Dere2000 Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 I own a 1995 SC400 I have 16,700 miles so it is basically new. Just recently I have noticed a deep noise from the inside almost sounds like road noise just deeper. Then I noticed my back wheels covered in brake dust and the front clean. Also the rear rotors scorching hot and the front just warm. It is obvious somehow the rear brakes are being compressed without pressing the pedal. Has anyone else experienced this or does anyone think they might know what is going on? Please post if you have any information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPORTcoupe300 Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 Were you driving around with your parking brake up? j/k or am I? It's possible that the handbrake cable got stuck somewhere but it's unlikely. Can't really tell from where I'm sitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dere2000 Posted February 12, 2004 Author Share Posted February 12, 2004 No I made sure it was down. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubbles Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 Well if the rears are compressed then you probably won't be able to creep forward with the tranny in D . It is possible that your rear brake pads are worn out completely, exposing the metal backplate with the metal rotor (not likely with 17k miles). Could be something stuck between the rotor and brake pad. I'm assuming both of your rear rotors are hot. Why don't you jack up the car and have a look (with jack stands mounted) . If you don't have a jack, you could try using the emergency jack (and don't go under the car), but it's not meant to be used over and over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubbles Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 Maybe all four wheels are compressed, but the front rotors are ventilated whereas the rears are solid (ventilated dissipates heat faster). Hence, the front rotors are warm while the rears are hot. If that is the case, there could be a problem that I wouldn't know. I don't know much about brake systems, but check the brake fluid level, it's a good start. I read about this master cylinder, maybe that's the culprit. Or perhaps a vacuum line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzz30 Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 if the rear wheel is covered in dust then its probably not the parking brake because the parking brake uses an inner drum brake so the dust is less prone to sticking to the wheels so here is my suggestion. if your rear brakes have not been changed before the pads could be worn to the point that it gets cocked to the side and gets stuck and doesnt return so change the pads.... another possibility is that the caliper is sticking so get it rebuilt or the valve body could be at fault. i would suggest goint through the pads first. in extreme cases the wheel bearing could be so worn that the whole wheel(+rotor) is rubbing the pads ( this happened on my LS with the front wheel bearings, the pads would wear out every 3 months) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbarhorst2 Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 Is it both rear wheels or just one?? If it is both, then I would rule out a caliper failure. If it is both you need to search for something wrong that would include both wheels. That means look forward of the rear wheels. Could be a bad proportioning valve, bad master cylinder, or a few other things. Jack the car up so that both rear wheels are off the ground. Properly block the front wheels so the car will not move. With the car in neutral, how difficult is each rear wheel to turn? Does it feel like there is resistance? I assume that with this condition you will feel a resistance. Unless you are a good backyard mechanic, I would recommend having your brake system checked out by a Lexus dealer. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubyball Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 Try to bleed the rear wheels that will tell you the exact the problem if your cylinder master is bad or the caliper is bad. If the caliper is bad the piston will not move at all, otherwise your master cylinder is bad. Man, master cylinder is hard to fix. I've done that on my Ford Escort, lucky got some help. But it your caliper is bad then it's easier to fix, remove the whole caliper and have Autopart rebuild it, cheaper that way then getting a new one. Master cylinder also can be rebuilt too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dere2000 Posted February 12, 2004 Author Share Posted February 12, 2004 Took it to the Lexus dealer I used to work for. Both calipers are bad. So basically I need 2 new calipers both rotors turned new pads and a good bleeding. Only gonna cost me $1,100 dollars. Yea no thanks. I got one of the mechanics to do it for me on the side, I lucked out. Thanks for all of yalls input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzz30 Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 wow both calipers were out? well i guess it happens ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSC4 Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 why not upgrade to TT calipers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubbles Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 TT calipers are nice, but you'll only need TT calipers if you're going to race. If you just put tt calipers in the back, then the abs will go crazy. Putting Big calipers doesn't mean you're stopping distance is shorter. The only way it will shorten the stopping distance is if the tire has more traction (wider tires), or the response of the brakes is faster so the pads bite into the rotor faster (by milliseconds). Those milliseconds translate to a couple of feet at 60 mph. What's interesting is that the TT rotor and calipers are lighter than the stock sc brakes. So that could a benfit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubyball Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 $1100.00? Ouch! I replaced 2 new front rotors myself, and it costs about $250 for parts. Before that I had the rotor turned at Pepboys they did not do a good job of turning the rotor. Damn! the brake light indicator keeps light up. After 2 weeks driving I realized my brake system is not working properly, steering wheel is wable when breaking. Finally replaced with new rotors, then it solved the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbarhorst2 Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 Wow. Both rear calipers bad at the same time. I would not have guessed that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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