Brake Smoke

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.

Reply to
Simon Dean
Loading thread data ...

Sticky caliper. To be honest it'll probably be fine if you use the handbrake whenever possible if it does it again then change the caliper. A new set of pads will probably put it back in it's happy zone either way. It might be the cable but if you onhook it you can feel that.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

The garage I took it to today, reckoned it was a piston not returning properly. That probably makes sense when I consider I noticed grinding while I was driving on the bypass without using the handbrake.

However my dad reckons the garage are taking me for a ride and that if it was the lever on the caliper sticking, then it's not the piston, so a bit of careful whacking with a hammer, greasing, and wd40 will improve matters.

What d'ya reckon?

I drove it into work today, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Though I took things steady. What frightens me is the idea of doing an emergency stop and finding my brakes binding again.

Ta Simon

Reply to
Simon Dean

If the piston is keeping the brakes on, then the piston is not returning properly. whether that is the handbrake (if indeed it does link into the piston) or a duff caliper I don't know. A simple set of diagnostics should be able to work out which it is.

Reply to
adder1969

Well they're connected , so if either sticks the other will. Either way if it worries you the only solution to either problem is a new or recon caliper. & WD40 will bugger the seals. At least use proper brake grease.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

Thanks.

I guess the RAC guy when he used WD40 made a bit of a faux pas then?

The garage though, I just recalled, reckoned that the mechanism was free, but still diagnosed a sticky piston. Rather confused on that.

My really bewildered about the working of pistons and levers and handbrakes and automatic adjustments. I mean, the handbrake self adjusted itself after the lever was pushed out, but it hasn't seized up again since then.

Will it? If its free, why's it sticking? What's going on?

I'll get out my Haynes book...

Im still being told Im foolish with money and I should have waited to the weekend to repair the brakes myself. Though as I say, this usually means inserting bits of wood and hammering the hell out of things, tightening things up with "best fit" tools, shortcuts in the plumbing of brake fluid etc etc.

I think Im doing the right thing now. :-)

Ta Simon

Reply to
Simon Dean

What are these diagnostics? I realise it's a bit academic, but it'll help when the right side goes haywire. :-)

Thanks Simon

Reply to
Simon Dean

Let me try and be a bit more fluent...

A sticking lever could be caused by a sticking piston?

If the RAC guy yesterday was able to free the lever with WD40 and just "working it", could there still be a problem with the piston?

I mean if it's just the lever, would just a new return spring be required?

I would presume though that what you're saying is right though, and that the lever and piston are interconnected, in that the lever actuates the piston, but if the piston sticks then the lever can't do anything but sit there?

Oh Im confused.

Ta Simon

Reply to
Simon Dean

YOu're right. Google for VW or Granada piston calipers & handbrakes & there's explanations of how they work & how to fix them. Normally they go because the seal lets some water in & the mechanism goes rusty, at which point you're eventually going to have to change them.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

those clues are a bit cryptic Im afraid. I tried looking, but couldn't find my answers.

I've had the caliper done today though. £150. It looks shiny, things look neat, smears of copper grease on the back of the brake pads...

But Im a bit off put by a couple of things... firstly, the braking efficiency, Im not sure. The pedal feels OK, it doesn't feel spongy, or hard, but the brakes themselves just feel a little lacklustre and lack that little bite.

Also the handbrake is useless. It sort of, half works.

Put it this way, if Im parked on a hill in neutral and apply the handbrake, the car will roll forward. Now I have an automatic with Park, but I don't want to put all that strain through the gearbox.

I don't know whether this is anything to do with the blueing up of the rear brake disc or anything? But Im figuring this is probably some kind of maladjustment by the garage?

Ta Simon

Reply to
Simon Dean

Go and complain, they should hold it.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

They should, but it might also take a little while to bed in properly so the footbrake feel comes back.

Reply to
adder1969

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.