Front wheel go so hot I could fry eggs on it

[Hauki]

So I was wondering about my poor FE. I decided to touch each wheel after a long drive and they were all cold until I got to the front left wheel and it melted my hand. It was so hot I thought it could make the tyre blow out. So I fixed the caliper and bled the brakes and it seems to have fixed the problem. So that is good news, I was getting 6.5l/100 with a seized brake. So I sure hope I can reach the 6.2 book figure now! Also summer diesel has just arrived at our fuel pump which will also help. I look forward to my next fuel readings!

[Daox]

Nice find. I'm sure you'll see at least a small increase in mileage due to that. Let us know!

[roosterk0031]

Keep an eye on it, sometimes the flex line are the problem.

[Hauki]

Forgot to mention, there was a metal disc like cover that goes behind the brake rotor that was pretty rusted and this looked to be touching the rotor (This would explain the noise I thought was a wheel bearing recently). So I removed that.

IF it was that metal on metal contact making everything hot is it possible that it made the caliper so hot it could boil the fluid inside and this would push the piston out?

As when I stopped the car it did seriously stink of burning brakes. Which has now disappeard thankfully.

The sliding pins were moving freely and the piston seemed ok so it was a strange phenomonen and can only be attributed to heat build forcing the piston out I think.

[basjoos]

Another quick way to test for a sticking brake (or anything else that might be affecting your rolling resistance) is to notice if your car will start rolling on a slight slope. There are several red lights on my routes where there is just the slightest grade and while waiting for the light to change, I will check to see if the car will roll forward while in neutral or with the clutch pedal pressed in. What I am watching for is any change in the degree of roll. If I don't roll in locations where I used to roll, then I start looking for low tire presssure, dragging brakes, bad bearings, or anything else that might have increased the rolling drag somewhere in the car.

[Sven7]

Originally Posted by Hauki

Forgot to mention, there was a metal disc like cover that goes behind the brake rotor that was pretty rusted and this looked to be touching the rotor (This would explain the noise I thought was a wheel bearing recently). So I removed that.

Why not just bend it away from the rotor? I'm sure it was put there for a reason

[jtbo]

Originally Posted by Hauki

So I was wondering about my poor FE. I decided to touch each wheel after a long drive and they were all cold until I got to the front left wheel and it melted my hand. It was so hot I thought it could make the tyre blow out. So I fixed the caliper and bled the brakes and it seems to have fixed the problem. So that is good news, I was getting 6.5l/100 with a seized brake. So I sure hope I can reach the 6.2 book figure now! Also summer diesel has just arrived at our fuel pump which will also help. I look forward to my next fuel readings!

Reminds me when I had Pontiac Safari -86 model, I pulled to parking lot of local shop and old timer on yard asked is brakes binding, I observed black smoke from front left corner and replied "a little". Could not feel anything when driving, but after fixing coast down was a lot better and I managed to do best tank, which was under 9l/100km that I consider good for that STW.

With TH200-R4 and Olds 307 (Y code), one could not say that there would be much of performance, with 2 metric tonnes of mass you could not really tell if brakes were binding or not, until fixing them, there was small jolt when stopping to traffic lights without brakes, but it did not feel like car would of been slowing down abnormally fast with brakes binding, so it was rather difficult to tell.

That was also one of the reasons why I decided to do yearly brake servicing, it is amazing how in our conditions they go bad in single year, no matter what you do.

But as we mostly need to change tires twice a year, fixing brakes at spring is not too bad, even it is job I hate most, especially with drum brakes, but benefits are rather nice.

Hauki, remember to remove other one of those metal shields, I have got notification to repair that as one was missing, both missing seem to be ok though.

[jtbo]

Originally Posted by Sven7

Why not just bend it away from the rotor? I'm sure it was put there for a reason

Those rust on our over salted roads so fast that there is no point of putting it back really.

Function of that shield is to try to prevent small stones entering between brake pad and disc, direct translation was dust shield or something like that from my memory.

One could of course make custom parts, block underside completely and install solid wheel covers, then duct air from airstream to brake disc, custom shield could be used as mounting for ducting and underside covering also could have some supports to go there, that way one could create turning bellypan, just make half circle so it does not interfere.

But it has no harm when removed, it is quite often done for cars that see track days.

[Piwoslaw]

On a similar note (dragging handbrake in Warsaw):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6gO6zwPJMA