C5 Rear Brakes

[woody]

I have c5 saloon 70,000 miles recorded. just started having problems with rear brakes binding. Unsure has to which side is binding, maybe both. Started intermitantly, now they are constantly binding. will be taking to a local garage soon as i have no faith in the citoen dealer. Will let you know what the results!

[greyboy]

My '02 114k mile 2.2 sx hatch failed its last MOT due to a binding front offside brake which had worn the outboard pad to about 1 1/2 mm. The other pads were 10mm, ie hardly worn. I cleaned the calipers, lubricated the pistons, fitted new dust seals and new pads and have had no problems since. The pistons inside the dust seal were very dry and seemed to be sticking on the seal.

[kfk]

I have c5 saloon 70,000 miles recorded. just started having problems with rear brakes binding. Unsure has to which side is binding, maybe both. Started intermitantly, now they are constantly binding. will be taking to a local garage soon as i have no faith in the citoen dealer. Will let you know what the results!

probably caused by corrosion build up between the rear brake caliper and the rear suspension arm. Best to do both sides, not a job to be done without power tools as the bolts are secured down there length by locktight.

[Johndouglas]

probably caused by corrosion build up between the rear brake caliper and the rear suspension arm.

 

Is this the same problem that plagued Xantia brakes?

[kfk]

probably caused by corrosion build up between the rear brake caliper and the rear suspension arm.

 

Is this the same problem that plagued Xantia brakes?

Yes it is, but not as easy to get the calipers off and resolve

[duden]

Rear brakes binding on C5 diesel estate (03 2.0 Hdi) 40k

 

My outer disk surface seemed to be corroding rather a lot and I suggested the dealer free off the rear calipers as part of the surface. I said that in my opinion they were binding. The car was returned as OK, but got worse, in spite of regularly using the brakes, braking downhill instead of engine breaking etc.

I met a chap with the same car but 2002 at a tyre firm who said that at the first MOT it failed due to dissimilar metals in the rear calipers having siezed. He was quoted 600 pounds to replace and took it up with Citroen who offered a 50% rebate. His friend had had a similar problem earlier and had swung the rebate so he was well prepared.

This gave me the incentive to have a look at the calipers myself. True enough, the pads were locked solidly into the calipers. It took 10 minutes of braying to get the offside off and five minutes for the near side. I derusted the pads and calipers and applied a moderate amount of copper slip on the sliding surfaces.

This has completely cured the problem and the disk surfaces now look well polished. The inside face was OK anyway, so at least I was getting some rear-wheel braking. Pedal pressures are now lower for a given stopping performance.

[kfk]

but what about the corrosion build up between the brake caliper and the suspension arm?

 

have you checked the clearance between the caliper and disk?....is the disc nearly touching caliper on one side whilst having loads of clearance on the other?

[duden]

Rear brake caliper corrosion:

 

Yes forgot about that, There was a long bolt to mount it with - it was a few months since now, so I've forgotten the details. I certainly had both calipers off, but cannot remember a corrosion problem with the mounting.

The main problem was the calipers which just seemed to have rusted into place. The chap I met at the tyre firm said that his problem was due to two dissimilar metals corroding, presumably aluminium and steel. I cannot see the inner clearance but the outer is OK and as I said earlier braking performance is now much improved and outer disk surfaces polishing nicely!

[paul.h]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum having recently bought a 2 year old C5 2.2 VTR after 12 years of Saabs. So far I am pleased with the car. Our other car is a Picasso so have been a member of that forum for a year.

 

I have noticed the rear off-side disc has a ring of rust which is not going and suspect it may be seized. Mentioned to the dealer and initial response was it needs some weight in the rear of the car to overcome the rear brake compensator. Over the last week I have towed a caravan and there is no difference to the rust so I would like to have a look myself.

 

Could someone kindly add a few lines on how to remove and refit the rear brake caliper and include any torque wrench settings if known. I have done all my own car maintenance/repairs for nearly 30 years so I am not a novice but if there are any tips or things to look out for I would appreciate it.

[kfk]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum having recently bought a 2 year old C5 2.2 VTR after 12 years of Saabs. So far I am pleased with the car. Our other car is a Picasso so have been a member of that forum for a year.

 

I have noticed the rear off-side disc has a ring of rust which is not going and suspect it may be seized. Mentioned to the dealer and initial response was it needs some weight in the rear of the car to overcome the rear brake compensator. Over the last week I have towed a caravan and there is no difference to the rust so I would like to have a look myself.

