My buddy has a 1992 GLE and he's having some major brake issues. He needs to know what is wrong, where he should go, and what he needs to do to fix the problem.

His brakes make a terrible noise when ever he puts the car in gear or when he lets off the brakes, the noise sounds like metal scraping against metal. a few times now i've seen a spark come out of his rear brakes when he's started to move his car. He says it makes a loud noise inside the car when he brakes, he described as it sounds like a plane is flying over his car. Were both not exactly sure what the problem is, don't know if it's the rotors, pads, or calipers. He also says its making the noise from both the front and rear brakes.

if anyone has any information on what the problem is, what needs to be replaced, where a good trustworthy place to go to, and how serious the problem is; PLEASE respond, because this is his only car right now and he needs to use it to get around to get a new job and to get to school. So again any information on this subject would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

He needs to stop driving the car IMMEDIATELY!!

The car most likely needs the front rotors and pads/rear drums and brakes shoes[or rotors if it has abs] replaced..There may also be other damage due to his negligence...

 

my buddy posted that, i know his brakes are ****ed. mainly i just need to know how you can tell if he needs more than pads (when i do all his brakes...) because i would hate to have to do it all over again. whats the brake set up on a 3rd gen. i drive a 4th so im kinda lost with his car. thanks

 

You are going to have to remove all the wheels and inspect the pads/rotors/calipers/pad shims,etc, for obvious signs of wear/damage..Posting some pics of his brake system in this thread would help us identify how extensive the damage is,and what needs to be replaced..

Brake setups are as follows.

89-94 se models have disc brakes all around..

89-94 gxe models have front disc/rear drum setup..Unless it has abs,then it will be disc brakes all the way around..

IIRC..All maxima front brake systems from 89-99 are the same...

 

You might also want to check for stuck caliphers. Jack up the wheel, make sure it's in neutral or the emergency brake is off and try to rotate the wheel. If it doesn't turn freely, perhaps the calipher is frozen, dragging the brakes.

 

they are all disc brakes. however i dont think it has abs and its not an se. wierd?

 

look behind the passenger headlight, if there is a coolant tank: no abs
if there's a thing with a bunch of metal lines coming out of it: abs
quick way to tell the difference between a gxe and se: gxe mirrors are body colored, se's are black. get back to us...

 

If he's seeing sparks somewhere, I guarantee that the rotor and the pads are toast, if not more...

And if you can't look at the car and tell how to fix it compared to your 4th gen, then you don't need to be working on it either. take it to a real mechanic and let them fix it. idiots working on brakes are just asking for a lawsuit when the car doesn't stop and it winds up killing someone.

 

What meanz it when them metal spinny thing iz makin' a bunch of puurty sparx???

 

that you forgot to put spacers on your spinners for your dubs

 

i had my brakes overhauled completley (ABS) so its all new.

 

If the brakes have been done previously by yourself recently, there is a possibility that the piston may have been damaged when compressing it back into the caliper. Keep in mind that the fronts can be easily compressed back in with the use of a 4" C-clamp, while the pistons in the rear must be rotated back into the caliper. Local auto shops now sell an adapter for a 3/8" socket driver that fits just alout any vehicle and will only run you around 8 to 20 bucks. DO NOT try to force the rear pistons in as you do with the fronts!

 

[QUOTE=ruger311]Local auto shops now sell an adapter for a 3/8" socket driver that fits just alout any vehicle and will only run you around 8 to 20 bucks. QUOTE]

Or you can rent the disc brake piston retraction tool from autozone for free!(you just put $35 down and they give it back to you when you return it).