Brake problem.Help needed !!!!!!!

[somerton]

My brakes stuck on recently and i found that lifting the brake pedal made a bit of a clunk on the passenger side footwell around the brake light switch and they came free. However i did get a binding noise on two other occassions so i took it in to the dealer who checked out and lubricated the brakes ,rotated the wheels but could not find any fault and charged me over £110 for the pleasure.
It seemed to cure it so it was worth it.
However, i am also having problems with the brake pedal pressure changing.
Sometimes it is right on top with little movement and other times it gives before the brakes come on which is normal for the car.
The brakes seem to work fine but in lifting the wheels off the ground i found that the back wheels,shoes, move very freely but the front discs are not so free and just make a slight rubbing sound on the drivers side,albeit very little, and i am told this is O.K.
When the pedal is right on top the brakes do bind a little and i have found that fiddling with the switch next to the brake light switch seems to free them and the pedal pressure returns to normal.
Whether this is just coincidence or the switch does something i am not sure.
I hav espoken to the dealer who says bring it in and we will look at it again but I am reluctant just to spend another £100 with a no fault found verdict.
If i put it away at night with the problem it seems to have gone when i start up in the morning and only happens when i use it for an hour or so.
Anyone got any ideas.

[LeeXS]

The brakes seem to work fine but in lifting the wheels off the ground i found that the back wheels,shoes, move very freely but the front discs are not so free and just make a slight rubbing sound on the drivers side,albeit very little, and i am told this is O.K.

The 206's are front wheel drive so the rear wheel will move alot more freely than the front, this is fine.

I am wondering bout the brake fluid, could this need changing!!

I was told with mine that some brake fluid was leaking (only v.slightly) on the back drums, and I would know if it got worse cause when I take my handbrake off the car would feel stuck for a while, but I havent had this!!

I would not have let the dealer charge me £110 for finding nothing, next time tell them you are only paying if you find the problem!! Do you have warranty?

[Nutterkeith]

Hey somerton,

The first thing i would check is too see if the front discs are warped,

Because when your brakes locked on they could of heated up the disc and distorted the disc,

When the discs are hot they expand slighty. which then the noise may occur. so of course if you leave it for a period of time the disc cools down and retracts back to its normal size.

Have you had new pads Fitted?

the switch next to the brake light switch could be a switch for the ECU to tell it you are braking, which then this adjusts the engine performance.

i also get the squiling noise on my car as well on the o/s front wheel.

[M3RAN]

somerton said:

, i am also having problems with the brake pedal pressure changing.
Sometimes it is right on top with little movement and other times it gives before the brakes come on which is normal for the car.

from that comment i'd say your brake servo needs changing... i had this problem..when the car was cold pressure would be at teh bottom...once the car was warmed up and moving for 20 mins or so the pressure point sat right at the top... at teh slightest nodge of the brakes it halted...... i had constant hissing noise, as the build up up of pressure in the servo applied the calipers to bite.. hope ths helps... by the way changing my servo cost me £200, but it was fixed the problem

[somerton]

The discs and pads were replaced about twelve months ago and it has done around 10,000 miles since .
The discs and pads checked out O.K. when the dealer had it in and the brake fluid was changed at the 40,000 mile service back in September 2004.
I am hoping that the switch might be the problem as the gearbox is automatic and when i have had the trouble the gear change sometimes happens at high revs but i put this down to the brakes binding and holding it back.
Knowing my luck it will be the servo but i am reluctant to put it back in the workshops without a definite fault for them to aim at.
I don,t mind paying for it as long as long as it solves the problem.
The car is on an X (2000) so it is well out of warranty.

[Nutterkeith]

To test the servo on your car you...

