Nissan Primera, 2.0 1994, SGX Automatic Hatch, Rear Discs
Bombing down the bypass as you do at a quite legally boring 70mph, and my car starts feeling weird, I hear a grinding noise, but come to a traffic island.
Do my usual right onto the A45 and head off, only, I seem to have lost a lot of power. I can't maintain 60 mph and trying to cruise sees the speed just fall off. Now at this time the car feels a bit bouncy and a bit unsettling, like I've lost a wheel or something. Carry on cautiously until I can safely pull over.
Get out, look around the car, see sweet FA except sweetish rancid smell from the back left. Think, hrm, what if its a suspension failure and tyres are rubbing? But no scuff marks. Get round to the back left again, and note the brake pads smoking!
Oh shit! What have I done!
Call out RAC man, brake pads are fine, discs had cooled down (that was
20 minutes afterwards), the discs appeared blue but was otherwise OK.The only things he gleaned were, hand brake is maladjusted, but thats because of the lever on the caliper that's not returning properly. A few squirts of WD40, the lever is still a bit worse for wear, but the handbrake has suddenly readjusted itself and he freed the wheel up a little.
He things it's either the handbrake cable sticking, or most likely a bad spring on the caliper and it'll need to be stripped down or replaced.
Quite handy he was. Even knew about my local car supplier 2 min round the corner from me, either that or the RAC have some deal with Car Spares.
So.
Any takers? Anyone care to offer an internet diagnosis based on little information? Im curious as to why this has only just happened though, and why it had basically freed itself by the time he had come to see me?
The smoke was sort of a medium grey, bordering on dark but nothing too bad. I got out of that car quick though just in case it burst into flames!
Incidentally, ill health this year has basically caused my car to remain idle for basically five months. First stint was two months, then three months.