Brake pads sticking - very scary experience

whitevanwoman

Guest
I've Just had the scariest drive ever to Shap and back (about 19 miles round trip) - I was driving up the motorway from J38 to J39 and the van felt a bit sluggish and steering wheel juddering but I thought it was just the very strong side wind. Came off motorway and driving through Shap village to coal yard to get coal, I could smell a bad burning smell
Got to coal yard and saw smoke coming from front drivers side wheel, melted wheel nut covers, blistered paint, and a really BAD smell etc. Lucky the coal man knew what it was - the brake pad had stuck against the wheel and he doused it with a dozen buckets of water to cool it down and release it. Heard several loud clicks as it released but it was red hot and very scary.

Drove straight to mechanic in Shap who looked at it and said that it was probably a blocked brake fluid pipe which was making the pad stick on but then gradually releasing as fluid was trickling through once it cooled down again. He couldn't sort it there and then and I had no way of getting the 9 miles home with 2 dogs and 3 sacks of coal so he advised to go home on the back road instead of on the motorway, as slow as poss, not using foot brake if poss, just using gears and handbrake, and if I had to use foot brake, to stop and let it cool down and for fluid seep through to release the pad if it had stuck again. It has just taken nearly an hour to get the 9 miles home in vile weather, very very scary, needed all my driving skills, as the road is quite twisty and turny and up and down, but luckily very quiet. Still shaking now and heart racing.

On the plus side, if the Shap mechanic is right, then it's not a big job to sort, but may need new brake pads too, and the main problem is that I'm now stuck without transport till I can get it fixed locally hopefully sometime next week

Question 1 - Is the mechanic likely to be correct? Or could it just be because the van has stood in wet weather for the past week and so there could have been a bit of rust on the pads?

Question 2 - What kind of labour should it take to sort out? - (Mark 6 Transit) just so I know what size of bill to expect, and can juggle some £££ around for next week.

Question 3 - am I likely to need new brake pads too?

Question 4 - wheel is looking bad, melted plastic wheel nut covers, bubbled paint etc. Is the wheel likely to be damaged and therefore will need replacing?

Money is so tight at the moment, with tax due next week, MOT due in 3 weeks, and insurance due at beg of Dec that I'm panicking a bit about another big bill next week but somehow I've got to get it sorted asap. I know I'm going to spend the weekend fretting, mainly because I don't know what to expect next week, so at least if I have a rough idea of what to expect in terms of cost of sorting this out, if it's not going to be a big job, that will stop me stressing so much.

And trying to find postives in negative situations, I got home safely with the van, dogs, 3 sacks of coal, 8 pints of milk and a big packet of baccy so at least I know I've got the essentials if the van is off the road next week (Shap is my nearest proper shop although I can get milk from the garage which is a mile and half walk away). And I got friends coming for the weekend who will help me not to fret too much.

Still shaking now.... :scared:

Time to crack open something with alcohol in it - for medicinal purposes!!!
 
Bummer!!! :scared:

You're and the hounds are home in one piece, that's the most important thing of all.

You'll get it sorted. I'm a great believer in something turning up when you don't think it will - a positive for every negative :) xx
 
What a horrible experience, Jess. Hope the bill isn't a big one and your friends keep you distracted enough not to worry about it! Big hugs :dog:
 
The wheel should be fine and the plastic bit isn't anything important only cosmetic. Should only need the pads replacing if needed and possible bleeding of the brakes to alleviate blockage, not a big job although not up on the mk6 trannie. Could be sticking callipers not sure what type you have but someone will be along later with the relevant info. Main thing you and the dogs got back safely.


John
 
quite a common thing .
usually if vehicle as been standing .
he is possibly right for sure , the brake hose on that wheel will have broken down inside . making a flap of rubber acting like a one way valve . fluid goes through under pressure but cant get back out . might be worth changing all brake hoses . have a mechanic have a real good look .
might seem like a lot of work but they all could be the same age . after all they all will be bled anyway .
in a real emergency if it happens to anyone . clamp the brake hose with a clamp . mole grips will do. then open the bleed nipple on the caliper /brake cylinder . let the pressure out . shut nipple . leave clamp in place . drive very slowly and carefully . you will only have three brakes so be warned . its for getting to a safe place /repair shop only . but with care you can drive on slowly . but dont blame me if anything goes wrong . emergency use only .
check caliper that may be nacked due to the heat.
 
