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-   -   Brake calliper problem! Was this the solution? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/12164-brake-calliper-problem-solution.html)

Guys I took my Indica to a service camp yesterday. It turned out to be an AC checkup camp. They tested and said my AC probably has a small leak somewhere as there is somewhat lesser amount of gas than there should actually be. He also said the cooling is 9.5 (I don't know what that means). Apparently yesterday, being a sunday, they could not do anything and asked me to get the car on a weekday or else during the next service and mention the problem to get it sorted out.

But my other problem is what this post is about. For last few weeks I was feeling that during the evening rush hour's grinding traffic with clutch-and-brake kind of crawl the car gets heated up and all of a sudden refuses to move. It even gets stalled at times and I really sweat to get it moving. Amazingly the temp gauge remains at halfway mark!

After taking the car out for a 10-15km drive where he tried all the antics to get it heated the mechanic brought the car back and raised it on the hoist. It was found that the problem is with the front right wheel. The brake calliper fails to release once the brake pedal has been eased. As a solution the mech took off the tires and then the brake callipers and sand-papered it and also took out the two pins and greased them. Thats it! He took the car out for a spin once again, came back and showed to me that the callipers are not grabbing any more.

Although I accepted it at that point but I wonder, is this the real solution?!!! Was the calliper grabbing the disc just bcoz the two pins were dried up (as per the mech)?

The outer jaw of the caliper slides on those 2 pins which have to be lubed else it will stick.
There should be rubber boot that keeps the grease in.

Hmmm... that is what he did. He greased the pins. And now that you say it, yes I do remember that the pins had some kind of rubber sheaths (rubber boots?!) on them. I hope that dreadful problem has got cured.

Hey Zappo,

Simply put - if the problem was with the pins (i am imagining the pins on which the brake pad itself slides), then greasing it should solve the problem.

Lets wait and watch!
cya
R

Zappo, I am sure your problem has been solved. This happens quite often , especially when the brake pads have not been cleaned for a long time. Moreover, the mechanics tend to over look the greasing part because they trust the ( TATA) rubber boot thats supposed to keep the residue of the Brake pads and the grime out. I hope you have had the other side wheel attended too.

So long....

To be frank Varun I faced a similar road traffic (1st gear crawl on the clutch and brake) only once since they greased the pins. And somehow i had a feeling the problem is still there, maybe only reduced somewhat. On this particular day although the car did not stall completely when trying to move on from the standstill yet it felt like it was laboring a lot. I will know by the end of the next week for sure.

Could there be any other reason for this problem? Brake callipers were failing to release that much I saw (the wheel was almost refusing to rotate freely). But why, beyond this dried up pins theory?

Zappo,

Its possible that one of this pistons in your caliper is stuck. This might be due to corrosion/rust/dirt.
This had happened to me once (on a 20 yr old car though = rust/corrosion), but it was the opposite, the piston was stuck in the recessed positions and therefore when i braked the car would pull to the opposite side.
Maybe your piston is stuck rubbing against the rotor?

cya
R

Hmmm... I do not think it is corrosion. One because the car is too new to form corrosion. It has seen only one rainy season yet. Secondly the callipers, when they were opened, alongwith the other assemblies looked black and shining. Still it is worth a look. If I detect this problem anytime during the week's running I will take it back to them.

Aren't these "pins" supposed to be pistons??

I think so Nitrous. The mech at Tata A.S.S. referred to the thing as a pin. It looked like a very straightforward assembly. Also, someone else who had a similar problem with his Indica suggested me that it is not the greasing which solved the problem for him. The brake fluid had to be changed after a thorough service.

Rehann is right. Pistons could be stuck. There is a rubber O-ring kind of thing in the piston that seals the fluid and acts as a return spring. That could be busted. You need to have them rebuild the caliper.

If that were to be the reason then won't the problem exists all the time? In my case this problems shows up when in continuous rush hour crawling traffic the brakes heat up.

By the way I just realised that Tatas provide ventilated discs in Indica TD. However mine(normal Indica) has solid discs. Now as I realized, I normally have this habit of braking and then holding on to it at traffic signals till it is time to move. Could this cause the callipers to get so hot that they start grabbing? This is assuming that hot discs and callipers cause the brakes to lock/grab. Of late I have consciously started engaging the hand-brake on red signals and release the brake pedals. This will hopefully give some time for the discs to cool off. Although it is early yet to say for sure, IMO it is actually causing the brakes to grab less.

Hi,

Your problem sounds like "grabbing callipers". The answer to your question is NO. Hand-brakes work only via the rear wheels and have no role to the front wheels grabbing.

Viper

Yes, you are right. The problem is indeed that of grabbing callipers. I know that the handbrakes work with the rear drums. That is why I wanted to know that if I use the handbrake on the red signals instead of the brake pedals (as I normally do) will that let the discs to cool off and reduce the problem. I am trying this since the last few days and I feel it may be showing some effect. Still early days to say so...

Hi guys,
I faced a somewhat similar problem with my Indica Diesel V2 (2004). Here's a detailed brief ;)
Problem 1: Front brakes stopped functioning: When I pressed the brake pedal at medium to high speeds (say 40 - 50 KMPH), the car took a long distance to stop and when I applied more pressure, the rear tyres locked up making a screeching sound but the car kept moving. I took it to the mechanic who said that the front brake pads have worn off. (2004 model, 35K Kms). That came as a surprise. He said that Diesel Indica's have this problem. I accepted and changed the pads. Everything is fine.
Problem 2: On my very first drive to the office the next day, everything was fine until I drove for around 12 Kms. I stopped at a red signal and when I started driving, I noticed that the pickup had dropped drastically. I thought it could be because of the A/C. (which is normal for an Indica diesel). Then I had to stop again but this time the brake pedal was very very hard. I could not press it at all. I thought that it might be because of new brake pads. Somehow the car stopped. Then on a gradual slope, the car rolled a bit and stopped automatically as if the brakes were applied. I tried again by putting it in gear and then pressing the clutch. The car rolled for a while and stopped again. The feeling was like the brake is being applied gently. I jumped out and touched the front rims. They were scorching hot, I almost burned my hand.
Has it got anything to do with new brake pads or is there a setting which can be altered?
I think its the same problem. What do you guys suggest?
Thanks,
Kaustubh