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ABS Brake Questions and Answers - This category contains featured questions
as examples. They relate to most vehicles.
Question: 2001 Chevrolet Suburban mileage: 94,000. The problem is that
when I started my truck today there was a motor running under the left side driver’s
seat that didn’t sound correct and then my ABS light came on. After turning the
truck off and removing the key, the motor kept on making noise. I determined it
was my ABS Pump so I removed the ABS fuse from the main box and it stopped. I drove
the truck in my parking lot and the brakes worked but then flagged the emergency
brake. When I put the fuse back in the pump continued to make noise. What has happened
to this pump that it would run with the car off?
Answer: A faulty ABS unit will cause the problem you described. Unfortunately,
it won’t help to just replace the module. Both the pump and the module most be replaced
as a unit. Just so you are not taken off guard, this is an expensive fix.
Question: 1999 Cutlass Supreme 3.4 mileage: 95,000. Hi, this car has been
warping rotors within 10,000 miles. I know to use the emergency brake at least once
a week, and to keep my foot of the service brake when releasing it in order to allow
the rear calipers to adjust properly, been doing this since I got it with 74k on
it. I believe this to be a problem of design, too small of a pad, and rotor, my
Daytona's are bigger. I saw where you mention heat shields, if I remove them will
that reduce this problem? Craig
Answer: If you have aftermarket heat shields that go between
the rim and the brakes, we would recommend removing them. Your brake rotor problem
may be due to over tightening the lug nuts or if you have aftermarket rims on your
car, they may not allow proper air circulation.
Question: 1999 Plymouth Voyager mileage: 93,000. I put on pads and rotors
on my van last week and I drove it about two miles and saw little wisps of smoke
coming from the front right side when I stopped at a stoplight. I pulled over first
chance and saw no smoke but did smell hot smell. Every time I drive it, I smell
this hot smell when I stop. I don't have any noise or pull while driving or stopping.
The brake pedal feels good. I read your Q&A and saw that some people sand their
pads could this help my problem or is it something worse?
Answer: Sounds like the brake calipers are hanging up. You will have to
remove them and replace as needed.
Question: 2002 Honda Civic mileage: 40,000. Hi guys, I have 02 Honda Civic.
Brakes were squealing so I took it into a shop about 2 weeks ago and changed the
front pads and resurface the rotors as recommended by the car technician. They replaced
the pads with metallic pads, disc pad shims and flush the brake fluids, which I
believe is pretty standard. But now every time I brake the squealing still persists
and is louder than before. It always squeals at around 5 - 25 MPH, if I step harder
on the brake pedal, it will stop squealing until 5 MPH. The brakes always squeal
at 5 MPH and lower. I've heard that new metallic brake pads will have some squealing
at the beginning but should disappear. Is this normal for new brake pads to be squealing
for two weeks long? If this is normal, how long does it usually lasts? And when
should I take it back for them to examine the brakes if it persists longer? I don't
want to take it in and have them tell me, yea, this is normal for new brakes. Could
you guys give me some advice on this? Tony
Answer: Try replacing the brake pads with genuine Honda parts from eAutoPartStore.com.
We have found that after market brake pads have a tendency to squeak on Honda's.
Question: 2002 Dodge Caravan mileage: 84,500. The amber brakes lights have
always come on and stayed on for up to two minutes after the ignition was turned
on. Sporadically both lights would flicker on and go off at whim while the brake
pedal would become extremely hard to depress. I was assured this was normal. However,
since August 2000 and now I have experienced 7 complete loses of braking practically
having to stand up on the brake pedal to slow done vehicle. A local mechanic
was kind enough to pick up my vehicle and take it to the shop (brakes were not functioning
when he picked it up but by the time it was hooked up to the computer for diagnosis
the brakes were working again, no diagnosis codes available) where he kept it for
two weeks and drove it for 300 miles in attempt to have the brakes fail. No such
luck. 11 days later, the brakes failed again and that is when I took it to the dealer.
Brakes were working when the van was picked up. The emergency brake also failed.
When I spoke to them today they had not been able to locate the problem because
the brakes were back to working again.
Answer: We had similar problems on a Dodge Caravan and the only solution
that worked was to replace the main ABS valve with new parts, not rebuilt ones.
And thoroughly flush the brake system, bleed to adjust as needed.
Question: 2003 Toyota Sienna V6 mileage: 50,000. As I brake, I hear a thumping
noise from the rear. The thumping slows as the car slows. Mechanics at my dealer
told me it was my *front* rotors needing to be replaced. That didn't sound at all
right, so I took it to an independent mechanic for a second opinion. He said that
the rear wheels and brakes were full of dirt and gunk (and that the front rotors
were fine, thank you very much). They cleaned it all out and the thumping went away
-- for about a week. Any ideas?
Answer: Re-inspect the rear brakes and if it all checks out okay, try
replacing the brake shoe return springs.
