noisy brakes and e-brake not holding good enough
04-16-2010, 02:51 AM
#1
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noisy brakes and e-brake not holding good enough the brake problem, it's like a rubbing noise i guess. it's hard to describe. it happens as soon as the car starts to move. it's not constant. it's like once every rotation of the wheel/rotor i assume, and of course the faster i go, the noise speeds up . i can only hear it coming from the front too. both sides. i asked my dad about it and he said the calipers weren't releasing properly and that i need to bleed the brakes. but i wanted to see what everyone else thinks. the car stops fine, it's just REALLY annoying. i hope you all understand what i'm trying to explain.
the e-brake problem is that it doesn't seem to hold very well. i was parked in a friend of mines driveway, and it's sloped at maybe an angle of maybe 35-40 degrees. i put on the e-brake and the car would still roll. the brake handle goes up all the way too. i tried several times to see if it'd catch before it went up all the way, but it did it every time. there was resistance, but not what you'd expect. even though you'd expect it to not go up all the way lol. so if i need to adjust the e-brake, how do i do it for disk brakes?
the e-brake problem is that it doesn't seem to hold very well. i was parked in a friend of mines driveway, and it's sloped at maybe an angle of maybe 35-40 degrees. i put on the e-brake and the car would still roll. the brake handle goes up all the way too. i tried several times to see if it'd catch before it went up all the way, but it did it every time. there was resistance, but not what you'd expect. even though you'd expect it to not go up all the way lol. so if i need to adjust the e-brake, how do i do it for disk brakes?
04-17-2010, 10:18 AM
#2
2 separate problems:
- If you hear the rubbing when you are not on the brakes, then it could be bad hubs/bearings. If your calipers are stuck, it will pull the car to the side that's sticking. (You would have to test this on a flat surface because the crown on a road will always pull you to the right.)
- At some point, your rear rotors were replaced and the e-brakes were not adjusted for them. The adjustment on our cars is a PITA. The wheels, brake calipers, and rear rotors all need to come off in order to get the adjustment wheel. And then both sides need to be adjusted independently. (There are a couple of other threads that should take you to more detailed instructions.)
- If you hear the rubbing when you are not on the brakes, then it could be bad hubs/bearings. If your calipers are stuck, it will pull the car to the side that's sticking. (You would have to test this on a flat surface because the crown on a road will always pull you to the right.)
- At some point, your rear rotors were replaced and the e-brakes were not adjusted for them. The adjustment on our cars is a PITA. The wheels, brake calipers, and rear rotors all need to come off in order to get the adjustment wheel. And then both sides need to be adjusted independently. (There are a couple of other threads that should take you to more detailed instructions.)
04-18-2010, 12:31 AM
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how do i know if i have bad hubs? (if this is another name for rotors then nevermind) is it common for both hubs to go out at around the same time? the bearings are still good. i've only had my car a month, and the guy i bought it off of said he had the rear end replaced, so it makes sense about it not being adjusted properly.
Last edited by Karl101; 04-18-2010 at 12:37 AM.
04-18-2010, 10:50 AM
#5
Yea, the parking brake thing is common. Its a rare design that... well, its a pain in the ***. The upside is that the design (when adjusted properly) holds very very strong.
The hub assembly is the sealed unit that the rotor hangs on. It includes a ABS sensor, the front bearing, and hub that holds the wheel studs.
Easy test - if they are really gone: Lift one of the wheels off the ground and then grab the tire at 3 and 9 o'clock. Then wiggle side to side. If you get any movement, the bearing has gone bad.
Harder test - if they are just starting to go: Remove a tire, the brake caliper, and the rotor and then turn the hub by hand. If it pops or sounds/feels like a meat grinder, its bad.
The original hubs (from the factory) on my car lasted 80K miles, which is not uncommon. They also squeaked (like brakes do) when I applied the brake.
The hub assembly is the sealed unit that the rotor hangs on. It includes a ABS sensor, the front bearing, and hub that holds the wheel studs.
Easy test - if they are really gone: Lift one of the wheels off the ground and then grab the tire at 3 and 9 o'clock. Then wiggle side to side. If you get any movement, the bearing has gone bad.
Harder test - if they are just starting to go: Remove a tire, the brake caliper, and the rotor and then turn the hub by hand. If it pops or sounds/feels like a meat grinder, its bad.
The original hubs (from the factory) on my car lasted 80K miles, which is not uncommon. They also squeaked (like brakes do) when I applied the brake.
