Problem with my brakes

[Ryan]

Ever since my car went into the garage last year (was in there for about 3 months) ive had a problem with my brakes.

Before the car went in, the brakes were really good and sharp (had the greenstuff pads and discs) but since it came out of the garage, it hasnt really been driven much (prob only 1000 miles) but in all of that time, my brakes have been quite poor, putting my foot all the way down on the pedal and hardly anything is happening.

The pads still have a fair bit of thickness on them,although the discs have a litle bit of rust on them.

What could the problem be, i figured that maybe the brakes would need bleeding??

Ryan

 

[big al]

your calipers could have seized and maybe they are full of rust,.
i would recomend taking the wheels off and take the calipers off the disc and take the pads off.
give everything a good clean with brake cleaner,and wire brush the caliper clean.
when you put the pads back into the caliper use copper grease on the parts of the pads that touch the caliper"nothing else".
hope this gives you an idea.

alex
big al

 

[Ryan]

Rite mate thanks, is there a guide anywhere to do this??

I have never touched my brakes before all tho i am led to believe that it is an easy job?


Could it not be an air lock in the brake fluid?

 

[big al]

yes its possable there is air in your system but i would clean them first.this is normally the case with a car being stood for a while.
as for cleaning them its quite easy.i dont think there is a guide but worst case ask a garage it wont cost you loads"i hope"..lol

where abouts are you located?

alex

 

[Ryan]

im in bradford mate, problem is a lot of garages dont like to do work on my car cos they dont wanna damage owt cos its soo low, providing i had a step by step guide of what to do, i would happily do it myself on the drive as i have alot of spare time at the moment!!

Thanks for ur help so far mate

 

[Ian]

It's easier to bleed the brakes first than to dismantle your car ...

Remember, brake fluid does have a life expectancy too.

 

[Ryan]

ye thats true mate, i havent had it changed in the 2 n a half years ive had the car, how do you bleed your brakes??
Ive seen the other thread about it, but that involved taking off the rear wheels as well??

 

[big al]

ian i agree,but...why not kill 2 birds with one stone.

ryan..here is a quick guide.

jack the car up,get the wheel off.
unbolt the caliper from the hub, i think its 2 allen key bolts.slide the caliper off the disc.
take the pads from the caliper,wire brush the caliper and remove all if any crap from the caliper.basiclly if you see any rust or crud get rid of it,use brake cleaner though not wd40.
when you put the caliper back onto the car put some copper grease on the back off the pads where it touches the caliper,this will help the pads move around and not seize.put the caliper back on..bleed the brakes up passenger side first then wheel on and try it out.

big al

 

[Ian]

Buy a haynes manual

I can fix your PC for you if you want.

 

[Ryan]

i sold my haynes manual when i first put my car on ebay!
how do you bleed your wheels??

Thanks alot al!!

 

[Anonymous]

Courtesy of Big Al

15 mins before you start drench the bleed nipples in wd4!!!..this will help as you dont wanna snap 1.

start from the rear,..rear passenger,then rear driver.then front passenger,finally front drivers.
also the rear brakes have a valve that will only bleed up if the wheels are at normal level..i.e not jacked up.you could shimmy under the car if your skinny or jack the car up and place an axle stand on the rear swingarm so when you lower the jack it will push the wheel back up into the arch thus putting the rear wheel back to normal load and the valve will allow fluid to pass through it.

hope this helps,

cheers
big al




Rob
(no login)
194.200.70.203

 

[Ryan]

Thanks mate!

 

[Ryan]

Right i have taken my car to the garage and he said (without looking) that it could be the brakes that have seized up, hence them being so crap.
if this is the case, what would need doing and how much should i expect to pay in the region of so i know i aint getting ripped off,as sed in my other post, im skint, so tryin to save all the pennies!!

Ryan

 

[axle]

Take the handbrake off on a flat road and try pushing the car, it should move easy. If it is stiff, follow the instructions that Big Al has given you.

 

[Ryan]

i cant do the fix myself as im on crutches at the moment so i need a garage to do it for me.
how much should i expect to pay??

 

[Anonymous]

Worth asking around,Keep away from fiat garage. should only take an hour.