Excessive Front Brake Pad Wear On One Side Only

[redwine]

Hi

I'm hoping you can help and many thanks for your time. :D

 

There's a horrible metallic sound coming from the driver's side front wheel.

The pads were replaced two weeks ago because one was excessively worn.

 

We had the same sound a couple of weeks prior to the visit to the garage.

They checked the wheel and disk and didn't think anything was wrong.

 

We went to a different garage yesterday and they can't see a problem and needless to say the sound was completely absent when they drove it :wacko:  It is intermittent.

 

Any thoughts please. Many thanks.

 

(Xantia 2.1TD 1997)

Edited September 11, 2013 by redwine

[paul.h]

Welcome to the forum.

The noise could be the disc backing plate catching the disc, if so it may just need bending back a bit, or maybe a stone or something was stuck between it and the disc. When it makes the noise, jack up the wheel and spin it by hand to see where the noise is coming from. Use an axle stand if you intend going under the car whilst doing this.

 

If one pad was previously worn down to the metal backing then I would expect the garage freed off/cleaned up the seized bit that had caused this - maybe the caliper piston or pad/caliper contact areas and if needed, replaced both front discs. Or if it is still seized up then further work is needed (such as caliper replcement, brake hose replacement if internally damaged causing the brake to stick on) - when the noise occurs does the car tend to pull to one side.

[redwine]

Many thanks

I think it pulls slightly.

I'm going to the garage tomorrow so any thoughts I can share with them I'd be very grateful for :D

Sometimes when I give the brake a quick dab it stops and then I just wait for it to start again.....

[Randombloke]

Possibly relevant fact:

 

BX, Xantia, Mk1&2 C5 have classic Citroen hand brake, it works on the front discs.

 

Either the calliper is binding or the handbrake cable to that side is binding. Usually with a sliding calliper it's the pins it slides on that are sticky.

 

If you know what you are doing, set the vehicle to the highest suspension setting, chock the rear wheels and then jack up the affected wheel. With both hand brake off and the car out of gear see how much the brake is binding. If you turn the steering to full lock you should be able to see the actuation level that the handbrake cable pulls on. With the hand brake off, see if you can push this level any further towards the off position. If so, the cable is sticking. If not, it the sliding bit of the calliper that is sticking.

 

If you do not know what you are doing, find a decent Citroen independent and take the car there. Most garages do not seem to have the necessary knowledge of the suspension or braking systems on a hydraulic Citroen to do a a good job.

 

 

 

 

 

[redwine]

Many thanks to you both, much appreciated :D