Almost complete braking failure
#1
Almost complete braking failure
Hello!
On driving up to a main road yesterday, I went for brakes and found they didn't really didn't do anything. There was some light braking all around but not enough to stop me. The more I pressed the pedal towards the floor the more braking there was but had to use the engine and handbrake to stop the car to avoid driving into traffic.
The car has been recently serviced (perhaps 1000 miles / 2 months ago). The past couple of weeks I've noticed a rubbing noise on the wheels which appears to speed up and slow down with the wheel speed.
Since the brakes went wrong, the rubbing noise has gone. There are no engine warning lights on or anything. Would anyone know the first place to look for the issue?
On driving up to a main road yesterday, I went for brakes and found they didn't really didn't do anything. There was some light braking all around but not enough to stop me. The more I pressed the pedal towards the floor the more braking there was but had to use the engine and handbrake to stop the car to avoid driving into traffic.
The car has been recently serviced (perhaps 1000 miles / 2 months ago). The past couple of weeks I've noticed a rubbing noise on the wheels which appears to speed up and slow down with the wheel speed.
Since the brakes went wrong, the rubbing noise has gone. There are no engine warning lights on or anything. Would anyone know the first place to look for the issue?
#2
The following users liked this post:
andrew2110 (09-12-2014)
#3
What kind of service was performed?
At a guess, the rubbing noise was pads on rotor and that caused enough friction to heat up the caliper(s) resulting in boiled brake fluid with the final result being brake fade.
What you felt is what brake fade feels like.
The boiled brake fluid has bubbles in it and the piston compresses the gas rather than the brake fluid.
If this has happened a complete flush is in order after checking for sticking pistons.
At a guess, the rubbing noise was pads on rotor and that caused enough friction to heat up the caliper(s) resulting in boiled brake fluid with the final result being brake fade.
What you felt is what brake fade feels like.
The boiled brake fluid has bubbles in it and the piston compresses the gas rather than the brake fluid.
If this has happened a complete flush is in order after checking for sticking pistons.
The following users liked this post:
andrew2110 (09-12-2014)
#4
Thank you for the replies!
It was what the garage said was a "full" service, seemed to include pretty much everything that could be serviced.
On testing things out this morning, it appears that when I put my foot on the brake, lots of brake fluid comes out from the front left hand side brake, and looking at the wheel, it's looking very blackened indeed.
Thanks for the advice on this guys, I was just going to get more brake fluid, new brake calipers and a new hose but a complete flush seems like it would be a good idea too
It was what the garage said was a "full" service, seemed to include pretty much everything that could be serviced.
On testing things out this morning, it appears that when I put my foot on the brake, lots of brake fluid comes out from the front left hand side brake, and looking at the wheel, it's looking very blackened indeed.
Thanks for the advice on this guys, I was just going to get more brake fluid, new brake calipers and a new hose but a complete flush seems like it would be a good idea too
#6
It is impossible to tell from here, but if the mechanic closed off a brake hose during the service using mole grips, there is a high risk of hose damage. It is a frequent, but not recommended practice.
Last edited by plums; 09-12-2014 at 08:27 AM.
#7
So I had a chance to get the wheel off today and take a good look at what happened:
The red square shows where the wheel was rubbing on the brake cable and ended up rubbing through. The blue square shows where one of the garages I've been to used a cable tie to hold the brake cable in place. I'm never sure how to be angry at garages because unless I go through their work afterwards, they can just turn around and say "wasn't me", anyways thats another matter.
So I'll need a new brake cable which is easy enough to find, but will also need to find a new clamp thing to hold the brake cable away from the wheel which seems harder to find. If anyone knows where I could source one, that would be amazing.
The red square shows where the wheel was rubbing on the brake cable and ended up rubbing through. The blue square shows where one of the garages I've been to used a cable tie to hold the brake cable in place. I'm never sure how to be angry at garages because unless I go through their work afterwards, they can just turn around and say "wasn't me", anyways thats another matter.
So I'll need a new brake cable which is easy enough to find, but will also need to find a new clamp thing to hold the brake cable away from the wheel which seems harder to find. If anyone knows where I could source one, that would be amazing.
Trending Topics
#8
#9
#10
Thank you! I will order the replacement brake hose and see what it comes with. It seems like it shouldn't be too difficult to do a safer job than the person who put the original cable tie on there!
Current plan unless I think of anything better and if the new hose comes as just the hose by itself, is to wrap the hose in an extra bit of rubber, and use maybe 5 cable ties to hold it in place, spreading the load and adding some redundancy to it. At least I know about it now and it's something I can easily check regularly. Thanks for everyones help on this forum, have never come across such a friendly community before!
Current plan unless I think of anything better and if the new hose comes as just the hose by itself, is to wrap the hose in an extra bit of rubber, and use maybe 5 cable ties to hold it in place, spreading the load and adding some redundancy to it. At least I know about it now and it's something I can easily check regularly. Thanks for everyones help on this forum, have never come across such a friendly community before!
The following users liked this post:
SteveSheldon (09-16-2014)
#11
#12
#13
Ok so I got the new hose today and fitted it. No more leaking fluid everywhere. However the brake fluid must have gotten pretty low so we bled the braking system, some air came out but the brakes are still pretty ineffective (although if I pump the brakes whilst driving they do get stiffer). Does anyone have any ideas what I should try next to get things back to normal?
#15
#16
#17
Thank you! I've bled the brakes a few times now and it's getting a little better each time but not quite perfect still. We haven't been able to find a replacement clip. If your offer of sending the clip over still stands and are able to accept some money via paypal for it, I would love to be able to take you up on that offer?
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
clubairth1
S-Type / S type R Supercharged V8 ( X200 )
29
05-10-2024 12:57 PM
1964Daimler
MKI / MKII S type 240 340 & Daimler
0
09-09-2015 11:28 AM
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)