Ooops. Broke me car. (UPDATE!!!)

[Matt Sayle]

The front nearside brake disc gave up the ghost today. Made a horrible noise so I pulled over and you could smell something wasnt right. Couldnt smell it anywhere else on the car. So went to go home (slowly as the brake pedal felt stupidly soft!!) and it was making the noise as I was moving so pulled over again to make sure the wheel wasnt going to fall off (which it was solid) so crawled home at about 10-20 mph It is getting fixed tomorrow, thankfully!!

 

[ChrisMClark]

When there's smoke coming off them then tell me about it...lightweight

Sucks your cars off the road already though. Surprised you're not changing the bits yourself though!

 

[Galaxy66]

Burning smell, seized brake calliper ?

 

[Matt Sayle]

When there's smoke coming off them then tell me about it...lightweight

Sucks your cars off the road already though. Surprised you're not changing the bits yourself though!

LOLOL

Yeah it does

Couldnt get the parts today, unfortunatly!!

Burning smell, seized brake calliper ?

Find out tomorrow.....

 

[Galaxy66]

Welcome to the joys of motoring Matt...........

 

[bindex]

Sorry Matt, but if you ever thought photography was expensive it's nothing compared to motoring. :bonk:

cheers

 

[JDholic]

Left foot braking already Matt??

You should stop watching racing videos on youtube!

 

[Jordie]

Whos a clever boy

Hope your car is ok though Matt, and hope it doesnt burn a hole in your pocket either

 

[Matt Sayle]

Welcome to the joys of motoring Matt...........

Sorry Matt, but if you ever thought photography was expensive it's nothing compared to motoring. :bonk:

cheers

You aint kidding!!

Left foot braking already Matt??

You should stop watching racing videos on youtube!

I aint tried that yet actually!!

Treid heel and toeing but found it to be mega hard LOL.

Whos a clever boy

Hope your car is ok though Matt, and hope it doesnt burn a hole in your pocket either

yeah me to.

My baby is injured

 

[Flash In The Pan]

Welcome to the world of Corsa ownership - start saving for a set of new front springs, they only last a couple of years :bang:

 

[Galaxy66]

Sorry Matt, but if you ever thought photography was expensive it's nothing compared to motoring. :bonk:

cheers

Mmmm, new calliper, brake pads, discs, labour................ouch, there goes the lens fund

 

[Jamesbuk]

"Treid heel and toeing but found it to be mega hard LOL."

Could that be because Corsas are front wheel drive whilst Id imagine heel and toe being useful only on RWD where you dont want the back to step out under braking? Thats only a presumption though.

Shame to hear about the car, Matt. Hopefully its a cheap repair!

Regards, James

 

[Arkady]

Could that be because Corsas are front wheel drive whilst Id imagine heel and toe being useful only on RWD where you dont want the back to step out under braking? Thats only a presumption though.
Regards, James

No, it works on our poofy European cars as well - best kept for the track though...

 

[Dave Stone]

Mmmm, new calliper, brake pads, discs, labour................ouch, there goes the lens fund

Be cheaper to bin it and get another one

 

[MikeeB]

Just get a Haynes manual, a box of sockets and a ratchet and do it yourself won't take long!

I remember when I first tried left foot braking, word of advice, don't try it for the first time in a busy Birmingham street. I ended up locking the brakes and stalling the car

 

[russdaz]

Cars are a money magnet at times, hopefully wont be to much of problem, i need to change my fronts soon too.

"Treid heel and toeing but found it to be mega hard LOL."

Could that be because Corsas are front wheel drive whilst Id imagine heel and toe being useful only on RWD where you dont want the back to step out under braking? Thats only a presumption though.

Shame to hear about the car, Matt. Hopefully its a cheap repair!

Regards, James

As Arkady says heal toe works perfectly well on front or rear wheel drive cars mostly when you need to keep the engine revs up to prevent falling out of the power band of the engine. I used to heal toe most of the time in my Rover or MG'f on the back roads as the engine was modded with same very aggressive cams (same engine for both cars just lifted from to the other) the cams made all there power over 2500revs was like having a major turbo lag, the gearing cross overs want enough to keep it above 2500revs at times so you balanced the braking and revs to reduce speed but hold the revs to accelerate out the corner without loosing power.

It is an art to get right, and should really only be practiced on the track tbh before even thinking of using the skill on the road.

Particularly as modern road cars are designed to stop it any-way by fitting the acceraltor pedal lower then brake pedal, you can get pedal extension kits, but i believe the car will fail an mot with these fitted.

No real need to heal toe a standard Corsa though as the one i learnt to drive in had no power band, and my current car is the oppersite in that all the power is in the bottom of the rev range so you find yourself short shifting at times to make sure you got the most power out of the corner.

 

[Galaxy66]

Mmmm, new calliper, brake pads, discs, labour................ouch, there goes the lens fund

Joking apart Matt I hope this is not going to be a costly introduction to motoring for you.

