Hartsk8s

Have any of you ever had a brake problem... It feels like one of the right side brakes arent releasing all the way... It was a jerky motion "at first I thought the tires had flat spots..." That would have made me really pissed

Got back from Iraq today and got the keys to my baby, and the battery is dead... Cleaned terminals and jumped it... drove it... engine felt smooth as can be but the brakes felt like they were grabbing... felt really bad... turned it off and battery was dead.... so right now im waiting till tomorrow so I can get a new battery... Im really pissed off at the guy I asked to take care of it while I was gone... Good thing is it wasn't low on oil! Clutch wasn't gone! and it redlined like a champ! just the stupid brakes...

Sorry about the rant i'm just flustered

So tomorrow whats should be the first thing I look for? He also had the handbrake up... Which doesn't bother me its just I don't ever use it... Might be a cause? Again it was coming from the right side... Couldn't tell if it was front or back, only drove a few blocks...

Thanks for any help on this issue.

Mazurfer

Possible the hand brake didn't rellease all the way, but there should be a light on the dash if that's the case.
Battery can go dead pretty quick, so I wouldn't blame that on him.

How long were you gone? I guess it's also possible that a brake piston is a little sticky so..........Think you just need to get a new battery, then take it for a nice long drive. After it's warmed up, do a couple of redline runs.
But................since you suspect brake issues, you are going to need to be really careful until you see if it's all sorted out.

Hartsk8s

Im more mad that he didnt tell me any of this... I had to catch a ride an for an hour drive just to grab the keys then come back... Im just ganna take it out and see if the brakes settle down... If not im putting some rotors and pads on order next week or so...

Galen Darkmoon

My first guess is that the bolts the calipers slide on are siezed up and need to be greased.

Hartsk8s

Drove it hard today, got on and off the brakes several time and now they feel fine... but there is a squeel sounds almost like a belt but it doesn't chirp like one... it happens right at 7K... isn't this where APV starts to open? Didn't get a cell and drove it to redline and back down to 4-5k for about 20 min... Just making sure i cycle the valves... that noise doesn't sound very good...

Race Roots

iTrader: (64)

Usually the brake pad wears unevenly or deposits occur on the rotor but looks like you got the brake issue resolved.

Grungepup

iTrader: (2)

check both belts for any cracking, if it sat for your whole deployment they could have dry rotted and cause the squeals

and with the brakes, while they might feel fine, I would recommend getting some silicone lube and lubing up the caliper guide pins. The lube can dry out without use and this will cause uneven pad (inner vs outer) wear

Hartsk8s

I believe one of the belts are slipping under hard/quick acceleration... Got in there today and they were pretty loose... like way too loose... had about an inch and a half of movement per belt... Tightened them up, and the sound is still there, but not nearly as often and not nearly as loud!!! got the belts on order should be in in a few days.... Like friday?

shazy

woww
how long was the car in 'storage' for?
I had mine for 3-4 months in storage but I started it every now and then but my battery died after I left the trunk open by accident lol.
I suggest changing the oil, considering the person who 'took' care of your car didn't drive it at all.
Tough luck on the brakes and the belts, hard times aha.

monchie

Got back from Iraq and the problem never ends...

DocBeech

iTrader: (1)

monchie hit that one right on the head. have you tried sleeping lately .

on a happier note I think these guys hit it on the head. If it sat for too long the brakes are probably sezied and not floating properly.

First go buy a stainless steel brake line kit. and a clutch line to go with it.

Second buy some hawks pads, just cause thats some good ****.

Third since your taking the system apart its a great opportunity to paint the calipers. All you will need is parts cleaner (try napa), brake lubricant (napa will know if you tell them its for the caliper pins) and G2 caliper paint (or some other well known high heat paint).

Then as you take each brake caliper off to repair it, you can paint it, check it for damage, regrease it, replace the brake lines with better lines, and get new pads on it. Problem solved!

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Also note an air bubble could have formed from sitting so long in one of the lines, causing it not to compress properly. Air compresses much more than brake fluid. You will proably need the entire system bled pretty well. There is a DIY for brake bleeding, replacing the brake lines, and for changing brake pads. But you really should have the brakes bled its not hard you can do it solo. Also since your going to need to take the calipers off to check for damage get the parts cleaner anyways, clean each caliper if you do nothing else, grease it properly and then when you reassemble it check to make sure its moving (floating) properly.

How To Bleed: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-brake-bleeding-flushing-210519/

How To Change Brake Lines: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-stainless-steel-brake-lines-replacing-brake-lines-210510/

How To Change Clutch Line and Bleed: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-stainless-steel-clutch-line-clutch-bleeding-210174/

Replacing the pads is pretty easy once you get the calipers off.