front brakes scraping

[drewster71]

Good evening all,
have been removing front shockers today and whilst wheels off rotated front discs, have not driven car for 18mnths and i think something may have ceased in brake area, pads arent releasing as should does anyone know what would cause this... Geez wot am i saying of course someone will.. you have all so much knowledge and I am forever grateful


Drewster

[116gtv]

put the wheel back on first with a couple of nuts and try rotating by hand and see if its spins on its own at least a little.. get a helper to jump on brakes on and off so you get a feel if they are grabbing.. dont panic just yet.. worst case scenario get the calipers rebuilt. inspect and possible change the brake hoses whilst there, they arent that expensive...

[Storm_X]

yes try what 116gtv said. also clean up all the dust and rust of the rotor and calipers.

today i took off the whole brake setup off a alfa today omg it isnt a easy job once the ball joint comes off the lower arm the force off the torshion bar breaks off pretty hard.

[david sammartino]

Why did you need to take off the lower arm to remove the brake setup? And also that is the most dangerous thing i think you could do, next time make sure you have a jack or support under the lower arm before you knock off the upright. You really could have hurt youself storm, i think it was your lucky day.

[MD]

have not driven car for 18mnths

drewster71,

Sounds like the classical partial or complete piston ceasure in the caliper which comes about from the brake fluid acquiring moisture over time. This is the reason why road cars should have a complete brake fluid change at least every 18 months preferably every 12. It's the cheapest insurance around remembering that professional racing teams change the fluid after every meeting(this is not corrosion related but more to do with maximising the boiling point).

[Storm_X]

Why did you need to take off the lower arm to remove the brake setup? And also that is the most dangerous thing i think you could do, next time make sure you have a jack or support under the lower arm before you knock off the upright. You really could have hurt youself storm, i think it was your lucky day.

well i got a friend to do it while i was doing something else. there was a petrol can under the brake and when the ball joints came off the crushed the hell out of it. and with the other side we where smashing the shit out of it and he walked off saying nup its not coming off then it shot off. yes lucky no hands, fingers or any other body parts where under there.

[BradGTV]

dodgy much?

[Storm_X]

who cares i was in a rush to get the car to you-pull-it.
the car is worth $0 to me after i take all the parts i need out.

[drewster71]

 Hi there, so is the caliper rebuild something I could do or best to leave to brake professional and is the car needed to be taken to be done or just removal of caliper ?

Cheers Drew

have not driven car for 18mnths

drewster71,

Sounds like the classical partial or complete piston ceasure in the caliper which comes about from the brake fluid acquiring moisture over time. This is the reason why road cars should have a complete brake fluid change at least every 18 months preferably every 12. It's the cheapest insurance around remembering that professional racing teams change the fluid after every meeting(this is not corrosion related but more to do with maximising the boiling point).

[Storm_X]

professional is allways best when it comes to brakes.

up bolt the calliper with the two bolts on the back and the brake line.

[drewster71]

So remove the 2 pin bolts to get caliper out and take to brake repair place or will the complete car need to be taken Storm ?
Cheers Drew

[MD]

Take it to a work shop if you if you are not confident but there is a chance you may learn something along the way so I suggest you have a go. However, as this is a safety issue and I am not able to oversee your job, please ensure that a qualified person checks the job after to be sure it all works like it should for your and others safety,OK?

Here's what you can do.

Obtain a second hand set of calipers. Test them before purchase to see that the pistons move freely.*
Install in reverse order,bleed entire sytem, test run to confirm operation AT LOW SPEED first.

Alternatively, remove offending calliper. Remove piston from housing. This may take some doing if it is corroded. If you have a compressor, you can use the air pressure into the fluid entrance to force the piston out*#. Before you do this insert a piece of timber in place of the pads but less in thickness to allow the pistons to move out. Do this in succession by reducing the timber thickness as the pistons gradually move out. The timber is there so that the pistons dont blast out and injure you so take care !!!

If you find that the pistons are pitted and corroded you will need to have them stainless steel sleeved at a resleeving works  and before reinstallation, you will need to install a new calliper rubber kit/seals.

This whole process has many facets that I have not covered for brevity. Use methylated spirits to wash everything and be SPOTLESS in your work. Take care, the metho is very flammable.

*#Use this technique when testing replacement used callipers

[MD]

No Choderboy I don't think you are full of anything more than common sense and I agree with your concerns which is why I made my advice conditional upon certification from a competent party.

I equate this with an apprentice having a go and learning but his work checked by the overseer.

I trust that this approach is reasonable by any account.

[Evan Bottcher]

Still stunned by the (off topic) description of near death from our friend Stormy-X.  Drewster you should take note of what can happen when you are inexperienced and foolhardy.  Definitely have a crack at maintenance jobs on your car, but start with oil changes and the like first - if you want to pull/re-install and bleed brakes have someone with experience around the first time.

Storm_X - you've been warned before about the danger of the torsion bars - I can't find the thread right now but I know you have.  That's how houdini died, didn't you know?

[Evan Bottcher]

Found it:

http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/australian-forum/148136-giulietta-gtv-alfetta-75-front-end-lowering-tool-adelaide.html

From alfagtv152: "If you try to pull out the torsion bar by itself you will probably kill yourself!!! and nobody wants to see that.Buy the Book!"

From C&S: "Good luck man, be careful, and do lots of research first."

it goes on: "I give up!.Craig I hope you will try to stop him from hurting himself."........ "Nope, I respect Charles Darwin. Think of it as evolution in action."

And you wrote: "I don't know why so many people are so worried?"