seized. If the handbrake adjuster needed copper grease then it's corroded & [robably sticking.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

Im not familiar with the car setup you have but mine has a normal disc caliper for footbrake and a drum handbrake inside. Mine produced exactly your symptoms when my handbrake cable was sticking in its sheath and just tugging the handbrake on slightly. It would be OK until i got to 50-60 then it would make a woowowowowowowowow noise and bounce the rear but nothing was obvious from the outside.

Reply to
Coyoteboy

When they changed the caliper, I can definitely vouch for the fact they didn't change either discs or calipers. Well, the discs were still rusted and worn and looked exactly the same as when I went in!

Brief History:

August 2005: New pads and Discs November 2005: New wheel bearing (left or right, can't remember - but that's why I wondered about a bearing) December 2005: New Radiator :-) Just proving my car is falling apart October 2006: New Caliper on Left November 2006: smell from right rear

And apologies. I think Im confusing things on the copper grease. It came out completely wrong. They changed the left caliper 10/2006, but there was copper grease on the back of the brake shims on the right hand side of the car.

So I got to thinking why would they take a good brake apart? And maybe that's caused the sticky caliper? Thanks to Andrew's link though, i realised about the handbrake adjustment mechanism, so I guess they had to take the right hand caliper off in order to adjust the handbrake... so that must explain the copper grease?

This brings me onto your points.... assuming that the first garage who fitted the discs and pads last year didn't adjust the handbrake - 14 months later Im left with a slack handbrake with lots of play, could that explain the first sticking caliper?

Then with adjustment of the handbrake mechanism by the garage who changed the left caliper, could that cause the right hand caliper to become sticky? And would that be a bodge job that should be rectified by the garage, or, just wear and tear?

Ta Simon

Reply to
Simon Dean

They won't have changed the discs, I'll still bet they changed the pads. At which point the piston moved a long way back in the other caliper & started sticking. Check the handbrake linkages irst as they're cheaper, but odds are you'll need a new caliper on t'other ide

Reply to
Duncan Wood

Thanks everyone. Just had the caliper changed. With new discs, though they forgot to top up the brake fluid. Makes me wonder if they forgot anything else.

Oh well, quick blast up and down the bypass, looking good.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts and advice.

Simon

Reply to
Simon Dean

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