Just found a couple of threads on the Transit forum which seem to suggest that the Shap mechanic is right - he said that the flexi brake fluid pipes get furred up inside and allow the fluid one way when the brake is pressed, but not back the other way when the pedal is released leaving the pad stuck to the disc, which is exactly what happened when he jacked it up and tested it.
Ford Transit Forum

And another thread on a website forum which describes my problem exactly Ford Transit brake problem, one brake remaining on, intermittent - Askaboutmoney.com

I did notice the same smell briefly and not nearly so bad whilst driving to the supermarket last week, but no other symptoms and it was fine on the drive home. Didn't think any more of it till now. Again it was the first time the van had been driven after standing in wet weather for about a week. The wet weather may just be coincidental but I'm wondering if after wet weather the brake pad does stick worse due to rust or grit than it does in dry weather which makes the problem worse.

After googling the problem, I am now more hopeful that's a fairly minor job, assuming that no damage has been done to the pads and discs (all new this time last year for MOT and only done about 7K miles in it since) or to the wheel itself.

I must admit, there's a lot in the saying "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger"! Even though I'm still a bit shaky about it, I've actually had quite a confidence boost in that I didn't go to pieces, and I got us all home safe. I'm very glad though, that I've had experience of driving Landrovers off road, and have done off road driving skills training, as I really needed those skills both in terms of the problem and the weather.

Feeling quite proud of myself for coping :raofl:

But then I usually do cope quite well in emergency situations (I'm sure it's military training as a teenager and other emergency training over the years that means I am able to deal with emergencies logically and calmly), it's usually afterwards that I go to pieces and need a hand to hold or a shoulder to cry on :cry:
 
Sticking pistons in the calliper would probably be my first port of call.

Drop wheel off, unbolt calliper and try to push the pads back in. A brake spreader is cheap and useful bit of kit for that.
 
Had this happen to me years ago on an old pug 305 i was buying off my boss. He changed the caliper/servo/master cylinder and it turned out to be the brake flexi pipe as others have said acting like a one way valve. As others have said change the pads and possible the disks i don't know if pooring water on a red hot disk would do it any good?

Mike
 
HI WVW,

Possible the brake pipe problem as advised.

I would put money on it being a 'sticking' brake caliper.

Wheel off, move pads back, swing calliper off or away from disk, wire brush calliper & copper grease same, swing/replace onto disk, pump pedal till pads move onto disk, force back repeat a few times jobs done.

If the pads are really worn down replace same 'after' using old pads to do the forcing back bit. Clean & replace pads etc on both sides unless really pushed for time as it may 'snatch' towards the replaced side.

The burnt, melted bits will wait. If the brake fluid boiled it will need replacing soon, if not now, to be safe.

I speed read your post but if its the nearside then it will be the caliper picking up dirt etc from the gutter and causing it to stick.

(Just had another read, off side, well it happens. Boots)

If needing to do a cheap job, clean up both sides as stated above, check all 4 pads and clean and replace so the most worn pair of pads are split up over both sides.

I/e 2 worn pads 2 pads not as worn, most worn pads may be the out side one's as the sticking/stiff calliper will wear the o/s pads more than the inside one's so swap so each disk has a good and a warn pad preferably on the inside/none moving side.

This is not recomended but when its a 'needs must' it will work for a while, however a replacement set of pads should be available for less than £30ish.

If it wasent for broken leg & ankle I would do it for you, can be done in an hour, if it helps bring it round and I will advise and brew whilest you or your mate A.N. Other provides the labour. Tools here as well.


Cheers


Boots

Please note, the above is only a way to do/no money repair/make do 'n' mend job.

Its not the best way or a recomended way but it does/will work. So please don't poke me with the H&S stick.
 
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If it got as hot as you say the Brake Pads will have been cooked and will definitely need changing as will the Brake Fluid.

The disc will need close inspection as well.
 
I am amazed that any mechanic let you continue driving. With the conditions you described you could easily have lost brakes totally and there an`t no gentle slopes around Shap and you could have gone off the road or collided with an inoccent road user. Please do not use vehicle until you get this problem sorted.

