Rotors touching caliper bracket!

[SHOstuff]

Me and another forum member installed ne wheel bearings and hub. For some strange reason, the rotors are touch the caliper bracket slightly. Why could that be?

 

[Racer X]

Wrong bearing springs to mind.

- Which bearing are you having issues with? Front or rear?
- What year is the car?
- Stock brakes? Upgraded?

 

[AREA 91]

If you happen to have done the 96 upgrade, it may be the caliper bracket bolts touching the rotor. They will need to be ground down.

 

[SHOstuff]

Well, let me give y'all the long version. Before doing the work, I didn't have this problem. The only problem I had was a bad bearing. So what I did was went a bought a whole assembly with bearings for that particular spindle, which it's a '94-'95; that's how it came from the previous owner. We took the old one out which was in pieces, obviously. Then we installed the new one, the spring clip went in fine also the bearing, which was pressed in. Once I put it back together, I noticed it was very hard, if not at all, to turn. This is with the bracket off. So, curious to see what would happened if I install the wheel and drive it, whjat would happen. I instantly noticed the screeching noise, looked around the wheel to what was happening, i noticed the rotors were worn like a pad would do only metal from the bracket did it. I never had this done to me as long as I owned 3 SHO's. Took the wheel off to make sure everything was tightened back to specs. Put everything back on and had the other member drive to see what he thought and when he came back, the noise was temporarily gone. The next day, I drove it out town and back, on my way back it was becoming apparent that the noise was coming back intermittently then it finally gave once I exited to check it out. The cv joints had rubbed into the spindle and melted some of the metal a little and wouldn't allow the car to move so easily. Then yestreday, I went to junkyard and got another spindle, exactly like I have and installed it to my car and drove very smooth and quiet. Now today, it's doing it again, only this time it's not so bad, but I still don't like the idea that it's touching the bracket, even if it's just a little bit. Because guess what? It's going to get bad again, so now I want to address the issue while it's driveable and early to see why it's doing something that shouldn't happen. What's pushing the hub outward to make it touch the bracket? Could it be bad cv joints?

 

[Racer X]

If the CV is touching the spindle, the hub wasn't pressed far enough into the bearing; it's not fully seated.

 

[SHOstuff]

So why is it doing it again then with another spindle?

 

[SHOstuff]

Somethings got to be pushing it out but what is it?

 

[SHOstuff]

Anybody! I really need help on this and get this fixed right away. I just don't have a clue on what's going on.

 

[jeff408]

I have a simular problem. So I am interested in what comes up. My 95, I just insalled new wheelbearings and I noticed how close the bracket was to the rotor but wasnt touching it. But now after I drove you can here something rubbing when I apply the brakes. I'm guessing the rotor is being pushed into the bracket.

 

[intimdatr]

If the CV is touching the spindle, the hub wasn't pressed far enough into the bearing; it's not fully seated.

As he said, i would check to ensure the bearing and/ or hub is FULLY seated in the spindle. If theses new hubs and brackets are dirty i would clean the contact surface where they meet each other with a wire brush or sand paper to guarantee they are sitting flush and flat to each other. Check that the slide pins aren't wore out and allowing the caliper so slide. ensure the Axle nut it tight. and lastly check to see if you're CV joint(half shaft) is shot. Oh and, check all your bushing to see if any are blown, just covering all the basis. Hope this helps.

David.

 

[SHOstuff]

At what torque should the axle nut be torqued at? All the others are fine. Also, would a bad cv joint, that needs to be changed, may do this?

 

[Racer X]

The axle nut... I shoot for 200 ft.lbs.

 

[SHOstuff]

Ok. Got that! Now what about the second question of if it's a bad cv joint, would it cause the symptoms I'm having now?

 

[kevinspann]

No, it shouldn't. Is there anyway you can take the tire off and take some pictures of the situation, so we can better help you? What brakes are on your car? Stock or 11.6? What part number did you use for the hub and bearing?

 

[SHOstuff]

Well...I can't. I know pictures help out a whole lot but I don't have a camera to do it. If I could I would, believe me because I want to solve this issue of mine. But basically, you would only be able to see the rotor, brakes, brake caliper and so on. When you're looking at the bracket you'll see the groove that was made by the rotors from rubbing into it. I could hear the skreeching slightly when I make a right turn but not when I make a left. I took the wheel off today to investigate a little and I moved the wheel up and down to see if it was some play. And it was a slight movement, which it shouldn't be at all, but the car runs smooth and theres no noise from a bad bearing. I hope that was a little help.

 

[93markVIII]

I could hear the skreeching slightly when I make a right turn but not when I make a left. I took the wheel off today to investigate a little and I moved the wheel up and down to see if it was some play. And it was a slight movement,

that sounds like a bad wheel bearing to me..

 

[Racer X]

Sounds like it wasn't tightened enough, or wasn't seated all the way. That's the only way to **** a bearing that quickly.

There should be 0 discernible play up and down in the wheel bearing. If there is, it's junk.

 

[SHOstuff]

Don't forget that I got a another spindle from the junkyard so it's already going to have a bearing that I didn't put in there so the previous car was driving on it with no problems from the looks of it.

 

[Bob Gervais]

If the wheel moves, something's bad. In this case with your brake rotor contacting the caliper bracket, that something would be the wheel bearing. Take everything apart, including the rotor and caliper bracket. Make sure the axle nut is tight. Grab the hub and see if you can move it. If you can, your wheel bearing is bad.

 

[notbange]

Did you bend the caliper bracket mounting ears when pressing bearings in and out? It can happen, you can beat them back into place with a hammer if needed. Of course, if you didn't install a bearing in this new knuckle then it shouldn't be an issue.