1.pump the footbrake until the pedal goes hard. hold the pedal down,

2.start the engine and if the servo is working the pedal then should lower to the floor.

if the pedal doesn't lower to the floor when you start the car then the servo is faulty.


that gear trouble you have could be a load sensor faulty or not set properly,
or you mite have too much or too less oil in the gearbox.
because with too much or too less oil it gives the same sort of sypmtom. it will give lack of power and gear trouble.
because the clutches will be slipping like mad because there is incorrect oil feed to the solenoids in the gearbox.

and since you drive an automatic that other switch on your brake pedal is your interlock switch. what that does is tells the gearbox and ECM that the footbrake pedal is pressed and which then the gearbox allows you to select a gear. because if you dont press the brake pedal you cant select any gear apart from neutraul

[somerton]

Tried the servo as you suggest and it works O.K.
Pedal goes down as soon as i start up.
With regards the "interlock "switch and auto gearbox would the sensor or oil level problem not show when it went on the Computer as it recently had a check and a download to stop the engine stalling when first starting from cold.
I may be totaly on the wrong track but it did seem to help when the pedal was hard and i fiddled with the interlock switch although it could hace been a coincidence.
I have had trouble in the past with the brake light switch disconnecting where passengers have kicked it so it might make sense if the same thing happens to the interlock switch, always assuming that it could affect the pressure needed on the brake pedal.
Is it possible for it to affect it like this ?
Thanks for your help.

[M3RAN]

somerton said:

Tried the servo as you suggest and it works O.K.
Pedal goes down as soon as i start up.
.

so did mine, but the problem was when the car was warmed up, pressure formed in the servo once and caused calipers tp lock on to brakes..... at the start it was fine and went down fine but once driven it started to play up

[somerton]

I have only had the brakes lock on the once and they gradually pulled the car up, it was not a sudden stop.
I twice had a noise like a helicopter which seemed to be the brakes binding but the car was moving O.K.
I have not had this since the dealer looked at it but when the pedal pressure goes hard there does seem to be a slight binding almost as if the pedal is not fully returning properly.
I have done about 1000 miles since they locked on so it has to be something that doesn't happen all the time.
Last weekend i did one journey of about 250 miles and although the pedal pressure changed there was no problem with the brakes binding.
I did take plenty of water with me though,just in case.
Since Nutterkeith mentioned this interlock switch i have had it right out and reset it the same way as the handbook tells you for the brake light switch and i have not had any trouble but as i have only been doing very short runs of a few minutes its too soon to tell .
Out of interest can the servo pressure be tested to see if it is causing it ?

[M3RAN]

what your saying their is what i went through..... it gets worse so deal with it ASAP....

the only way i found it was my servo was when my mechanic (local one) not dumb ass Pug ppl opened two nuts and removed brake fluid compartment that sits on top of the brake cylinder....mad gush of air burst out like a flat tyre psssssing out (this ia after driving it till it it seemed the brakes were locking up)..... ones he did that took it for a drive and it felt like i was driving on air....let me go get a pic and i;ll show what my mechanic un did....

right



and the nut should look like this



you could do this yourself if your handy witha spanner, but becarefull of the sensitive rod that feeds into the brake fluid compartment.... line it up properly again

[somerton]

Thanks for that.
Do you lose the brake fluid or have to bleed them when you do this ?
Is it just a case of being careful in aligning the rod or is there a special way ?

[M3RAN]

no there wont be no fluid leak or the need to bleed the brakes....as long as you slide the rod back in it should be fine.... my mechanic did all that in 5 minutes.... for ease of space take the battery out if you want...

[somerton]

Thanks for that i will try it at the weekend.

[M3RAN]

dont this when the car is cold...do it after a drive around otherwise you wont feel the difference... drive around for a while till you sense its getting to that point...go home and do the above.....release and fit back on and go for a drive again....see if you notice anything

[Nutterkeith]

If a mad gush of air came out when you undid them two nuts, i would say your diaphragm in your servo is leaking because there should not be any air in that side of the circuit. or i think you mechanic is telling you crap.
you should have air on the other side of the diaphragm which will assits you in braking. if air is in the side that it shouldnt be in it will cause the pedal to be hard to press when you are not able to compress that air anymore.

just dont miss around with the adjustment on the rod because otherwise u can cause your brakes to stay on, if u disconnect the battery u will have to enter your reset code. but i believe you are having a sticking calliper because that will cause the squelling noise and also will cause the different brake pressure in the pedal. because all the servo does is assit you when braking, if it werent working you will have a hard pedal and you will find it hard to press.

if the calliper is stuck in the on position slight you will then get a weak pedal because you then have to then push the pedal down more to accumalate for that for that stuck calliper.

i dont believe its servo unless it not returnin back but is highly unlikly because the pressure from the brake fluid when compressed will help push the pedal back.