Edit. Is your camper an oldish green pop-up?
 
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brakes

whitevanwoman said:
I've Just had the scariest drive ever to Shap and back (about 19 miles round trip) - I was driving up the motorway from J38 to J39 and the van felt a bit sluggish and steering wheel juddering but I thought it was just the very strong side wind. Came off motorway and driving through Shap village to coal yard to get coal, I could smell a bad burning smell
Got to coal yard and saw smoke coming from front drivers side wheel, melted wheel nut covers, blistered paint, and a really BAD smell etc. Lucky the coal man knew what it was - the brake pad had stuck against the wheel and he doused it with a dozen buckets of water to cool it down and release it. Heard several loud clicks as it released but it was red hot and very scary.

Drove straight to mechanic in Shap who looked at it and said that it was probably a blocked brake fluid pipe which was making the pad stick on but then gradually releasing as fluid was trickling through once it cooled down again. He couldn't sort it there and then and I had no way of getting the 9 miles home with 2 dogs and 3 sacks of coal so he advised to go home on the back road instead of on the motorway, as slow as poss, not using foot brake if poss, just using gears and handbrake, and if I had to use foot brake, to stop and let it cool down and for fluid seep through to release the pad if it had stuck again. It has just taken nearly an hour to get the 9 miles home in vile weather, very very scary, needed all my driving skills, as the road is quite twisty and turny and up and down, but luckily very quiet. Still shaking now and heart racing.

On the plus side, if the Shap mechanic is right, then it's not a big job to sort, but may need new brake pads too, and the main problem is that I'm now stuck without transport till I can get it fixed locally hopefully sometime next week

Question 1 - Is the mechanic likely to be correct? Or could it just be because the van has stood in wet weather for the past week and so there could have been a bit of rust on the pads?

Question 2 - What kind of labour should it take to sort out? - (Mark 6 Transit) just so I know what size of bill to expect, and can juggle some £££ around for next week.

Question 3 - am I likely to need new brake pads too?

Question 4 - wheel is looking bad, melted plastic wheel nut covers, bubbled paint etc. Is the wheel likely to be damaged and therefore will need replacing?

Money is so tight at the moment, with tax due next week, MOT due in 3 weeks, and insurance due at beg of Dec that I'm panicking a bit about another big bill next week but somehow I've got to get it sorted asap. I know I'm going to spend the weekend fretting, mainly because I don't know what to expect next week, so at least if I have a rough idea of what to expect in terms of cost of sorting this out, if it's not going to be a big job, that will stop me stressing so much.

And trying to find postives in negative situations, I got home safely with the van, dogs, 3 sacks of coal, 8 pints of milk and a big packet of baccy so at least I know I've got the essentials if the van is off the road next week (Shap is my nearest proper shop although I can get milk from the garage which is a mile and half walk away). And I got friends coming for the weekend who will help me not to fret too much.

Still shaking now.... :scared:

Time to crack open something with alcohol in it - for medicinal purposes!!!
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its not the brake pipes its the caliper thats stuck,and you should not have thrue water on it as this will warp discs.alwas let it cool slow unless there is a fire.
 
shortcircuit said:
I am amazed that any mechanic let you continue driving. With the conditions you described you could easily have lost brakes totally and there an`t no gentle slopes around Shap and you could have gone off the road or collided with an inoccent road user. Please do not use vehicle until you get this problem sorted.
Click to expand...

To be honest, I don't think the mechanic was keen on the idea of me driving it but I live alone, I honestly have no one to call on for help, I was 9 miles from home in a rural area, where there are no taxis or buses, and had 2 dogs and 3 sacks of coal to get home. All the mechanic could offer was to leave it with him over the weekend and he would try to look at it on Monday. I have friends coming for the weekend tomorrow and need to use the van as a bedroom and I needed to get me and the van home today somehow. I have full breakdown cover but as I was at a garage they probably wouldn't have come out. I simply didn't know what else to do other than to try to get home as slowly and safely as possible. I don't have any cash reserve, my monthly income at the moment is about £300 and I'm in mortgage arrears etc so money is a major factor. As I have an anxiety disorder, I wouldn't normally take such a risk but, like I said, I just didn't know what else to do. I'd have been stuck at the garage and facing a 9 mile walk home in the dark in bad weather and with bags of essential shopping and then without heating (coal) for the weekend.

