May Be My Rotors...

[JAXXXIX]

I'm not sure if it is normal because i have never noticed it on any other car until now, but when i get home from work my rims r hot as hell when i hit a water puddle smoke comes off of them because they r so hot. it squeaks very bad when i stop only sometimes but 75% of the time it squeaks (almost like if you were to scratch a fork on a dinner plate kinda sound). i changed my break pads recently and did not change the rotors. i may need to turn them because they r used to the old break pads but im not sure. it smells like a burning belt when im done driving my car because my rims r so hot. i assume it is the rotors and break pads. can anyone help me or has anyone had a similar problem?

[SKperformance]

Either brakes or Ebrake not releasing fully.

[SRK]

When you installed new brake pads you would have pushed the piston back into the caliper bore. When doing that one must note the amount of force needed to do so - that comes with experience - because too much indicates the piston and seals are not moving smoothly enough. That will cause the caliper to drag on the rotor, and overheat it. It is also possible that the slider pins for the floating caliper are siezed slightly and that too will cause the caliper to drag.

You are dealing with brakes, and they must be repaired and serviced properly. Find someone with experience to assist you in putting them right.

[Threadcutter]

JAXXXIX:

You are dealing with brakes, and they must be repaired and serviced properly. Find someone with experience to assist you in putting them right.

SRK is exactly correct in everything he has said (he's a smart guy). Brakes are not at all complicated, unless of course a person does not have experience working on them & knows what/where the "gotchas" are. Don't take it personally, but yes, find someone with experience to help you. After the first time, you'll know everything you need to know from there on out.

You have a brake pad that is constantly dragging on a rotor. That's why the rotor is hot enough to have steam (not smoke (hopefully)) coming off of it after going through water. That means that (as SRK said) that either one of the caliper pistons or slider pins are binding. If your rotor(s) are getting hot enough to have steam come off of them when wet, that rotor is in all liklihood warped.

I'd highly recommend that you purchase caliper rebuild kits for all four calipers. They are reasonably priced, easy to install and when you're done, your brakes will be like new (after you have had your rotors turned).

Don't let this go because if the rotor & wheel are getting that hot, you are at a high risk of having a massive tire failure. And, the faster you are going the hotter the rotor/wheel will get & the more lilely it will happen. Personally, I'm not warm to the idea of having a blowout at 75 mph..........

[nc211]

Question: when inspecting the brakes, how far off of the rotor are the pads suppose to rest? Do they just gently sit on the rotors, or are they like 1 or 2 mm off the rotors? If they are by chance just slighly resting on the rotor, then is this due to caliper piston not pulling back, or are there suppose to be some sort of spring that pulls them back off the rotor. I know the rear ones have those crossed V shaped springs that pull them back, but what about the fronts?? Mine doesn't have anything like that on the fronts.