Technical Possible breaks problem

[janjam]

Hello all,
This is my first post on this forum
I bought (second hand) 2008 fiat bravo 1.4 T-jet 120 SPORT, three months ago. It has now around 43000km (~27000miles) on the clock.
It is still new to me, so during driving I carefully listen to any sound that can be unusual.
Thats how I noticed that during drive and my window opened, I can here some pretty silent but still noticeable sound from my front wheels. I think I located it in the front brakes, and it is like pads are constantly in touch with discs to some extent. Also my discs are very very hot even after only 20-25km drive (ie on high-way to airport, no heavy braking).
I went to the service a week ago and they said that it is normal that they are hot... they checked the pads and said that maybe edge of the pad is in contact with edge of the disc and said that they fixed it, but I can see that all the symptoms are still here.
Btw by service book I can see that pads were changed on 30000km service.
I know that discs have to be hot... but I think not that hot, that you can have burns if you place your finger on disc for more than half a second, after some regular short drive. Ie rear discs are worm and that's how it should be in my opinion.
Did anybody else have the same problem, or maybe know what can cause it.

Thanks

(PS: sorry if my english is not that good)

 

[consulgt]

Hello janjam

It's perfectly possible that the front discs get very hot indeed - don't forget the majority of the pressure is at the front as when you brake as the weight of the whole car shifts - that's why the front discs and pads are so much larger and tend to be vented, to give extra cooling, when the rears are solid.

Are you noticing any horrible smells, kind of like sewage (difficult to describe, but you'd know if you smelled it!) which would be indicative of brake pads 'catching' (like slipping a clutch - the smell is horrible) as the friction lining gets super-hot? Is the disc temperature about the same on both front discs?

Also under braking, does the car pull up straight and true or does it pull to one side? This could indicate brake balance problems or a sticking caliper.

Another thing to consider, probably first, is that the Bravo (certainly my neighbours '57 M-Jet 150) has a small and flimsy shield behind the front discs. These seem to easily bend out of shape and could make the 'catching' sound you describe (not sure if anyone else on the site has experienced this).

He went to the garage thinking it to be a brake problem, they moved the shield a bit, job done - no problems since.

Hope this helps, and good luck.


John

 

[consulgt]

P.S. your english is just fine

 

[Charnwood Fox]

Better than some for whom English is their first language.

Καλώς ήρθατε!

 

[FIATMOGENS]

Hello all,
This is my first post on this forum
I bought (second hand) 2008 fiat bravo 1.4 T-jet 120 SPORT, three months ago. It has now around 43000km (~27000miles) on the clock.
It is still new to me, so during driving I carefully listen to any sound that can be unusual.
Thats how I noticed that during drive and my window opened, I can here some pretty silent but still noticeable sound from my front wheels. I think I located it in the front brakes, and it is like pads are constantly in touch with discs to some extent. Also my discs are very very hot even after only 20-25km drive (ie on high-way to airport, no heavy braking).
I went to the service a week ago and they said that it is normal that they are hot... they checked the pads and said that maybe edge of the pad is in contact with edge of the disc and said that they fixed it, but I can see that all the symptoms are still here.
Btw by service book I can see that pads were changed on 30000km service.
I know that discs have to be hot... but I think not that hot, that you can have burns if you place your finger on disc for more than half a second, after some regular short drive. Ie rear discs are worm and that's how it should be in my opinion.
Did anybody else have the same problem, or maybe know what can cause it.

Thanks

(PS: sorry if my english is not that good)

Hi janjam
It is very easy. Lift the front, turn the wheels, and listen carefull. If you hear a noise or sound, take of the wheel, perhaps you need to take off the caliper, very easy job, and check that the piston is working, meaning it kan be mooved. If not, you need a new one. But you have tochange it in both sides

 

[janjam]

Thanks for the replies
I understand that on the front they should be warmer because of everything consulgt mentioned (and maybe some more heat from the engine, transferred through axles and other stuff as well), but again I am surprised that after short drive without heavy breaking, they are hot as a stove.
I don't smell anything, and I don't see any problems during braking, it does not pull to a side, and the car breaks ok.
But on the other hand the noise is still here (something like snake... constant "sssssssss...")
And another thing that now crossed my mind is that in the service I went last week, they told me that pads are pretty worn and they will be ok (only!!!) for the next 2000-3000km. That would make their life around 15000-16000km (9000-10000miles) in total, because they were mounted on the car 13000km ago. Again maybe I am wrong but I think this is half of what car should go with one set. I know that it depends on the style of driving, and I am not heavy on breaks, but since I bought the car recently I cannot be sure about previous owner... but still it does not look to me that this is quite normal.
Anyway... I will have to do a little bit of work myself as FIATMOGENS suggested, and we'll see.

@Charnwood Fox: thanks a lot

 

[JayDMistry]

My old mazda did this and it was due to seized calipers. I fixed this by replacing the sliders and regreasing them. I do not know how the fiat calipers work but the concept should be the same. Your break pads sound like they are scraping against the break discs and this should not happen during normal driving. As you know, the calipers close when you press the break pedal and move back open when you let go. Calipers once seized will not open fully, thus causing the pads to constantly stay in contact.

 

[850kd]

If the pads are worn then new pads could fix your problem. It can happen that the cylinders become corroded resulting in a groove inside them, this in turn prevents retraction when pressure is relkeased . When you fit new pads the pistons will need pushing back past the groove and therefore past the point where any corrosion could result in piston sticking. If you fit non-fiat pads make sure the pads have anti-squeal shims (not all makes do have these) otherwise you will get squeaking all the time.