 

Could someone kindly add a few lines on how to remove and refit the rear brake caliper and include any torque wrench settings if known. I have done all my own car maintenance/repairs for nearly 30 years so I am not a novice but if there are any tips or things to look out for I would appreciate it.

I wouldnt recommend anyone trying to rmove the rear brake callipers on a C5 as a 'do it yourself' job.

 

The main bolts have loctite applied down the length of the bolts (not just the threads) and as a consequence they are extremely tight/difficult to remove.

 

A recent vehicle to our workshop required a new caliper due to the housing spliting on removal of the bolt.

[paul.h]

Thanks KFK, maybe I will remove the wheel and have a look first, I was planning on doing this anyway to apply a bit of copper grease so the alloys do not stick to the hubs. Then could be a trip back to the dealer for any work under the warranty.

 

I have read many of your Picasso posts and appreciate your knowledge and experience.

[kfk]

Thanks KFK, maybe I will remove the wheel and have a look first, I was planning on doing this anyway to apply a bit of copper grease so the alloys do not stick to the hubs. Then could be a trip back to the dealer for any work under the warranty.

 

I have read many of your Picasso posts and appreciate your knowledge and experience.

I might add that removal and refitting of the brakepads after a clean up is a straight forward task........just incase you have one seized in the calliper.

[hertsnminds]

initial response was it needs some weight in the rear of the car to overcome the rear brake compensator.

Wouldn't reversing at about 10MPH and then braking hard have a similar effect? It would make sense for any brake compensator to apply more braking power to the rear discs when reversing.

 

Ian

Black 55 VTR+

[paul.h]

Now that's an idea, drive home backwards, don't even have to get my hands dirty :P

Checking/cleaning the brake pads is worth doing, thanks KFK.

[paul.h]

Driving backwards in the carpark did not help so over the weekend I removed the rear pads and yes, they were seized in the caliper so unable to move. There was some copper grease on the pad backs/anti squeal shims to stop noise but none on the sides. The pads took a bit of effort to remove, had to hit with a hammer and long screwdriver from the bottom to knock them out - there is probably a puller to do this. Removing the backplate on one side gave more access. Cleaned everything up, applied copper grease to caliper contact parts and the back and sides of the pads and then refit. The discs appeared central in the calipers so did not consider removing these. Apart from the pads being seized, there is nothing special/difficult in pad removal. They are accessed by removing a 3 inch square cover - slacken an 8mm headed long bolt, lift off the cover, check the position of a pad tension spring then remove the bolt. The pads and shims should now pull out.

 

Whilst I was at it I also removed the front pads and cleaned these up, these were also partly seized in the carriers so lots of cleaning up and application of copper grease. To help pad removal I cleaned up the contact area where the pads rest in the carrier, but still needed a bit of force from the screwdriver and hammer (and levering pad small springs in to the pad). Something to be aware of, to access the front pads, the lower caliper retaining screw is removed and the caliper is pivoted up and tied back after pulling out the handbrake cable. First the outer pad wear indicator wire has to be removed. Best way is to lever/push it from the friction side to get it to move and then pull from the outside with pliers being careful not to pull the wire out of the white plastic bit (as I did). The inner pad wire can be removed easier once the pad has been removed from the carrier.

 

Does anyone know if the front pads/handbrake is adjusted on the caliper prior to adjusting the handbrake cable ? On the Saabs I have had, the handbrake works on the rear pads and these are set to the disc by an adjuster screw which is covered by a bolt plug on the caliper.

 

This was probably the first time the alloy wheels had been removed since manufacture 2 years ago and they were all seized on to the hubs due to corrosion between the 2 metals. I used a long piece of 4x2 wood to hit the tyres (not the alloy wheel rims) on the inside to knock them off. Cleaned up before refitting and used a bit of copper grease on the contact parts. If I had to replace a wheel before this then it would have been a call to the RAC. This is a well known problem with alloys and something to be aware of on any car.

[taxiraby]

I have had horrendous problems with both front and back breaks on my C5 pretty much since day one. The only advice i'm going to offer (as everyone else seems to have covered all bases when it comes to resolving breaking issues !), is.......

DON'T BUY CITROEN ! THEY ARE CHEAP FOR A REASON !!!!

It's been the most expensive mistake i ever made...and that includes a divorce !

Dave R.