 

[Arkady]

Like the man says get a Halfords socket set, some ramps, a couple of jack-stands and a Haynes manual - real men DIY their cars...lol

 

[Ste L]

got a spare set of caliper's sat around in my garage if you need some

 

[Galaxy66]

Like the man says get a Halfords socket set, some ramps, a couple of jack-stands and a Haynes manual - real men DIY their cars...lol

Done it before and cursed the air blue when a bolt that had never been removed from new and was effectively a size smaller through rust would not budge after liberal doses of release oil, then heat, and failing that attacking it with a drill.

 

[whitey]

is it fixed yet?

 

[RichardC27]

:
Treid heel and toeing but found it to be mega hard LOL.

Sorry to hear that mate, hopefully it won't cost too much to fix.

The secret to heel & toe is practice, practice and more practice. It took me the better part of 6 months before I could keep a constant pressure on the brake pedal, blip the throttle and change down all at the same time. I find I do all my braking with my big toe (if that makes sense), with my foot held at a wierd angle to get over to the throttle pedal. Every time you change cars you'll have to spend time practicing it again. When I got my Focus it took me a few drives to get used to it.

 

[ChrisMClark]

Like the man says get a Halfords socket set, some ramps, a couple of jack-stands and a Haynes manual - real men DIY their cars...lol

And of course register on a good forum for advice.

 

[singlespeed]

The front nearside brake disc gave up the ghost today. Made a horrible noise so I pulled over and you could smell something wasnt right. Couldnt smell it anywhere else on the car. So went to go home (slowly as the brake pedal felt stupidly soft!!) and it was making the noise as I was moving so pulled over again to make sure the wheel wasnt going to fall off (which it was solid) so crawled home at about 10-20 mph It is getting fixed tomorrow, thankfully!!

Sounds like the pads were worn down to the wear indicator (squeal indicator)which contacts the disc and squeals. Or more seriously and likely due to the soggy peddle, they were worn down to the backing plate(s). When this happens you get metal to metal contact between disc and backing plate, so a rather horrible noise. Also the heat is transfered through the backing plate into the piston and caliper... when this happens any moisture in the brake fluid will boil which produces a gas and gives a very spongy peddle. As you depress the peddle your actualy compressing the gas instead of moving hydraulic fluid. The alternative posibility for the soggy peddle is a seal has failed and you have lost fluid from the system.

It's definately worth while replacing the fluid in the system every couple of years.Brake fluid absorbes water and the boiling point of the fluid decreases with age. Also replace the pads well before theres no friction material left (theres a minimum recomended thickness) . The friction material insulates the piston from the extreme heat, so thicker the better. Also, the material will start to crack and disintigrate if it gets too thin.

Brake discs have wear limits too. A disc needs to absorb heat and disipate it to the surrounding air. As it wears, obviously theres less material left to absorb the heat, so the disc runs hotter. This extra heat is going to give a greater heat transfer into the brake fluid. Also, theres a minimum thickness, below which the disc may start to loose structural strength and could crack. Checking the disc thickness and general condition is normaly done on the annual MOT insection as the disc can be seen easily. The pads may be checked if visible, but may not be checked if they are obscured by the wheel/calipper.

To save costs, most cars use a single piston caliper to squeze the pads onto the disc. To apply the force to both pads, the caliper needs to move on a set of sliders. If the sliders stick, you end up wearing the inner pad and inner face of the disc quicker than the outer one :nono:

 

[Matt Sayle]

UPDATE!!

It is fixed!!! The brakes are fixed (took the bit on the brake pad clean off!!)

BUT

I went on a test drive and it decided to **** oil all over my girlfriends, girlfriends nieghbours and girflirends road So it is now stranded there till my dad can get a Oil Pressure Switch...........

ARSE

 

[Claymore]

To stop brakes sticking spray WD40 on discs works a treat (not)LoL

Matt ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooppppppppppps

 

[Matt Sayle]

yeah, I am not amused.

 

[Arkady]

UPDATE!!

It is fixed!!! The brakes are fixed (took the bit on the brake pad clean off!!)

BUT

I went on a test drive and it decided to **** oil all over my girlfriends, girlfriends nieghbours and girflirends road So it is now stranded there till my dad can get a Oil Pressure Switch...........

ARSE

See? The driving bit was good, but THIS is what makes car ownership FUN!!!

Like I said, 'Real Men etc etc'...helps if you think of it as Character-Building...lol

 

[Ric Type R]

Welcome to the world of car ownership.:bonk:

 

[Flash In The Pan]

UPDATE!!

It is fixed!!! The brakes are fixed (took the bit on the brake pad clean off!!)

BUT

I went on a test drive and it decided to **** oil all over my girlfriends, girlfriends nieghbours and girflirends road So it is now stranded there till my dad can get a Oil Pressure Switch...........

ARSE

1 litre Corsas have a habit of doing that, especially if they're overdue an oil and filter change

The crankshaft sensor switch is probably next to fail, don't worry though it's a 2 minute diy job to fix

 

[Steve Smith]

I remember when I first tried left foot braking, word of advice, don't try it for the first time in a busy Birmingham street. I ended up locking the brakes and stalling the car

And on a cold day, if your crappy heater is warming your left foot but not your right, don't cross your legs and drive with your feet reversed on the pedals.

When you go to change gear you screech to a stop then stall the engine! (or so I would assume).


Steve.