spk

I replaced my shocks and struts last weekend, and installed a Cattman RSB. I did the rears and put the RSB on one day, and the fronts the next day. When I pulled off the rear wheels and spun the axle, before I replaced anything or bent the parking brake cable brackets out slightly to fit the RSB brackets, I felt the pads dragging on the discs when spun by hand. They dragged more when spun forward, enough to vibrate things when turned slightly by hand. There was no vibration when spun backwards, but they definitely dragged.


I drove after I replaced the rear shocks, and didn't feel anything odd (no vibration from the brakes when driving). The next day, I jacked up the front with the parking brake on and rear wheels chocked to replace the front struts. When I drove right after getting the fronts on, the rear brakes resonate when I first start out in first (very low speed). Once I get up past about 7 mph, the resonation stops. Seems to go away after driving for a while, maybe because the rotors and pads heat up.

Anyone have this happen to them? Any ideas? The pads and rotors are fairly new, the rotors aren't warped or anything. Would having the car jacked up with weight on the rear and the parking brake engaged for a while have caused the pistons to not rebound all the way? Maybe a combination of that and the parking brake cable brackets having been bent out for the RSB is making the parking brake cable stick?

Sorry for the long post, but I'd like to get this sorted out soon.

Soren

njmodi

iTrader: (4)

Depending on "how much" you bent the parking brake cable brackets - you might be causing the cable to bind - thus the parking brake is not releasing completely...it might just be coincidental that it just started happening after you did your front end suspension.... put up a pic of where you bent the bracket ... it would be useful to see.

spk

Good idea about the pic -- I'll take it in the daylight tomorrow.

spk

I just looked at the e-brake cable braket and whatnot, and I can't imagine that bending out the bracket next to the RSB bracket would make the cable bind anymore than the other bracket more towards the front of the car. That bracket noticeably deforms the cable housing/sheath. I'll post a pic soon.

How much of a gap should there be between the pads and rotor? The driver's side has a gap of maybe 1 mm, but there's no gap at all on the passenger side. It seems strange to me that there's less resistance when turning the rotor/axle backwards than when turning forwards. Any ideas?

slizan99

iTrader: (1)

I used to have this problem as well. when I put new rotors and pads on the rear of my car they almost immediatly overheated.


i'm assuming that you have your original parking brake cables? if so, there are issues with the parking brake cables dragging or constantly pulling on the rear brakes. there are updated cables and brake pad brackets to fix this issue.

njmodi

iTrader: (4)

None of the brackets should be deforming the cable/sheath... if it looks bent, it sounds like you have come across the common problem with the 4th Gen parking brake cable - when the car is put on a lift at a shop the hoist actually bends the bracket (see picture below for which bracket I am referring to)...

It happened to me and it has happened to many others.... if the sheathing hasn't ripped open from the kink, you can probably straighten out the bent bracket...o/wise you'll want to replace the damaged cable, see: http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/303

spk

Hmmm...

I didn't thoroughly inspect the cable around those brackets when I had the wheels off, but item #1 in that motorvate link is certainly not round anymore. The part of the bracket that wraps around the cable itself is more of an ellipse now. I'll put some pliers on it and see if I can make it round again.

njmodi, thanks a lot for that link.

BRIGBOY

I recently realized the same. Since I'm auto and I use the parking brake rarely, actually the last time I used it was the last time it snowed so I could play around in a parkng lot and do some 360's, I just disconnected the ebrake. Problem solved.

However my newest problem is I installed rear pads the other day and they fit so snug that I was billowing smoke at red lights from the friction and heated pads. The rotors would warp if I left it any longer so I put 1 old pad back in to make so space. It worked for a quick fix but I am puzzled why this happened? Maybe a caliper is partly seized?

spk

Holy s**t! Your pads were smoking?! That can't be good :O

I can't say with any certainty, since I'm still getting a hang of this stuff myself, but I bet the caliper pistons need to be cleaned and regreased. I understand from others that that should be done when you change pads.

michaelnyden

iTrader: (15)

are they brand new pads?? when I jacked up my car to do my brakes in the rear, I never released the parking brake until I jacked up the car...anyway, obviously, they the pads weren't released off the rotors, but I managed to get them out anyway and change them...the new pads were understandibly thicker, I heard them slightly dragging the first night I took my car for a drive to brake in the new pads, after brake in...they sounded like they were still dragging a little, but much less, but after a week, they were silent again...!!! go figure, I think I actual wore like 1mm of the pads and now there was clearance, so just wait a week and see...although my rear brakes were never smoking when they were dragging so maybe mine weren't really that bad!

spk

Those two forward e-brake cable brackets on the trailing arms were pinched down on the cable fairly tight. I opened them up with a flat-bladed screwdriver, and they aren't binding the cable anymore, but the passenger side cable housing does have a tear the width of the bracket where the gap in the bracket pinched it open.

I engaged and disengaged the e-brake a few times after I straightened out the brakets, but the rear brakes are still dragging. It makes the pads vibrate and therefore resonate at very slow speed, when the car is just barely rolling. Any other ideas?

How much gap should there be between the pads and rotors?

I appreciate the help I've been getting on this. Thanks a lot.

njmodi

iTrader: (4)

There really should be no gap between the pads and the rotors - they always "touch" but there should be no pressure on the pads (if everything is working as designed) - so they don't really cause any drag... don't know if that makes sense...

The only solution in your case (with the parking brake causing dragging) is the replace the cables... the cables are 50-70 bucks (depending on where you get them)... its easy to change them out - just took me a while to get the exhaust heat shields off (I was trying to "save" them for reuse - but from so many winters, most of the bolts just sheared... one you have the shields off - its 10 mins of work per cable...