Mpg, Brakes And Water!

[Guest Chilie]

Decided to investigate my poor MPG today on my 2.2 HDI, averaging 31 MPG with careful driving.

 

I jacked up the back of the car to check for the brakes binding, the passenger side was free but the drivers side seems to be binding a bit.

 

I didnt have time to strat taking it to bits today but I know I have it to do now. Does anyone have any pics they could post to help me out as a guide. I have replaced pads before but never stripped a caliper down. Will I be needing some kind of repair kit or is it just a case of it needs the piston pushing in and out a few times to free it off?

 

I also found I was carrying some water in the spare wheel well whilst I was getting the jack out! Deep Joy yet something else to sort out. I have had less problems in the whole 18 years of driving than I have with this single car. Maybe ill add a heater and some tropical fish and make a feature out of it!

 

Going in for DPF and Eloys next week so hopefully this will help the MPG as well.

[PaulCartwright]

email us mate and i will send you a pic

 

Paul

 

PaulCartwright_T4ULS@hotmail.com

[Randombloke]

I didnt have time to strat taking it to bits today but I know I have it to do now. Does anyone have any pics they could post to help me out as a guide. I have replaced pads before but never stripped a caliper down. Will I be needing some kind of repair kit or is it just a case of it needs the piston pushing in and out a few times to free it off?

 

Stupid suggestion:

 

If the C5 is anything like the BX with a load sensing valve then loading the boot up with something very heavy then going for a 10 mile drive may sort things. I used this to unstick or remove corrosion from the rear brake discs on sh*te old BX more than once. The load means the system applies more force to the rear brakes and they get freed up.

 

Worth a try before you strip down.

 

Another thing I find will unstick slightly sticky brakes is going out on a very wet, slippery day, finding a straight piece of road with no one around then executing several emergency stops which must trigger the ABS to be effective. All that ABS vibration unsticks things.

 

Not to be done anywhere near people or other cars, nor within eyesight of our uniformed upholders of the law.

 

YMMV.

[paul.h]

The rear pads have probably seized, needing removal, cleaning and refitting with a bit of copper grease down the sides. Providing you do not remove the calipers, they are easy enough to remove but they may need to be knocked out from below. You may also find the front pads are seized in place.

 

Before removing the rear pads, check if the disc is central in the caliper. If not then there could be corrosion between the caliper and hub mounting. This pushes the caliper out and causes brake squeal - cure is to remove the caliper, clean up the contact faces and apply grease before refitting.

 

If you need to remove the rear caliper, search this forum for info - the main problem is the bolts in most cases have loctite down the full length so they are difficult to remove and if you do not leave the pad cover bolt in place then the caliper may split into its 2 halves.

[old'uns]

Before removing the rear pads, check if the disc is central in the caliper. If not then there could be corrosion between the caliper and hub mounting. This pushes the caliper out and causes brake squeal - cure is to remove the caliper, clean up the contact faces and apply grease before refitting.

 

you'll know if you've got corrosion, the pads will be worn at an angle not square

[Guest Chilie]

Thanks all of you for your help and suggestions, Im gonna start with the ABS idea with something heavy in the boot - Wife and Kids should be heavy enough? :D

 

If it stops raining and I get a couple of hours this weekend I try taking things to bits and cleaning any corrosion etc. to see if I can work out why its sticking.

 

Just a question about the copper grease - what's this doing for me when its on the back of the pads - theres nothing moving here to need lubrication is there?

[myglaren]

Thanks all of you for your help and suggestions, Im gonna start with the ABS idea with something heavy in the boot - Wife and Kids should be heavy enough? :D

Should be - I used to load the boot of my GS up with paving stones and Calor gas cylinders once a month to 'exercise' the rear brakes.

If it stops raining and I get a couple of hours this weekend I try taking things to bits and cleaning any corrosion etc. to see if I can work out why its sticking.

 

Just a question about the copper grease - what's this doing for me when its on the back of the pads - theres nothing moving here to need lubrication is there?

To allow them to move freely against the front of the piston. Most brakes used to have anti-squeal shims fitted but they seem to have been dispensed with of late. Actually it is more important to apply Coppaslip between the caliper and the chassis mounting point to preclude corrosion caused by the EMF between the steel chassis and the alloy caliper. A very thin plastic shim should do the same thing.