You probably don't know the back road from where I was to where I live, it's twisty and turny with some ups and downs across open common moor land (no fences, ditches or other hazards, and ground is very soft and boggy due to a couple of very wet weeks) but it doesn't have any very steep gradients. If it had, then I would have had to try to get as close to home as possible and abandon it and walk the rest of the way, or ring breakdown to tow me back home. That was always an option if I felt I couldn't manage the drive but I took it so slowly and carefully that I felt confident enough to get home in it. Especially bearing in mind that I have been driving around with this happening without me being aware for possibly quite a while.

I have enough common sense to drive as defensibly as possible and not to put other people at risk. If I hadn't had advanced driving training I don't think I would have got more than half a mile down the road. The road is a single track minor B road with very little traffic and I was only travelling in 2nd gear and pulling over, slowing down gradually using hand brake gently, whenever I saw another car behind me or coming towards me so that I did not put them at risk, I was also using my hazards. I figured that I could still use my brakes in an emergency, I would just have to stop and let it cool down and the fluid return and the pad return to normal if it did seize again after a sudden hard brake. I did do this a couple of times after having had to touch my brakes briefly but I braked as if driving on ice (ie quick and gentle repeated touches). I took the approach that every 100 metres more got me a bit closer to home. What should I have done in the circumstances?

And on top of everything my mobile phone was down to 17% and I'd forgotten to bring the usb cable to charge it - as it was just a "local" trip I didn't worry too much about it when I left home. And since I've been home there's been thunder and lightning so I'm very glad I didn't have to walk across the open moors with metal dog leads etc.

With hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have driven but I'm very glad I did, what's done is done, and at least I got off the motorway safely on the way up there. Having been in touch with my Transit mechanic, I am reassured that this is fairly common in Transits, that's its very likely to be a blocked flexi pipe which should be the first thing to look at and that I may need new pads. The worst case scenario is possibly needing new wheel bearing.

I have no intention of driving it anywhere except 200 metres to the local mechanic at home whenever he can fit it in next week. And it's a straight road and I'll be in first gear. If I am at all worried, I'll walk down to the mechanic first and ask him to come and see it first.

And as ever, there's something to be learned - it's worth checking brakes when setting off, particularly if van has stood for a while, and also worth checking wheels for heat after a journey. Some might say that's going over the top though :confused:
 
i'm for flexi brake hoses too,from experience. also had a red hot disc shatter when I went through a puddle so double check that disc for little or big cracks.they're not too bad to buy
 
Don't forget that if you have disks front & rear (common on modern vehicles) then the handbrake is a completely independent braking system. It's nowhere near as effective as disks, but every little helps & added to engine braking (low gear no throttle) the handbrake can help you descend steep hills safely if your brakes have failed.
 
n brown said:
i'm for flexi brake hoses too,from experience. also had a red hot disc shatter when I went through a puddle so double check that disc for little or big cracks.they're not too bad to buy
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I didn't like the idea of throwing buckets of water over it to cool it down but the coal man had rung the Shap mechanic to see if he could come and have a look but he said he couldn't and I think it was him who said to cool it down with water. The coal man said it had once happened with one of his coal trucks and he'd done the same and it was "right as rain" afterwards!

Am gradually calming down now, I think I was just pushed well out of my comfort zone, and being the emotional type, my adrenalin level has been sky high for the past couple of hours.

Anyway, tis now the weekend, and we're home, safe and sound, warm and cosy, and I don't need to think about this now till Monday. Alls well that ends well (till the mechanic invoice arrives :scared:)
 
I am afraid with brakes in the condition you initially described you vehicle would not have passed an MOT and deemed unsafe to drive and to be frank your actions were irresponsible irrespective of your situation. Hopefully your mechanic can repair the Vehicle but have you a plan B if it fails MOT?
 
Whenever we go out in the van and we stop for whatever reason / brew time / dinner etc i get out turn on the gas then continue around the van.

A quick once over and feel the wheels to check for heat etc. I also check when out in the car.

It takes literally 30 seconds and can save a shed load of trouble.

Old habits die hard, years and years of HGV driving.
 
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