Sticking caliper?

ajf

ajf

Soldato
Joined
30 Oct 2006
Posts
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Location
Worcestershire, UK
Does this sound like a sticking calliper?....

At low speed, such as traffic queues applying brakes and changing up and down first couple of gears.
Occasionally after pulling off again i hear a single metallic clink - exactly like to pieces of metal hitting each other. Bang two metal screwdrivers together and its that exact sound.

It happens a few seconds after pulling away and does not coincide with gear changes.

I think it is probably coming from the front. I have done a visual inspection and there was nothing obvious to see and neither disc seemed more worn.
 
Hmm, that doesn't sound good!
Is it a 'problem' or just a nuisance?
Probably get it booked in to check out though. It's still got extended warranty so hopefully anything is covered!


P.S car is a 2010 Vauxhall Astra 'J' 2.0 Diesel.
If it was the bush would this have any effect on the cars tracking, or cause symptoms like out of line tracking?
 
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It's nothing major but depends how bad it is. My bushes had gone for quite a while before they got repaired as no-one I took it to knew what the noises could be. Only got picked up on an MOT but was marked as an advisory as there was no play and was secure.
Warranty should cover it I think but not 100%.

It can affect the steering and make it feel a bit loose, mine was anyway till it was fixed.
 
Cheers.
Does sound like bushes then as have noticed the steering feeling 'floaty'.
Might as well get it sorted.
 
Could well be bushes, that's exactly what happened when my rear trailing arm bushes were away so worth getting checked. I guess it could be a caliper but I would expect you to have other symptoms like a serious pull to one side under braking and a lot of resistance when moving off if it was that bad

Shouldn't be an expensive fix.
 
Bit of a left field suggestion - check your brake pads are not moving around in their carriers.

I had a problem with my MX5. Sometimes, when applying the brakes there was a single metallic "donk". Didn't sound major, but very annoying. The suspension was checked several times and no issue was found.

It turned out to the the slider clips that hold the tabs at the edge of the brake pads had lost some of their spring tension, so each time the brakes were applied and the pad shifted in the carriers as they gripped the discs, they would make this tapping noise. Replaced the clips and they were fine again.

I know you get the problem when pulling away rather than stopping, but it's something quick and easy to check, and a dab of copper grease around when the pad is held in the carrier would probably stop or dull the sound temporarily if that is indeed the cause :)
 
Thanks for all the replies.
I had the wheels off on Friday and couldn't see anything obvious - at least to my non mechanical eye!
I've booked it into the local dealer next weekend anyway for a look. They can do the tracking whilst they have it too.
They are usually pretty reliable.
 
Sounds like the brake pads moving around in the calipers to me. No safety concerns, just a tad annoying! My Accord and my old DC5 used to do this.
 
So car is now in the garage.
They couldn't find anything around the areas suggested, but have found the dual mass flywheel is noisy/faulty.
Fortunately being replaced under warranty, otherwise £1200!!:eek:
 
On a related note, the calipers are starting to stick on the rear of my Accord :( I really cba to work on them in this weather..

Know the feeling with my S2000 calipers (think they're the same) very common for them to start sticking and not many cheap refurbished options out there so DIY it must be. Hate working with brake fluid :(
 
Happy days. Very unusual to get a dmf done under warranty

It has only done 37k miles and from reading they easily last for at least 50k-60k normally so definitely a problem.
The garage apparently had to send a video to Vauxhall before they would authorise it. When they got that they replied straight back agreeing to replace without any further questions.
Sounded to me with that that there may be a known issue.
 
Uncle-roll bar linkage?

That is still a possibility for the original noise I reported.
They did mention there was some 'play' in the front roll bar but not enough to warrant any work.
Whether the noise I heard was this or the flywheel i am now not sure.
A flywheel however i wouldn't expect to male a single clunk noise. My unerstanding is it was likely to have been a drone or rumble.

Time will tell, and whether it needs to go back in!
 
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