I Need Brake Help Asap!!!

So Bay Vetter · 04-17-05, 01:56 AM

I was stupid, stupid, stupid!!

Today I changed my brake fluid. First, I forgot to mark the wheel to hub location ( I know better!) After finishing, the car wobbles and my emergency brakes are rubbing. I'll probably have to take it to a dealer to get it sorted out (stupid, stupid, stupid!) anyone have any suggestions?? I'm supposed to be in a performance driving class Tuesday!! I need some rapid advice.

Many thanks to anyone who can help!

ßill · 04-17-05, 02:21 AM

Mine had some rust build up between the hubs and rotors, used a wire brush to buff them clean. The ebrake cable was sticky to my left rear, I shot it with WD40 and worked it back and forth. All is good now
Good Luck

SPANISHVETTS · 04-17-05, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by So Bay Vetter

I was stupid, stupid, stupid!!

Today I changed my brake fluid. First, I forgot to mark the wheel to hub location ( I know better!) After finishing, the car wobbles and my emergency brakes are rubbing. I'll probably have to take it to a dealer to get it sorted out (stupid, stupid, stupid!) anyone have any suggestions?? I'm supposed to be in a performance driving class Tuesday!! I need some rapid advice.

Many thanks to anyone who can help!

More details please.
Which E-brake does the 96 use, the separate drum or the levers that engage the rear pads?
Did you have the disc turned?
Did you use the old pads you mentioned in the other thread?
When does the car wobble, always or only when braking?

So Bay Vetter · 04-17-05, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPANISHVETTS

More details please.
Which E-brake does the 96 use, the separate drum or the levers that engage the rear pads?
Did you have the disc turned?
Did you use the old pads you mentioned in the other thread?
When does the car wobble, always or only when braking?

Thanks for replying. No, I didn't change pads or rotors yet. The e-brake is the levers that engage the rear pads.

c4cruiser · 04-17-05, 10:39 AM

Simply removing the wheel and replacing it should not have caused any problem. Did you remove the caliper for any reason?? Or disconnect the e-brake cable or remove the return spring? The caliper should have plenty of clearance bewtween the inside of the wheel center. The e-brake assembly is on the back side of the caliper and should not stick up above the top of the caliper.

There is a clip on the control arm that holds the cable away from the inside of the tire. Is the cable off that clip or is the clip broken??

The "wobble" sound lie there is something caught between the wheel flange and the hub. Remove the wheel and check the flange surface on the inside of the wheel for any debris or anything that protrudes from the surface. It should be smooth and flat (drag a straightedge across the flange to see if anything sticks up). Look at the flange surface on the hub for the same sort of thing. You can use some steel wool or even a wire brush on a drill to remove any rust or debris from the surface.

So Bay Vetter · 04-17-05, 11:01 AM

I'll clean and re-mount my wheels to check wobble. I didn't remove calipers or pads, e-brake cables are not binding. I used a vacuum bleeder to pull the old fluid out of the lines thru the bleeder screws. Would this have messed up the e-brake setting? The e-brake adjustment screw on the back of the caliper is a ***** to get to. I hope I don't have to screw with it.

c4cruiser · 04-17-05, 04:44 PM

The e-brake is purely mechanical and when you pull the lever, the mechanism on the caliper forces the caliper and the pad against the rotor.Bleeding the brakes should have not caused any issues with noises or any sort of wheel wobble. It may be possible that the caliper was not working properly or you had some obstruction in the line or caliper that kept that particular caliper from working properly. If that was the case, when you bled that particular caliper, things may have started to work; you may be feeling a warped rotor and the noise is the pad rubbing against the rotor surface at the high spots.

Whatever it could be, I would definitely have it checked out by a reputable shop that does good brake work

So Bay Vetter · 04-18-05, 12:59 AM

It turns out that the grinding noise that I interpreted as a brake pad grinding on a rear rotor was actually the braided brake line rubbing on the inside of the wheel (I had bent the lines to access the bleeding screws on the rear brakes). It was making a very pronounced grinding noise. Man, I was beginning to think I had a bad rear bearing it was so loud. Thanks to all for the advice.

Vettefan87 · 04-18-05, 01:28 AM

Glad it was an easy fix. Now get out and drive it!!