[paul.h]

As well as grease on the back of the pads, I apply a bit at the sides of the metal backing and the contact points in the caliper so they are less likely to rust/seize up again. At the next service they will also be a lot easier to remove.

[Guest Chilie]

Actually it is more important to apply Coppaslip between the caliper and the chassis mounting point to preclude corrosion caused by the EMF between the steel chassis and the alloy caliper. A very thin plastic shim should do the same thing.

 

Well many thanks for all the help and tips guys. I have just completed the job successfully.

The problem was indeed corrosion between the chassis and the caliper - This had pushed the inboard side of the caliper so far out that it was actually rubbing on the brake disc! The pads were very uneavenly worn so I have replaced them at the same time with copper grease between all mating faces and the backs of the pads. I would post some pics but cant work out how to add them to the thread.

 

Only problem is I ran out of daylight so I will need to do the other side next week. I know its not good to only replace the pads on one side but I have done a test drive and its not pulling under braking so it will do for a week.The new pads also came with new anti squeal shims so these have been replaced now as well. Interestingly the calliper would appear to be able to be swapped over onto the opposite wheel if necessary thereby having the still uncorroded face then in contact with the chasis I decided not to bother but if the corrosion was really bad it would be an option I think - or am I wrong? I think you would just need to put the bleed screw in the break pipe hole ande vice versa.

[myglaren]

Well many thanks for all the help and tips guys. I have just completed the job successfully.

The problem was indeed corrosion between the chassis and the caliper - This had pushed the inboard side of the caliper so far out that it was actually rubbing on the brake disc! The pads were very uneavenly worn so I have replaced them at the same time with copper grease between all mating faces and the backs of the pads. I would post some pics but cant work out how to add them to the thread.

 

Only problem is I ran out of daylight so I will need to do the other side next week. I know its not good to only replace the pads on one side but I have done a test drive and its not pulling under braking so it will do for a week.The new pads also came with new anti squeal shims so these have been replaced now as well. Interestingly the calliper would appear to be able to be swapped over onto the opposite wheel if necessary thereby having the still uncorroded face then in contact with the chasis I decided not to bother but if the corrosion was really bad it would be an option I think - or am I wrong? I think you would just need to put the bleed screw in the break pipe hole ande vice versa.

 

You need to have an image hosting service. I use Photobucket and Imageshack. Both are free and there are other free image hosting sites too.

 

First you need to have the image on your hard drive.

Next, upload it to your image hosting account.

Then copy the address there.

Paste the address here it must be enclosed in square brackets like so. both sites will do this for you if you pick the correct code. A bit of trial and error usually puts you on the right track. This site has a button, under the 'Fonts' drop-down menu, second from the left in that group, that will wrap the address in tags%20for%20you.

 

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/5959/stuff030cw9.th.jpg' alt='stuff030cw9.th.jpg'>

 

Just an example, from the Imageshack host. This is a nice option as it plants a thumbnail instead of a full image, which is good news for the members on dial-up. Click the image for a full size one. Below the image you can see the various address codings (at least I can, possibly because I own the image)

This is just old crap to demonstrate the method but the story there is that I pulled into that car park after work one day and thought that the SAAB looked familiar - it is my youngest daughter's! The Mini beside it belongs to my eldest daughter.

 

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/1693/1970citroensm12m1xx.th.jpg

 

A proper Citroën, one I can't afford!

 

I tried to add a photo of the wonderful Myléne Farmer, one of the best Frenchies around, but it wouldn't work. Perhaps there is a limit on the number of images that can be inserted in any one post.

 

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/6412/220pxmylenefarmerpv8.jpg

 

Ah, there it is!

[Randombloke]

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/1693/1970citroensm12m1xx.th.jpg

 

A proper Citroën, one I can't afford!

 

Unfortunately Citroën couldn't afford it either, and they were bought up for taken sum.

[Guest Chilie]

Thanks , i will have a look at file shack, I guess it could be useful to have an account for a range of things. I had found the button to add the image to the thread but gave up when it wanted a URL.