Serious Brake Problem

[93Frost_cb7]

Please help! I'm scared to drive my car now...
I was on my way home today and right when i came to just about a complete stop at a stop sign, the brake pedal lost pressure.......... but when i started goin again it was fine...? Also i've been meaning to replace my rotors because they're grooved which causes a grinding noise, but after my pedal lost pressure the grinding noise went away.....? And when i got home i looked at both front calipers and it looks like the driver side (which has the worst grooves) caliper is missing a piece

[Leung]

pictures?

[93Frost_cb7]

na i don't have a new enough computer. this is a 99. made before plug n play. which is required for just about every usb connection.

[93Frost_cb7]

ha ha went back to where it happened and found a thin layer of metal that was my oem pad.

[tone456]

you have been having some fun with that cb7!

[93Frost_cb7]

na my two older brothers both owned it before me and seriously dogged it out. and it sat around for a year before i got it. so the brakes were fucked when i got it.

[johnl]

You need to properly unfuck them before you use the car again. From what you say you need to check everything in the brake system. If you don't know what you're doing with brakes then have someone who does know hold your hand, or get them to do it for you. The brakes are the most important part of the car...

[Leung]

ha ha went back to where it happened and found a thin layer of metal that was my oem pad.

oh that's prolly just a shim.

you should have seen it when i first bought my car and tried driving it home.
As i was slowing down to a red light, i heard a *PLINK* and then a bunch of clanging. turns out the metal part of my brake pad had shot out the driver side of my car when i finally got it home and took the wheels off. my rotors were all chewed up.

[batever]

Please help! I'm scared to drive my car now...
I was on my way home today and right when i came to just about a complete stop at a stop sign, the brake pedal lost pressure.......... but when i started goin again it was fine...? Also i've been meaning to replace my rotors because they're grooved which causes a grinding noise, but after my pedal lost pressure the grinding noise went away.....? And when i got home i looked at both front calipers and it looks like the driver side (which has the worst grooves) caliper is missing a piece

I think one of your driver's side brake pads fell out. That's why you "lost" brake pressure-there wasn't enough fluid in the lines to push the pads all the way to the disk once one pad fell out.

(Once the pads are severely worn down, I'm guessing that there can be enough room for them just to fall out of the brake caliper. This is because they really aren't bolted in--they kind of "sit" in the caliper, held by cast metal tags on the ends of the pads that fit into the same shaped space in the caliper. By design they normally can't fall out because the brake disc is in the way. But if they are severly worn I could imagine that it is possible for them to have enough space between them and the disc to fall out. Although how they would have gotten brushed back away from the disc to that point is another question. . Of course, you're supposed to have replaced them *way* before they wear down to the point they would "fall out". )

But when you moved out from the stop and let the brake pedal back up, the master cylinder sucked the extra fluid it needed to repressurize the lines from the master cylinder reservoir. Hence, suddenly you have braking pressure again.

If I'm correct about the pad being gone, the loss of the grinding noise is probably because the old pad, probably worn down to the rivets, is no longer there and the pad housing isn't reaching the disc to grind against it, thankfully.


My advice is, go get some new pads (cheapos at autozone) and replace your front pads with them if you aren't ready to do a whole hog brake job with rotors and all. It will likely restore safe brake functioning, and if it doesn't you'll know to look elsewhere in the braking system.

You may have also had a sticking caliper pin, which when you undo it to do your brake pads you will pull out, clean, and recoat with synthetic brake grease suitable for use with disc brakes. A plastic jar of it is $10 (3 lifetimes' supply) , and a couple packets, enough for one brake job, for like $3.00.

Obviously it would be best to replace both the rotors and the pads, my above suggestion is if you aren't ready to do the rotors yet. If you can come up with the money and/or time, it will be more cost effective (and yield even better braking) to do both at the same time because if you just do the pads, when you go to do the rotors you'll need to replace those pads again so they don't mess up the new rotors.


Another reason you could have lost braking pressure would be either a faulty brake master cylinder (I don't think so if it the pressure corrected itself though) or a faulty power brake booster (possible).

[93Frost_cb7]

I think one of your driver's side brake pads fell out. That's why you "lost" brake pressure-there wasn't enough fluid in the lines to push the pads all the way to the disk once one pad fell out.

(Once the pads are severely worn down, I'm guessing that there can be enough room for them just to fall out of the brake caliper. This is because they really aren't bolted in--they kind of "sit" in the caliper, held by cast metal tags on the ends of the pads that fit into the same shaped space in the caliper. By design they normally can't fall out because the brake disc is in the way. But if they are severly worn I could imagine that it is possible for them to have enough space between them and the disc to fall out. Although how they would have gotten brushed back away from the disc to that point is another question. . Of course, you're supposed to have replaced them *way* before they wear down to the point they would "fall out". )

But when you moved out from the stop and let the brake pedal back up, the master cylinder sucked the extra fluid it needed to repressurize the lines from the master cylinder reservoir. Hence, suddenly you have braking pressure again.

If I'm correct about the pad being gone, the loss of the grinding noise is probably because the old pad, probably worn down to the rivets, is no longer there and the pad housing isn't reaching the disc to grind against it, thankfully.


My advice is, go get some new pads (cheapos at autozone) and replace your front pads with them if you aren't ready to do a whole hog brake job with rotors and all. It will likely restore safe brake functioning, and if it doesn't you'll know to look elsewhere in the braking system.

You may have also had a sticking caliper pin, which when you undo it to do your brake pads you will pull out, clean, and recoat with synthetic brake grease suitable for use with disc brakes. A plastic jar of it is $10 (3 lifetimes' supply) , and a couple packets, enough for one brake job, for like $3.00.

Obviously it would be best to replace both the rotors and the pads, my above suggestion is if you aren't ready to do the rotors yet. If you can come up with the money and/or time, it will be more cost effective (and yield even better braking) to do both at the same time because if you just do the pads, when you go to do the rotors you'll need to replace those pads again so they don't mess up the new rotors.


Another reason you could have lost braking pressure would be either a faulty brake master cylinder (I don't think so if it the pressure corrected itself though) or a faulty power brake booster (possible).

That was pretty helpful but you didn't read much of this forum..

[batever]

That was pretty helpful but you didn't read much of this forum..

?? i'm a little confused, not sure what you mean.

I have made almost 800 posts, a large majority of them detailed. Or did I miss some back history on your brake problem? Or is there something about the pads falling out that I didn't know (from the forums?).

I'm curious.

edit--i did read the whole thread before commenting, but I just reread it and saw where you said you saw the brake pad was missing, which I didn't explicitly acknowledge you saying. I think that's what you meant by "that was pretty helpful but you didn't read much of this forum".

Part of why I wrote in was to offer a potential explanation for the fact that you temprorarily lost pedal pressure, which would be scarier than just dropping a brake pad in my opinion.

good luck with the brakes.

[750chop]

got me, but it sounds like you were pretty spot on to me, My first guess was brake booster leaking down. but id have to say pads as well

[93Frost_cb7]

?? i'm a little confused, not sure what you mean.

I have made almost 800 posts, a large majority of them detailed. Or did I miss some back history on your brake problem? Or is there something about the pads falling out that I didn't know (from the forums?).

I'm curious.

edit--i did read the whole thread before commenting, but I just reread it and saw where you said you saw the brake pad was missing, which I didn't explicitly acknowledge you saying. I think that's what you meant by "that was pretty helpful but you didn't read much of this forum".

Part of why I wrote in was to offer a potential explanation for the fact that you temprorarily lost pedal pressure, which would be scarier than just dropping a brake pad in my opinion.

good luck with the brakes.

yeah man i appreciate it.