Ok I was changing my rotors and pads today, when I was compressing the front driver side caliper pistion there was brake fluid leaking from the engine bay some where does anyone now what that is from. Please help

 

The reservoir has overflowed when you displaced the fluid back out of the caliper when you pushed the piston back. This is caused when someone adds fluid unnecessarily when the fluid level drops normally due to pad wear.

 

Thank you I did add fluid like a month ago cause my pads were bad

 

yeah its just fluid from your reservoir, just remember after you're done with your brake job to press the brake pedal a few times and top off the brake fluid.

 

when you do this, you are supposed to remove the cover from the reservoir

 

my rear brake pads are rubbing on both rotors on a certain spot when i rotate it.

are my rear rotors warped?

thanks

 

I've got a brake problem myself. My brake light won't go out when I disengage the parking brake. Only happens in the cold. But when I get to where I'm going, I get out and smell the rear brakes and check for heat. Their isn't anything abnormal. Could this be just a faulty sensor or is one of the pads sticking a little bit and just won't retract all the way?? Help please. I don't know what to do.

 

Hi all,

I've got a rear brake issue that I'm looking for help on. Since this is my first post, I really can't start a new thread, hope you guys don't mind. I sort of don't have time to post 15 times before starting my own.

Anyway, my buddy helped me out replacing the brake pads and rotors on my 2001 Maxima since I am not mechanically inclined. After all was done, the rear brakes stuck a bit and prevented a good coast. We readjusted the praking brake again, and it's better, but the rear wheels don't spin freely while up on the jack, and they're a bit warm after driving around.

Any ideas why?

 

Anybody? Please?

 

Did you wind in the piston fully and did you "index" the piston with the pad correctly.......the pad "nub" got aligned with the piston recess?

 

Thanks for the reply. He wound the piston, but fully...I'm not sure.

And by indexing the piston, I read somewhere that it must line up with a 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock position?

Sorry about the noobness, I'm better with computers than I am with cars.

 

A little update--the car has developed a wobble now, especially at low speeds. ???

 

when braking?

 

A wobble? We need a better description. But........after replacing brake pads if you have brake hangup/not releasing to the point where the car does not "roll freely" or where after driving with little brake usage, you get out and the brakes are "really hot" with maybe an associated odor/vapor, then something is not right. Continuing to drive the car with this condition can cause seizure of the caliper, destroying the rotor, pads and caliper because of the snowball effect of the heat generated by the continuous friction. This has been seen before on this forum. Obviously with the rears the first thing to check is to make sure the parking brake is not the culprit. After that, misassembly/incorrect parts issues are next. Not that uncommonn with Maxi rears. A friends '99 Maxi rear brakes were totally screwed up by a dealer yet! The new rear pads lasted less than six months and everything was "cooked" black.

 

Perfectly said.

This is a common problem on most cars that have ratcheting style calipers, I've seen this issue on a couple maxima's and many VW's that have a very similar setup.

 

Thanks for the response.

To the poster before you...no, not while braking. I noticed it coming off the freeway last night at about 50-60 mph...car wobbling, especially the steering wheel. My wife drove it a short way last nigt and reported wobbling, but I think it was the road she was on.

Anyway, would the brakes cause the steering wheel to shake when not braking? Strange. I checked the lug nuts, and they all seemed to be tight except one, but it wasn't totally loose.

My buddy wants to look at it again this afternoon, and I'll report back later. Thanks guys.

 

If it's not when braking it's more likely a bent wheel or tire balance problem.

 

 

I had the same problem...try topping off your brake fluid reservoir. That fixed the problem for me.

JP

 

Or try checking the brake pad lining. If the fluid is low then you either have low brake pads lining or a leak somewhere. Most likely low pads

 

may be your parking brake cable was frozen and unable to release the rear brakes. I never apply the handbrake when it's cold.

 

Not to thread jack but I cant post new threads for some reason even tho i have 15 + replies and i was just wondering my pedal has no effect on my brakes until its 50 % down then its like hitting a brick wall. Anyone got advice? yes i have searched and i have an idea of what it is. Maybe air in the line? but i just wanted to be sure. Thanks and sorry for jacking your thread.

 

i would start with bleeding the brakes, its easy to do and cheap.

 

I'm another one of those folks who can't start a new thread.

I just replaced all 4 brakes and had the rotors turned. Now my front rotors squeal/grind like crazy. Kinda sounds like the brake wear indicators scraping. Its constant when the car is moving, doesn't matter if the brake is pressed or not. I've used grease everywhere and still making that constant noise. Any ideas? Is it possible the pistons are pressing the pads onto the rotor too much? TIA

 

It sounds like something was not installed correctly. But I would guess that the squealing is from the round metal cover behind the hub rubbing against the rotor. Or one of the brake pad springs is rubbing against the rotor.

This should be easy enough to diagnose. Just jack the car up, take the wheel off, and leave it in neutral. Then hand turn the rotor to determine where the rubbing is coming from. I doubt it is your pads or rotors, but those pads may not have been bedded properly...shops don't do a good job of that.

 

I think you may be right. I'm gonna check it again in the morning. Thanks.

 

food: you were right. it was the metal dust cover scraping against the rotor. wonder how it got bent out of shape? Thanks man.