Question: 2002 Ford Explorer mileage: 67,000. I recently had my lower front
ball joints replaced by a local mechanic, after I got my truck back I started having
problems with my front brakes. At random times while braking the brake pedal would
push back and pulsate. I brought my truck back to the mechanic and they told me
that it was my ABS activating at random times and it was a software problem that
needed to be fixed by a Ford dealer. I brought my truck to a dealer and they have
since told me that both front hub assemblies needed to be replaced, at a large cost.
So my question is, could this local mechanic have damaged the hub assemblies while
replacing the lower ball joints, and how much should the repair to the hub's cost?
Answer: Ask Ford why they think the hub assemblies need to be replaced.
They should be able to tell if they were damaged by another mechanic. Probably what
happened is an ABS wheel sensor was damaged when the ball joint was replaced.
Question: 1996 Jeep Cherokee mileage: 117,000. I am having a problem
with my brake system. Recently I replaced the front pads myself, and when I went
to bleed the air from the system, I could not get one of the bleeder valves open
as it was stripped. And so to fix this I had two new calipers installed, one to
replace the busted valve and the other to match. Since then, I have bled the system
twice, and both times a lot of air has come out. I have no idea how air is getting
in. The pedal feels spongy, and makes a hissing sound when depressed. If held down
firmly it will slowly work its way to the floor. The brakes work decent, it's just
that they aren't firm. Also, when applied the brakes make a high-pitched squealing
sound. My book tells me that this is the wear sensors rubbing against the rotors
or something but that should have been fixed when I replaced the pads, right? Please
help me!
Answer: The brake pedal slowly working it's way to the floor would be
caused by a faulty master cylinder. The spongy brake pedal is probably due to air
in the system. The brake system should be pressure bled to flush the air out.
Question: 1997 Cadillac Sedan DeVille 14,000 mileage. I have a question regarding
the brakes. What will cause the car to 'jerk' or' catch' when trying to stop. Example:
While pressing on the brake pedal to stop or slow down, the car 'jerks' or feels
like the brake is 'catching' on to something. It gets worse as the speed decreases
until the car is at a full stop. I have changed the front disk brakes and rotors.
What else could cause this to happen? EricAnswer: Check to see that the
brake rotors are running true. Also, check the tires for cord separation and properly
tighten the lug nuts that hold the wheels on. Over tightening will distort the brake
rotors.
Question: 1998 Chevy Cavalier 2.0 4 cyl Mileage: 95,000. It has been very
rainy here, and recently the rear brakes have a tendency to lock up at times even
under light braking. They are very touchy. The car has ABS. Could this be the weather,
or what else could it be?
Answer: Replace the rear brake shoes and return springs. Check the size
of the drums. If oversized, replace them.
Question: 2003 Pontiac Grand AM 3.3L V.6 mileage: 85,000. I have a 2003
Pontiac Grand AM, when I push on the brakes, the rear brakes (ABS) lock up. I inspected
the brake pads and shoes along with the drum and rotors - all are fine. I suspect
the proportional valve in the master cylinder. Am I on the right track or is their
something else I need to be looking into? Thank you! Matt
Answer: Replace the rear brake shoes, return springs, and check the size
of the drums. If oversized, replace them.
Question: 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix 3.1 mileage: 97,000. I have recently
purchased this car. When I bought it I new it needed new rotors and pads. My wife
and I drove the car home and the next morning I replace the rotors and pads. After
replacing the parts, I noticed that when you push on the brakes the brake light
comes on; the brake boost pump also actuates. Also when you are stopped at a light
you can hear the pressure boost pump for the brakes actuating about every 3-10 second
with the brake light coming on when the pump actuates. I bled the brakes three times
but still no luck. Is it possible that I still have air in the line or could it
be the pressure switch is bad?
Answer: If your car is equipped with an optional ABS brake system, the
rotors that you purchased may be for a non-ABS equipped car. If so, this would cause
the problems you are experiencing.
Question: 2002 Mitsubishi Diamante LS V6 DOHC mileage: 185,000. We have
been told that our ABS system has failed, and that this is the reason that we are
experiencing about 50% of our braking power. Apparently, the right front and left
rear are working, but not the other brakes. In order for us to replace the ABS hydraulic
and control system, we need the unit part numbers or we can't locate the parts needed.
Can you help, as we will have to replace these ourselves as the cost is prohibitive
to have a dealer complete it for us, and we really love the car overall. Your help
in this regard will be sincerely appreciated. Bob
Answer: Try an independent parts house to see if they can locate the ABS
unit, you need. Also, check the master cylinder, as it may be the source of your
problem.
Repair Topics / Brake Pads-1
/ Brake Pads-2
/ Brake Pads-3
/ Brake Pads-4
/ Brake Pads-5
/ Brake Pads-6
/ Brake Pads-7
/ Brake Pads-8
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