Help No Brakes!!

[Sash]

Ok, so the car hadnt been driven since Wed Eve as I was ill for 2 days. Got in the car yesterday to go out, reversed off the drive and got the usual bit of rusty brake grind. Drove to the end of the cul-de-sac to turn around, put my foot on the brake to stop and OH SH!T no brakes at all! Dads van was getting closer than I was comfortable with so hand brake had to be used!

There was resistance on the brake pedal, just no braking being done!
After a while they came back and are now working fine again.

Any ideas?

 

[jack_davey]

corrosion... quite common

 

[Sash]

Corrosion where?

 

[timmyd]

Have you got uprated pads etc. Sometimes after the damp weather, my rear brakes seize up when i drive off, just brake slowly as you drive off to clean the disc's.
Hopefully that is the problem?

 

[Needster]

Mine don't not work at all, but they do stick on for a second or so when I attempt to pull away and it's been parked up with wet brakes.

See if it happens again over the next couple of days, if it does just get them checked sweetie. If not it could be just a case of the sticky brakes, as Timmy says.

 

[Sash]

I noticed ages ago when I had to do an emergency stop when some old biddy pulled out in front of me, that they didnt stop me as quick as Id of liked and the abs didnt kick in, yet I stamped on the brake pedal hard.

ABS works fine under about 30mph - but not over :S

Now this time around the pads werent stuck on at all and the car drove perfectly untill I wanted to stop and then there was not much braking going on when I applied the brake.

<3

 

[-Leigh-]

I had this problem with my 172. Sometimes, they just wouldn't work at all. I nearly had a few near misses because of it.

Renault could not find a problem, replaced fluid, discs, pads, calipers, and it still kept happening.

I traded it in for the 182. Problem solved.

 

[Henry]

just guessing, but may be an airlock somewhere in the system; when was the fluid last changed, do you know?

 

[Sash]

No idea, Am going to change the brake fluid when I get round to servicing it in a few weeks.

Just a bit wierd, normal driving the brakes are totally fine

 

[DrR]

http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?t=479978


Loads seam to be doing it.

 

[-Leigh-]

No idea, Am going to change the brake fluid when I get round to servicing it in a few weeks.

Just a bit wierd, normal driving the brakes are totally fine

Mine could be fine for weeks, then do it.

I noticed it after washing it once, but the pedal also went spongy, and it lasted for about 50 miles of driving before going back to normal.

 

[Henry]

that sounds as though they either didn't bleed properly (maybe related to the ABS valve?), or a master cylinder fault

 

[Sash]

hmm, its strange for sure.

Henry, this only seems to be intermitant fault, which makes it even more odd tbh.

 

[richard1]

Ok, so the car hadnt been driven since Wed Eve as I was ill for 2 days. Got in the car yesterday to go out, reversed off the drive and got the usual bit of rusty brake grind. Drove to the end of the cul-de-sac to turn around, put my foot on the brake to stop and OH SH!T no brakes at all! Dads van was getting closer than I was comfortable with so hand brake had to be used!

There was resistance on the brake pedal, just no braking being done!
After a while they came back and are now working fine again.

Any ideas?

Same happened to me Sash - car had sat for a day, discs rusted and I overshot the first junction I arrived at by 2 metres!!

 

[-Leigh-]

that sounds as though they either didn't bleed properly (maybe related to the ABS valve?), or a master cylinder fault

They bled it 3 times, even with the clip thing.

It be fine for ages so they said it couldn't be master cylinder.

 

[Henry]

master cylinder problems can be intermittent, as can the effect of air/water locks (which move around)

you're going about it the right way - renew the fluid first, as that's the likeliest (and cheapest) fix

 

[jack_davey]

Quite normal to get corrosion build up on the discs which will

a) sieze the pad and disc together, which causes the horrible clunk when you drive away for the first time after the car has been stood for a while during a wet period.

b) cause the brakes to lack performance the first time you have to use them due to the pads not gripping the corroded surface on the disc until the corrosion has been abraded away by the braking force

however I'm also finding my brakes to be performing quite poorly at high speeds at the moment, my discs do look slightly worn but they are still well within the wear markers. I'm wondering if the vacuum pipe to the servo is prone to faults/leaks?

 

[jack_davey]

Well I think I've found the cause of my poor brake performance...

Changed discs and pads today and noticed that one of the sliding pins/guide pins is siezed on the nearside caliper, ordered a new one from renault, was approx £70.

Time to get some 197 calipers and make up some brackets I think!