Diesel Front Brake Rebuild - Advice Please.

[independentphoto]

Hi Guys,

I know this is a diesel question, but probably a lot of principles and similar probelms will be the same. I gather that other have had similar experiences on petrol models.

My '98 1.9D CL had a bad judder under braking and I changed the disks (ATE Powerdiscs) & pads. That was good, then it came back, so suspecting the disk(s) had gone, they were changed again for standard fayre. You guessed it- the judder came back! Next move was to replace the warped hub (nearside), bearing, disks (ATE Powerdiscs, vented this time) & pads again. For the second time, all was well for a bit.

Would you credit it though? It's been back for a while now. The caliper seemed free enough although it's been suggested that something might yet be wrong with it. Another alternative that was suggested was a damaged upright or whatever.

The ATE Powerdiscs had been used on the car before and were fine. They wore out in the end after many miles. I don't drive "fast" and don't normally brake in a fierce manner - normally early(ish) and in a progressive manner.

The questions are however -

What do you suspect?

and

What parts should I replace for a rebuild of the front brakes to (hopefully) rid the car of this problem for good?

Thanks for your help,

Garry

[Rmachines]

Have you inspected the drums? Check for any warping on the drums, then the disks.

If you dont drive fast and dont brake heavy, why not fit OEM Brakes? never heard of ATE Powerdisks but i guess they are groved or somthing? try stock ones.
Ultimatly its going to be down to the disk condition if its shuddering.

I would clean it all up, fit new disks and pads and ensure all the sliders are free etc, then try again. Just a final thought, its not an ABS Problem is it? because if the ABS kicks in it will judder, could be faulty mabey?

[independentphoto]

Thanks for the input.

It's funny that you should mention the drums, since I noticed both yesterday and today that there now seems to be a scoring sound coming from the rear brakes . I'd be surprised if the shoes had worn out already, since I stripped the rears and replaced the shoes only about 6 months ago replacing all the springs, pins & adjusters with VW parts at the time. My mileage is nowhere near that kind of wear.

Could it be some sort of hydraulic pressure balance problem if it turns out that the rears have worn so quick?

To my knowledge, the car does NOT have ABS. There is certainly no warning lamp for it or any signs of complicated valve blocks under the bonnet. I also tried braking in a straight line from various speeds under controlled conditions. There did not appear to be any pronounced pull to either side to suggest any major left/right bias.

The previous time that an independent garage replaced the hub and disks, BOTH were out of true.

I'm just worried that the problem has come and gone (with work) and returned yet again. I seem to be repeatedly spending money on the same thing without finding the real cure, hence the thought about other parts perhaps being damaged.

Thanks again,

Garry

[Phatman]

I don't think it has anything to do with the discs. I would do as Rmachines says remove the caliper pins and clean them, sometimes salt from the roads gets into them, I'd replace them if they're tarnished and worn. Also check your CV boots aren't split as grease will get onto the pads and effect the braking. When you reassemble them put a dab of copper grease on the back of the pads and make sure any anti squeel wires or plates are put back in place. I very much doubt the rear shoes could wear in 6 months, it's probably just the weather. You can check the shoe wear by removing a rubber bung from the backing plate and shining torch in Have you jacked the car up and checked the wheels turn fairly freely, try braking and re check them. It's not inknown for old flexi hoses to collapse internally while looking fine from the outside. You can usually tell when you bleed the brakes and fluid just slowly drips out instead of running.