Brake saga...

Post by **simonc** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 5:58 am

Hi all, apologies for being off the air. Bottom line is that I have been dicked around by every cowboy in town this past couple of months which has resulted in my car being in and out of different garages each one doing different things which have created even more problems.
Anyway, before I get into that ( which will be done on my profile page) I'm afraid I have to return to the bloody saga of the brakes on my car. I'm going to do this in point form or it'll bore you to death.
Brake pedal feel is still crap. I've had new rotors and pads fitted ( the project U ones have been chucked out as we believe they were counterfeit). New OEM pads are in place and the fluid has been replaced with OEM quality stuff replacing the supposed racing stuff the original garage fitted.
However, the pedal is still not as "tight" as I think it should be. There's a load of travel and (in my opinion - please tell me if I'm wrong) surely I should blow on the pedal and the brakes should lock. Well gents, it just ain't so. Spongy, long travel and not firm at all.
But here's what's worrying me. As you can see from the shots, the pad is not "grabbing" the entire width of the disc and as you can see, the disc is 'half polished' around the outer while the inner is still covered in oxidised dust.
You know I'm not a mechanical expert guys but the shot I've also included of the disc on the passenger's side shows a polished disc across its diameter.
Can some one please tell me what to do because last week I went down to Singapore ( Merc, I've some pictures for you) and was pretty nervous with the brakes which hardly inspire confidence.
Gentlemen, can you please advise me what the problem is and can anyone give me an idiots guide on what to do as I'm at my bloody wits end with this whole crummy affair.
Here's the shots that i hope will let you see what's going on. Thanks a million in advance guys.
Front driver's side disc

Front passenger's disc

Here's the stuff that's been taken off and replaced with OEM parts.

89 UKDM BA4 4WS (resto job!) · Post by **wurlycorner** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 9:04 am

Brakes shouldn't lock as soon as you touch them, no (not unless you're driving a Citroen cx

) there should be some travel in a conventional servo brake system, however that's not something that's possible to diagnose over the internet unfortunately... You will know if they're right, or not.

As for whether the full surface of the disc is being used, the only things that could affect it that I can think of are:
Caliper piston sticking
Caliper slider pins seized
Pads seized/sticking in the pad carriers
Wrong size pads fitted
Discs/pads not yet bedded in (how many miles have they done since fitting?)
Wrong size discs fitted (should be 282mm outer diameter)

Note that sticking caliper slider pins and seized/sticking pads can make the pedal feel a bit spongy, too.

Any mechanic should know whether the pads are sticking in the carriers though.

Lazy ones might not check that the slider pins are free?

Post by **Merlin** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 9:22 am

wurlycorner wrote:Caliper slider pins seized
Pads seized/sticking in the pad carriers

I would point the finger at these two first.

Post by **vanzep** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 9:43 am

Good to see you back on the forum

- not so good to hear your still having problems with the brakes

I wish i could help but im still struggling to fix the brakes on my BB4 so i know how it can knock your confidence in the car

That uneven wear on the front disc will probably be a sticking slider pin or sticking pad - either is an easy fix - I think wurly has covered this in his post.
Stick with it and you will get it sorted

mercutio · Post by **mercutio** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 7:14 pm

it looks like the slider pins to me buddy that master cylinder looks new

ooh pics for me

its not that girl in the bar in geylang

Post by **simonc** » Thu Oct 09, 2014 3:54 am

Good morning gents and thanks for the advice. As helpful as ever.
@wurlycorner you my friend have hit the nail on the head about lazy mechanics and that is the source of my woes these past couple of months. Every bloody place I've been to has done shoddy work and created all these niggling headaches. With this info you've shared I think I'll be able to go back and tell them what to do. Thank you.
@Merlin Appreciate the seconding of wurly's thoughts.
@vanzepThanks for your 'welcome back'. I know this sounds girly but because I've been so fed up of the backwards and forwards with the car and the ongoing issues I've been totally pissed off even thinking about it. I tell you, I've come this close to getting rid it and washing my hands of the whole affair.
@mercutioI'll post the photos soon dear boy and yes, funnily enough that lass in Geylang does remember you. Mind you, she's knocking on a bit now but does have fond memories of your time together. Dunno why she kept mentioning 'premature' whenever your name came up though...

I wonder what she meant by that?
Thanks all - I'll get on to this brake thing asap.

Post by **simonc** » Thu Oct 09, 2014 4:19 am

Here's a taster merc. Don't you just love the Singapore health nazis eh? Everywhere smoking is verboten, even on the streets so we poor nicotine addicted souls have to stand in these little boxes for our fix. The irony of this little box was that the ashtray was about twelve feet away. Not a problem, I hear you say, just walk over to the ashtray and stub it out. But there's the rub, if you walk outside the designated area with a lit fag then you're technically breaking the law and will be subject to the draconian wrath of Singapore's judicial system. Bloody hell, even King of the 'Arras, Jocky Wilson wouldn't have been able to lob a fag end into the ashtray from that distance. Actually, in outdoor restaurants it's just the same. A couple of tables are designated for smokers and have the same yellow box around them. Mind you, some crafty buggers who are non-smokers and want to annoy smokers will deliberately sit at the smoking table to block those who want a ciggy while eating from sitting there. B**tards.

Post by **Donald** » Thu Oct 09, 2014 11:36 am

Less car talk more Singapore talk!

I do hope you get this sorted though, what a ballache.

mercutio · Post by **mercutio** » Thu Oct 09, 2014 5:53 pm

lol you have to love the lawmakers in singapore

ooh yeah that girl yeah I might have left a little sharpish when the snowdrops started beating doors

Scott560 · Post by **Scott560** » Sun Oct 12, 2014 7:23 pm

When I replaced the front discs on my lude last year, the carriers were covered in surface corrosion. This had the affect of binding the pads in the carriers.

Even removing the shims, giving it a bit of a clean up didn't really help.

I guess some non OE pads aren't always millimetre perfect. In the end i had to file the carrier a smidge (so the shims would go in snug), and the locating tangs on the pads a touch as well.

As long as everything is free to move/sliding you shouldn't get much bother. Replacing the guide pins might help, they normally sell them on brakeparts.co.uk (i like this site). Hell, front callipers aren't even that much these days (unlike rear callipers!).