Quote:
Originally Posted by Mossyboy1978
I had a similar problem - judder at about 70 mph and nasty when off the brakes, severe when on them.
Turned out to be a buggered front caliper. One of the dust seals around the pistons had failed and corrosion had set in, leaving that single piston slightly jutting out. No problem at low speeds but as the car got faster and the binding piston heated up, things got tighter and worse.
Caliper refurb has sorted it.
Mossy
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having suffered this problem for a while may I suggest the first step in diagnosing the cause ...a temperature gun !
in my case the problem varied according to such thing as...who was driving [eg SWMBO ] ,time of year , type of terrain
so I decided to try a new brake pad material ....the new ferodo non polluting material used as OE ; so bought a set [ 8 pads for a sport ] and went next door to my neighbour's workshop , took out one of his tractors , jacked up one side of the car and removed a front wheel
beginning of problems . couldn't get the pads out !
fortunately my expert neighbour arrived to collect a muckspreader and between us we managed to get the pistons back enough to get the half worn pads out , but one piston would only go back half way ; no problem he said before he rushed off , just demount the caliper and work the piston in and out ....90% of the time you will get it freed off as he has done many times with a G clamp and the foot brake; if that doesn't work it is a refurb job
easier said than done ...could I undo the bolts??? could I **** , extension bar or not [ the pneumatic gun wouldn't budge it ]
unfortunately I am about to go to the UK , so couldn't risk breaking [ excuse pun ] something ; so back in with the old pads , pumped up the brakes [ one piston worked correctly the other not ] and after a while the stuck piston worked properly ie operated the pad ; on with the wheel , went for a run
now I did what I should have done before spending £70 on new pads , temperature checked each disc after use ; lo and behold no vibration to begin with but the disc on the faulty piston side heated up after a number of stops and back came the vibration ....even though not nearly as bad as before
so the moral of the story is ...before spending money on parts or a mechanic lash out £5 at amazon and get a temperature gun from china and check both sides for temperature to see if they balance ...it is highly unlikely both side have a problem to the same extent ; you may have found a cheap elimination for the problem
thanks to whoever introduced me to the temperature gun !
anyone want a cheap set of 8 pad ferodo's for a sport while I am in southampton ?