Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Brakes Brakes are hanging, please help me! (big pictures for details)

Backstory:

I installed the stazi break kit two weekends ago. John (chknhwk) came up and helped me. The rotors and pads were all replaced, and looked amazing. We went out afterwards and broke the brakes in doing a series of stops, 35-5mph a few times then 60-15mph stops a few times. Now fast foward to today...

I am coming home from a funeral (in my hometown, about 150 miles from college and classes I need to attend tomorrow) and I notice a slight vibration in my brake petal. I start to notice a noise when I am stopping. The noise only happens from about 5-7mph until I come to a complete stop. I say 'wtf' to myself then jack up the car. I take the wheel off and notice, to my horror, that there are a bunch of circles on my brand new rotor.

Thats what I was greeted by. I then took apart the rest of the brakes. I pulled out both pads and that slider thingy (along with the clip that holds it in). I then called up john and he said that sometimes its the slider pins not lubricated enough. So i relubed them up and reinstalled everything. No dice. It now makes noise all the time. So i took it apart again and made sure everything is correct. The only thing that bothers me is that the outside brake pad seems to be able to move more then it should. This is a picture of my pads. I have no idea what happened, as this just started today. It looks to me like a chunk of the brake pad broke free and just started to score the rotor.


Thats what my pads look like. The rest of the brakes on the car are fine. I looked at all the rotors and there is no scoring on it. Now, I am stuck 150 miles from an 11am class tomorrow that I really shouldn't miss. I am at my witts end right now, I don't know how to fix it. I am going to see if i can drive the car 2 miles to a shop and have them fix it tomorrow. I am just afraid that I will ruin the pad / rotor totally since there is pad contact with the rotor all the time now. I spun the tire when it was jacked up and it makes a dragging noise from the pad on the rotor.

I have already tried openening the brake fluid res and using a c-clamp with a peice of wood to push the piston ( i think thats the right term) in. That didn't help, since it was already in. Anyone want to chime in on any part of my story? I am thinking that if i can't replace my own brakes, I really have no buisness owning this car and I may start selling off all the aftermarket junk i have on it and return it to bone stock then drive it till it dies.

It looks like you got something between the pad and the rotor, perhaps a small stone or piece of gravel.

Sometimes this sort of thing happens with semi metalic pads even without a foreign object getting in the way. That is how my rear rotors looked when I replaced them about a year ago. The grooves also came on somewhat suddenly, but they were there for a few years before I changed the pads and rotors.

It is normal for the pads to contact the rotors, and for that matter to create a little bit of resistance to turning. Does the problem wheel have more resistance than the other side after cleaning the junk out of the way?

If so, gently sand the pads, if there is any imbedded foreign object (gravel, glass, etc) remove it, reinstall the pads and drive home.

Once you are home, you can decide if you need to remove the rotor and have it machined or replaced or? The grooves arn't good, but they are not dangerous either.

Thanks jim.

I am home right now actually. I guess I didn't make that clear in the post. I didn't go back to college tonight because of this problem. As for the resistance... it doesn't actually seem that bad, but it makes a scraping noise that none of the other wheels/brakes make. Hopefully they will be able to do something tomorrow... I didn't get to really do anything tonight.

Doug, did you take any pictures of the pad in the caliper and how much the pad was able to move? I'm kinda curious about that. I wish I knew why you were getting contact, I've never had this problem on any of the brakes I've done. (I also wish I wasn't an hour and a half away or I'd be there...)

That's interesting ... I see that it's your front left ... out of two Mystiques & one Contour I have found that they all have had scoring on the front left like that, through two sets of brakes on each. I've not had any problems, but it's an interesting observation!

I'm thinking you picked up a rock too - and it jammed right in the middle of the pad where the mini crater is now. Sand the pads a little and the rotor face too.

BTW you ARE reinstalling the caliper spring properly right?

10 bucks you and or a shop will screw up the clip. It is deceiving!

My brakes are doing the same thing but i know i have my clips on right.