wheel very hot......smells

[BeatDaSHO]

well i posted in the other section about a week ago saying that my car starts to thump in the left rear after driving on it for 15 mins. well i switched tires and it still does it. i was out today and i was at a stop light and i started to smell something. it was real potent. so i pulled over and i looked at the left rear tire and i couldn't even get within 5 inches of the wheel (NOT the tire) because it was so hot. it smelled like crap too. i drove it home and i took off the tire and i could tell a lot of the heat was coming from the caliper. i also noticed that where the wheel bearing would go was really hot also. I don't want to drive it anymore because i'm afraid something will happen to it. what should i do now?? should i replace the caliper and the bearing? i tried letting off the parking break and watching it but i coudln't see too much. u think my best bet is to take it to a mechanic and see what they can find?? grrr...i'm not mad now. no SHO for a night especially on a Friday piece of crap. lol. please help me diagnose this damn problem. thanks.

Greg

 

[philw349]

Sounds like a frozen caliper. Happened to me on the fronts, the rotors were glowing hot. The smell could be burning brake pad or burning rubber or grease. You should get those calipers fixed before driving, they are a safety issue.

 

[Catfishphillip]

Yup, could be. Also it could be the rear wheel bearings. Have you ever had them regreased? They can go dry eventually. With little or dirty grease, they overheat and can catch on fire or seize up, even cut the axle, worst case. My 180K mile car's rear wheel bearings were humming slightly. It was easy to regrease them, although I could not remove the inner bearing seal. Good luck!

 

[sdpatt]

Most likely the caliper slider pins have seized because the boots are torn.

 

[LOUDSHO92]

It sounds like the calipers froze. I dont know how it works with all disc brake, but when I had to change the caliper on my Tempo cause it froze, I only changed one, well not to long after the other one went out. At the least chage the other side as well. To chage the calipers is not very hard. It wouldnt hurt to check the wheel bearing as well as the grease may have come out due to the unusual high temp.

 

[RStalveyARFF]

just make sure you have a t-40 torx socket, as trying to do it with torx drivers will be very involved. Also make sure not to step on the brake while the caliper is off the rotor. You might as well replace the rotor also as it is probably warped to kingdom come.

 

[underdog1924]

Sounds like what everyone else has already said. Happened to me this summer. I ended up doing both rear calipers. The rotors were fine though.

 

[BeatDaSHO]

well thank u everyone for helping me with this. i can always count on u guys. i still dont' know what the thumping is after driving on it for 15 mins. i am almost positive that the thumping is coming from the left rear wheel also. like i said, i already changed tires so i know it's not the tire. would a frozen caliper also cause the thumping?? thanks again for ur reply's.

Greg

 

[Bizzy]

A) Your caliper pins are more than likely frozen. I had the same problem, I know the stench of brakes and it is putrid.

B) I wouldn't re-use the rotor. With that kind of heat, even if it looks ok, it's probably still warped. Better safe than sorry down the road.

C) That thumping sound you're hearing I would be willing to bet is your pad improperly installed in the caliper. Take them out and inspect them. Look for more wear at the top or bottom of each pad.

D) If you're not sure your bearings are bad, please have them checked out. With that kind of heat the grease breaks down inside and if they aren't bad now, they could easily go bad in the very near future.

Please don't let your brake system go without care. Even if you have to pay somebody to do it for you. It's such a vital system and we certainly don't want to hear about another SHO owner getting hurt or worse.

<small>[ March 16, 2002, 05:55 PM: Message edited by: Bizzy ]</small>

 

[sdpatt]

If you find that the bearings are in fact bad, it is much easier to buy the hub with the bearings already installed for about $50 from AutoZone. If you have the caliper off for the brake job, all you need is the 36mm socket to get the hub nut off. The hub with bearings will slide right off. The only real challenge is applying the 250 lb-ft of torque on that 36mm nut. an 18" long torque wrench sure helped.

Scott

 

[DougLee25]

Well I have the same problem and I took my wheel off today, and sure enough, one of the pins is frozen. With this being frozen, the rear pad has worn much much quicker than the front one. My question is... It looks like there is a bracket bolted to the hub, and then the pads are slid over this, and then the caliper is bolted on over top of that. The pins look like they are inserted in the bracket and are frozen in the bracket. I took a 15 mm box wrench and worked it somewhat loose, but it still doesn't slide freely. Now do I have to buy a new caliper, because it doesn't look like the caliper has anything to do with it, unless the bracket under the caliper comes with it? Or do I have to take pliers and pull the pins out and clean them up? Excuse my ignorance, but I haven't done much work on Ford brakes. What is it going to cost me to do this? Thanks for everyone's help. thumbs_u

~Doug

 

[DougLee25]

::bump::

 

[DougLee25]

::bump x2::

 

[Bizzy]

You don't absolutely have to replace the brackets if you can clean the holes that the pins fit in enuf. Although it might be advisable. They are about $27 each from a Ford Dealership. The pins once they get in that condition I'd also replace. They are about $20/set of 2 at any auto parts store.

Also, there are 2 bolts that hold the bracket onto the hub. If they are rusted up, put some pb blaster on there and let them soak overnight. Even then you may require a breaker bar to free them.

The caliper may or may not have problems. Inspect it for torn rubber around the piston and also leakage. If it shows any signs of leakage, get a new one. You can buy them "loaded" from most auto parts stores. I'm not sure if the ebrake spring is included with the loaded caliper or not. Also invest in the tool to turn/push the piston back into the caliper bore. Universals are sold at auto parts stores also, but they really are hard to use IMHO and I've busted my knuckle more than once using the darned thing one too many times.

Hope this helps a little.

 

[BeatDaSHO]

i got back my car today after i went to the shop yesterday. boy did i miss my baby! the mechanic replaced the caliper, caliper mount, pad, brake line, flushed the system, cut the rotor, and put new fluid in. He also did the other side because it usually happens in pairs and i'm sure i would be back in the next few months for the other one. So i got a big ol bill of 400 dollars grrr it sucks. But i know this guy is a really good mechanic. i know he isnt' screwing me over or anything. he charged me 90 bucks for labor. it was the cost of the parts that got me. Oh well. Screw it. The calipers are gray and red. looks pretty sweet. I took it out for a drive today and what do u know..... no more thumping and it stops nice too. It also doesn't get hot. It sucks that i'm 400 bucks short now but hey, it's for my baby so that's all that matters..right??

Greg