2000 OBW Brake System

[David Patnaude]

I have a 2000 OBW with 100k miles.

There is an issue that has been going on for a while with the brakes, but I
can't quite decipher what is happening.

There are two symptoms that might be related or might not.

Low Speed / Light on the brake pedal, there is a definite sound of
grinding, springs creaking, and other disconcerting noises. There also
seems to be some rotor warpage possibly because the grinding is on and off
as the tire rotates and a high or low spot seems to be hit on the rotor.

High speed / heavier braking produces a bit of a shake in the steering
wheel. This would agree with the possibility of some warping in the rotors.

Braking in between those two limits is OK. The noises at the lower speeds
are most disconcerting to my daily driving.

I would like to try and get some idea what is going on before bringing it
in for service.

Any ever encountered anything similar?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Steve Daniels]

Low Speed / Light on the brake pedal, there is a definite sound of
grinding, springs creaking, and other disconcerting noises. There also
seems to be some rotor warpage possibly because the grinding is on and off
as the tire rotates and a high or low spot seems to be hit on the rotor.

High speed / heavier braking produces a bit of a shake in the steering
wheel. This would agree with the possibility of some warping in the rotors.

Are the calipers frozen? They need to be able to slide back and
forth over the disk. If they can't, they'll shake and make funny
noises.

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

I have a 2000 OBW with 100k miles.

There is an issue that has been going on for a while with the brakes, but I
can't quite decipher what is happening.

There are two symptoms that might be related or might not.

Low Speed / Light on the brake pedal, there is a definite sound of
grinding, springs creaking, and other disconcerting noises. There also
seems to be some rotor warpage possibly because the grinding is on and off
as the tire rotates and a high or low spot seems to be hit on the rotor.

High speed / heavier braking produces a bit of a shake in the steering
wheel. This would agree with the possibility of some warping in the rotors.

Braking in between those two limits is OK. The noises at the lower speeds
are most disconcerting to my daily driving.

I would like to try and get some idea what is going on before bringing it
in for service.

Any ever encountered anything similar?

Thanks,
Dave

How many miles on the current set of pads? Is the brake fluid reservoir
very close to the 'minimum' level?

In addition to checking for a frozen caliper(which could lead to
premature wear on the inner pad), I suspect from the description you
could very well have 'cementite' or other deposits on the rotor (warped
rotor). If so, the 'best' thing would be to replace them. if funds are
tight, they might be resurfaced but many people experince 'warping' soon
after anyway.

good reading on 'warped' rotors;
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml

Carl