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Wed Oct 12, 2005 11:47 am

As I started driving my '73 square last night I noticed the car starting to pull to the left a little. well it started to get worse, to the point I was fighting to keep it straight. then i smelled something burning, or really hot. Then the pulling stopped. The front left wheel was really hot when i pulled over, and smelled bad. i could still smell it this morning. Do i need to bleed my brakes, or get a new master cylinder? is this bad?

Wed Oct 12, 2005 12:43 pm

It sounds like the rubber brake hose is partly plugged, and not letting the caliper release. :shock: If you replace both hoses and then bleed the brakes it should fix the problem. If not, you'll need the calipers rebuilt.

Wed Oct 12, 2005 4:55 pm

I agree with bobnotch. A test I usaully do is jack up the front of the car. Then step on the brakes, release the brake pedal. Notice if the right or left wheel is not turning. Take a wrench I think 7mm & loosen the bleeder screw on the caliper of the wheel that is not turning. If your wheel spins freely, you need a new brake hose. If your wheel is still not turning the caliper is sticking & needs to be rebuilt.

Wed Oct 12, 2005 6:43 pm

That's a really nice test. 8) Plus it allows you to determine before you get too far which part needs replacing. Although replacing the hose wouldn't hurt, and it probably needs to be done anyway. :shock:

Wed Oct 12, 2005 6:57 pm

awesome. thanks. I'll do the test. I think I'll end up replacing the hose anyway, though. And how hard is it to rebuild a caliper? I may do this as well while I'm at it.

Thu Oct 13, 2005 4:26 pm

you didnt say the car slowed down. If the brake was stuck the car would have also slowed down. On my 65 I have drums so this would be a bearing but is there anything else similar it could be. JUst wondering.

John
65 square S

Thu Oct 13, 2005 8:20 pm

He didn't have to say it was slowing down, he said it was pulling, and later pulling hard, along with a burning smell. That right there tells me it's a brake problem, usually caused by a plugged hose not allowing the fluid to drain back. :evil:
On drum brakes, you get this by not having them adjusted equally, ie... one tighter than the other. It's possible that a bearing could be going (from being adjusted too tight), but you could check that in the driveway with a floor jack. :D

Thu Oct 13, 2005 10:04 pm

KilgoreTrout wrote: awesome. thanks. I'll do the test. I think I'll end up replacing the hose anyway, though. And how hard is it to rebuild a caliper? I may do this as well while I'm at it.

It's far easier and not very expensive to buy a "loaded" reman caliper with the pads and hardware already installed. I think they're 50 to 75 bucks exchange. If it were my car, I'd do BOTH calipers, rotors, and hoses. Repack the wheel bearings, and flush the brake fluid. Remember, it all got HOT. The rotor may have warped, the bearing grease may have melted, and the brake fluid most certainly boiled. If one side went, it's only a matter of time for the other, anyways. Besides, if they're OE calipers, the reman you get might be a different style with a different brake pad. Why run two different calipers?
But then, I'm a maintenance maniac, and I hate doing stuff twice. :lol:

Fri Oct 14, 2005 12:19 pm

Tram wrote: KilgoreTrout wrote: awesome. thanks. I'll do the test. I think I'll end up replacing the hose anyway, though. And how hard is it to rebuild a caliper? I may do this as well while I'm at it.

It's far easier and not very expensive to buy a "loaded" reman caliper with the pads and hardware already installed. I think they're 50 to 75 bucks exchange. If it were my car, I'd do BOTH calipers, rotors, and hoses. Repack the wheel bearings, and flush the brake fluid. Remember, it all got HOT. The rotor may have warped, the bearing grease may have melted, and the brake fluid most certainly boiled. If one side went, it's only a matter of time for the other, anyways. Besides, if they're OE calipers, the reman you get might be a different style with a different brake pad. Why run two different calipers?
But then, I'm a maintenance maniac, and I hate doing stuff twice. :lol:

About the only problem I see with getting a re-man caliper is that he has a 73. It uses the larger caliper and rotor assembly, which are a little harder to find (and costly). I agree about doing both sides at the same time. It eliminates a potential uneven braking problem, and it allows one to check both sides for wear. :D