Fred Flinstone would say to just use your feet.
December 2, 2010 2:40 PM Subscribe
AutoRepairFilter: It seems as if my brakes are slipping at slow speed. I've nailed it down to my passenger side front wheel. Now what do I need to replace? Special hoopty snowflake details inside!
1997 Chevrolet Malibu LS, V6. 115k miles. Front pads were replaced Summer 2009 at around 90-95k miles by my hands. Rotors were replaced Summer 2007 probably around 50-55k miles. Calipers, etc. are original for all I know. Last brake pad replacement was done by me, and this repair hopefully will be done by me. I have all appropriate tools (jack, jack stands, crowbar, wrenches, sockets, impact wrench, screwdrivers, etc.) available.
When I slow my car down, it the brakes are fine anywhere from 75mph down to about 2mph. When I get down to just about stopping, it sounds like my right front wheel is sliding agains the brake pad and jumping, rather than stopping smoothly. My other wheels don't make this sound. If I let up on the brake pedal partially to move forward while braking, it will also slip a little. Stopping completely causes the slip again. Another description would be the sound of rubbing something made of rubber against another surface where it seems to jump and not slide smoothly. I am not yet having any trouble with completing a stop, but these things don't magically get better, I know.
I've been searching down the answer and I'm looking for confirmation that it's probably just my rotors that are finally warped. ABS does not work on this car and hasn't for a few years. This is due to a bad ABS sensor on my rear right wheel, and I refuse to pay to replace the wheel bearing. ABS isn't appealing enough to drop $500 on rear wheel bearings. The reason I mention the ABS is that the symptoms I'm experiencing tend to be towards a bad ABS sensor, but my ABS is already disabled and can't be causing it.
So MeFi's, is it rotors, calipers, pads, combination or something else? No, I'm not taking it to a mechanic without giving it the old college try. Yes, I know brakes are ultra important and hand it off to a mechanic, but this is me ignoring your sound logic on brake repairs: LALALALALA.
1997 Chevrolet Malibu LS, V6. 115k miles. Front pads were replaced Summer 2009 at around 90-95k miles by my hands. Rotors were replaced Summer 2007 probably around 50-55k miles. Calipers, etc. are original for all I know. Last brake pad replacement was done by me, and this repair hopefully will be done by me. I have all appropriate tools (jack, jack stands, crowbar, wrenches, sockets, impact wrench, screwdrivers, etc.) available.
When I slow my car down, it the brakes are fine anywhere from 75mph down to about 2mph. When I get down to just about stopping, it sounds like my right front wheel is sliding agains the brake pad and jumping, rather than stopping smoothly. My other wheels don't make this sound. If I let up on the brake pedal partially to move forward while braking, it will also slip a little. Stopping completely causes the slip again. Another description would be the sound of rubbing something made of rubber against another surface where it seems to jump and not slide smoothly. I am not yet having any trouble with completing a stop, but these things don't magically get better, I know.
I've been searching down the answer and I'm looking for confirmation that it's probably just my rotors that are finally warped. ABS does not work on this car and hasn't for a few years. This is due to a bad ABS sensor on my rear right wheel, and I refuse to pay to replace the wheel bearing. ABS isn't appealing enough to drop $500 on rear wheel bearings. The reason I mention the ABS is that the symptoms I'm experiencing tend to be towards a bad ABS sensor, but my ABS is already disabled and can't be causing it.
So MeFi's, is it rotors, calipers, pads, combination or something else? No, I'm not taking it to a mechanic without giving it the old college try. Yes, I know brakes are ultra important and hand it off to a mechanic, but this is me ignoring your sound logic on brake repairs: LALALALALA.
Forgot to mention: first inspect the pads to make sure they are in good shape.
posted by gjc at 3:07 PM on December 2, 2010
posted by gjc at 3:07 PM on December 2, 2010
Have you done the obvious - jacking the car up, removing the wheel and examining the suspect brake assembly?
posted by Dr Dracator at 3:09 PM on December 2, 2010
posted by Dr Dracator at 3:09 PM on December 2, 2010
Response by poster: Have you done the obvious - jacking the car up, removing the wheel and examining the suspect brake assembly?
Not yet, at work. I'm gonna tackle this on the weekend.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 3:16 PM on December 2, 2010
Not yet, at work. I'm gonna tackle this on the weekend.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 3:16 PM on December 2, 2010
Best answer: When you are braking, does the car pull to one side? If you are a gentle braker, you might not notice this unless you are paying attention. Check (safely!) on a smooth, level surface. If it pulls all the time while braking, it would make more sense than just at a near stop.
Barring that, I would suggest jacking it up, removing the wheel, and performing a visual inspection first. You can rotate the rotor slowly by hand and look for warping, foreign matter, or any other obvious problems. Don't forget to look at the front and back of the rotor/pads/caliper. Don't get grimy hand prints on your braking surfaces either.
If nothing obvious is wrong, I would remove the caliper/pads. Take a look at the piston(s), see if there is a leaking seal or any obvious problems. Finally, I would clean and grease the slides to make sure everything is moving without catching or excessive friction.
Finally, after re-assembling (don't forget to pump the brakes to push that piston back out!) I'd take it for a drive. First I'd make sure the brakes are still working, there is no strong pull, and you can safely come to a complete stop. With confidence in the brakes abilities to stop, I'd try some HARD stops from about 50mph to de-glaze the rotors. After that it would be time for head scratching and beer drinking with some other car-guys.
PS: Differentiation of labor is important, but consider that knowing how to do things for yourself is also important. Fight the good fight before you take it to a mechanic! You'll be proud when you fix it yourself.
Good luck!
posted by no1hatchling at 7:58 PM on December 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
Barring that, I would suggest jacking it up, removing the wheel, and performing a visual inspection first. You can rotate the rotor slowly by hand and look for warping, foreign matter, or any other obvious problems. Don't forget to look at the front and back of the rotor/pads/caliper. Don't get grimy hand prints on your braking surfaces either.
If nothing obvious is wrong, I would remove the caliper/pads. Take a look at the piston(s), see if there is a leaking seal or any obvious problems. Finally, I would clean and grease the slides to make sure everything is moving without catching or excessive friction.
Finally, after re-assembling (don't forget to pump the brakes to push that piston back out!) I'd take it for a drive. First I'd make sure the brakes are still working, there is no strong pull, and you can safely come to a complete stop. With confidence in the brakes abilities to stop, I'd try some HARD stops from about 50mph to de-glaze the rotors. After that it would be time for head scratching and beer drinking with some other car-guys.
PS: Differentiation of labor is important, but consider that knowing how to do things for yourself is also important. Fight the good fight before you take it to a mechanic! You'll be proud when you fix it yourself.
Good luck!
posted by no1hatchling at 7:58 PM on December 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Yeah, but Fred was notoriously Dactyl-toed.
In other words, check your alignment.
Your account of those squeaks sounds more like the skipping against the road caused by bad alignment to me.
posted by jamjam at 10:18 PM on December 2, 2010
In other words, check your alignment.
Your account of those squeaks sounds more like the skipping against the road caused by bad alignment to me.
posted by jamjam at 10:18 PM on December 2, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by gjc at 3:07 PM on December 2, 2010