rumsey

Just had new discs and pads fitted today but a number of problems have occured since.

1 - when i apply the brakes the pedal vibrates slightly and a clunk noise occurs everytime, i asked the garage who fitted the brakes and he said its the abs kicking in, but i have never felt the vibration or heard the noise before,

2 - this is the weird one. the car is basically stopping itself. its like the handbrake is on all the time. could it be that the new pads need wearing in? so are rubbing on the discs? only thing i can think of.

3 - I have been noticing in the morning when i get to my car that under the car is drops of illuminous yellow drops in the snow, i checked my coolant but it seems ok, i have had the radiator and pipes checked and i couldnt see anything, any other ideas? there is pressure in the aircon aswell.so clueless

any help is much appreciated i did search using these words but couldnt find anything.

scooby546

iTrader: (1)

Okay, try this out...

1. When you apply the brakes you get vibration through the pedal - unless you're applying the brakes hard enough to lock the wheels, the ABS shouldn't kick in at all, its passive until it starts to detect slip so shouldn't have any effect under 'normal' braking. Does the vibration vary with road speed, i.e. reduce frequency as you slow down? could indicate a badly fitted / warped disk

2. If the car is stopping itself, then the brakes are probably binding. Jack up front first (both sides to allow the wheels to turn on the diff) and try to turn the wheels by hand - should turn freely, without a lot of resistance, it will also give you a chance to see how the disks look as they are being rotated, to see if they are contacting the pads all the time or part of the time during the rotation. Do the same to the back as well, chock the front wheels though or it'll roll. Pay attention to handbrake shoes as well, might be rubbing on them instead of the service brake pads on the back. I would say its probably not the pads bedding in, as there should be enough travel in the calipers to allow the pads to fully release contact with the disks, even though they will be nearing their travel limit as the disks and pads are a lot thicker when new.

3. That is a strange one - check power steering fluid reservoir / brake fluid reservoir levels to see if they are dropping, and colour of fluid, to see if you can find a colour match, thats probably the best thing.

Overall, if you're not happy then take it back to the garage and get them to come out with you on a test drive to show them the issues. After all, if it was okay beforehand and now it isn't then you've got a pretty strong reason to take it back and get them to check it over for you.

Hope you get it sorted mate

rumsey

cheers

1- when i am driving it makes the werid loud clunking noise when the wheels lock, which in this weather is all the time.
the vibration seems to kick in just before the lock.

2 - i have only had the front discs and pads replaced so i am guessing it wont be the handbrake shoes at the back.



i drove straight back to the garage before and took him for the test drive which he basically said he think the pads may be sticking so to wear them in and the cluncking noise and vibration is normal when abs kicks in apparently. never heard that before though but my pads have been really low at the front so maybe never noticed it,

is a noise and vibration normal when abs kicks in?

Tazz Kill Er

If this a Scooby, the rear wheels are almost impossible to turn if fronts are still on the ground as the rear diff is a lot less forgiving that the front.

The yellow liquid could be brake fluid, did they do a fluid swap for you, some garages have been known to undo the bleed nipple to release the pressure on the pistons when sliding them back into the caliper to fit new pads, worth a quick check.

scooby546

iTrader: (1)

Right, sounds likely to be ABS then. Stupidly I forgot about the weather!

Yes, when ABS kicks in you may notice a noise, vibration through the brake pedal, etc. so that could be okay. The clonk may be the ABS releasing completely to prevent the lock-up, then instantly re-applying. ABS has got a tough job on snow n ice.

If the pads were really low then it could be that all thats happening here is the new setup is biting better, which in this weather may cause the ABS to kick in quicker than you're used to perhaps

They still should be free to turn though, i.e. pads n disks not binding when brakes are fully released, so worth checking that. Another way to check it without having to jack it all up etc is to take it for a long-ish drive (couple of miles at least) at reasonable speeds, anything over 40 is probably fine, with little braking if possible, then park up and by hand check the temperatures of the wheels. If you find one is hotter / warmer than the others, then its likely to be that wheel which is binding.

And I'd still keep an eye on the leaking fluid... however i thought of another fluid that it could be - screenwash maybe?

FB Tuning

iTrader: (30)

1 - Brake pedal vibration is more than likely due the hub flanges not being properly cleaned before the new discs were fitted to them - Any bits of rust/debris left from when the old discs were removed will cause the new disc to be out of tru when fitted - hence giving a vibration when the pedal is lightly depressed

Clunking - Impossible to say without seeing/hearing - Could be pads rocking in the caliper, but could be more serious - Needs checking out.

2 - As above - jack up and rotate road wheels checking for any resistance - If one (or more) caliper pistons were sticking and difficult to push back into the caliper to allow the new pads to be fitted, this could be causing the problem

3 - Jack up and look under the car to see where it's actually dripping from - May be easier to locate if you put a sheet of cardboard under the car when you park it and leave it a few hours before checking - should give you a good indiciation of where it's dripping from - Brake fluid can be yellowish in colour

...sounds like it needs to be checked out by someone who knows what they're doing. Obviously brakes are one of the most important parts of the car

rumsey

i am gonna ring subaru 2moz see what they say?

i will take it for a good 5 mile drive 2moz but take it steady. if its still a problem then its going straight back to the garage.

and i am guessing the loud clunking noise when the abs kicks in isnt normal then?