REALLY hot wheel, whats wrong?!? please help

[Stevenson]

Hey, im looking for some help. Im not too clued up on cars yet as this is my first one, its a Renault 5. Im having a problem with my front left wheel becoming REALLY hot after only 20mins driving.

The front left brake pads wore down really quickly when i got the car, i got my mate to take a look and we noticed the caliper was really stiff and was almost not releasing so we figured it had locked onto the disc and was causing friction and this was what was generating all the heat onto the wheel. (this seemed reasnable as there were grooves on the disc) No other wheels on the car get like this, just the front left, its practicaly boiling after only 20mins driving.

I got a new caliper and brake hose fitted and still no joy, the wheel is still heating up big time even with new pads/caliper/brake hose.

If anyone could tell me what could be causing this and how I could fix it i'd greatly appreciate it, its really doing my head in, why must motering be so annoying :)

:banghead:

[djayz]

maybe therse too much pressure from the brake fluid which is still causing your pads to cause friction.

go on a straight road and see if your car veers to the left if it does then theres something still rubbing. also might be that your rotor is majorly warped but then your steering wheel would shake when you drive or brake.

thats all i can think of right now. good luck finding out the problem

[Stevenson]

Thanks man,

The car seems to be fine in terms of staying straight, it doesnt seem to pull to the side at-all. Do you think if the wheel alignment was out it could cause this baring in mind that its only this one wheel.

Someone mentioned today about wheel barings?

Anyone know if this could be the cause?

[djayz]

dont know too much about the wheel barrings and the wheel alignment shouldnt affect the excessive rubbings of the brake pads

only thing that explains excessive wear of brake pads is if the calipers cease or get locked up. or as i said before if your rotor is warped.

[dave101]

post a picture?:dunno:

[FiveFreshFish]

Check the wheel lug torque. If they're on too tight, allloy rims can get hotter than normal but I don't think this would affect your brakes.

[Stevenson]

Hey thanks for the feedback. i would'nt have the first idea how to check the lug torque, could you explain how i'd go about doing that?

As for the brakes, they seem to be fine now. The reason i got a new caliper was because the old one seized up, i thought it was the dodgie caliper that was causing the heat but since i've got a brand new caliper and brake hose it would seem the problem lies else where as the wheel is still roasting-hot.

I dont have alloy wheels or anything like that, just plain, bog-standard wheels.

All the people i've asked seem to be mystified by this although one mechanic did mention wheel barrings?!?

I could try and post a pic.

Really appreciate the feedback :thumbsup:

[ZorroAMG]

Maybe the brake master cylinder, or the wheel bolts are too long and are protruding through to the other side and rubbing...

Take it to a reputable wheel shop or a renault dealership

[brisian]

the first thing that came to my mind is the wheel bearing. jack up the front of the car and spin the wheel. compare how it feels to the other side. if it feels tighter or rougher than that is probably the cause.

[QuasarCav]

Is the proper rotor being used? Did you get it installed by a shop or by a dealer?

[AllGoNoShow]

First I'd do what brisian said, it'll save you money and time becuase if thats the problem then you can tell them that is what you need fixed/looked at, instead of spenidng money on a mechanic to look for the problem himself.

The first thing that came to my mind was your master brake cylinder is not evenly distributing braking pressure so your wheel that is getting hot is having more pressure applied to it and being used more/hrader so it will heat up more, while your driving lightly push the down and see if it pulls then try abit of harder braking and see if it pulls, if it doesn't then that isn't the issue, if it does I would get it bench tested to make sure its evenly distributing pressure.

[legendboy]

Your brake caliper is siezed. End of disscussion.

[Stevenson]

A big thanks to everyone for the advice, much appreciated. :thumbsup:

(except this mad "legendboy" who seems intent on ending this disscusion lol)

[rayoun]

I would do the following m8. I would take out the rotor, and check it out. U've got new calipers, how are the pads? are they good quality pads? if the pads are crap, the rotors will heat up like there is no tomorrow. This will possibly warp it up. How fast do you drive? are the pads cracked? how are the brake sensors? are they clean? I would use a torque wrench and make sure that the lug is tightened to the specific torque. If it is not, it MAY warp rotors. Also check that there are no valves between the master cylinder and your caliper on each side. If there is, it could be a bad valve that's stuck. Does the rotor still stick? You should be getting SOME traction, and some stickiness from the caliper to the rotor but not too much.