My car has been parked outside (covered) for the past 8 months with the e-brake on (bad, i know). The rotors were rusted before I moved the car but that disappeared with a short drive. However, the brakes continue to make a scraping noise as if there's some debris between the pad and rotor. Also, braking distance is noticeably longer despite the master cylinder being full and a firm pedal. I inspected the rotors and there is no visible debris. I started to think that my rear calipers had seized but the car still rolls freely on a slight incline. What could it be? Could it simply be rust on the pad surfaces which will burn away over time?

I've only driven the car 4.5 miles since unconvering it yesterday.

Thanks!

 

I would try to get the brakes hot. The pads may have a lot of moisture in them. Of course, do this where it is safe.

 

[QUOTE=Budman05,Jun 11 2010, 01:32 PM] I would try to get the brakes hot.

 

Is the noise gone when you apply the brakes? Sometimes the pad ears get rusty so they dont move freely leaving to pad contact. That or maybe you cant see the inside surface of the rotor and there might be rust still there.

If you have time, remove the pads, re-clean and lube the pad ears and the bracket that holds the pads.

 

My brakes on my Element get that way after just sitting a few days in the rain.

Goes away after a bit.

Go drive the car do some 60-20 hard braking, get the ABS to kick in. That should get them hot.

Make sure to drive the car for a bit after to cool them back down before parking.;

 

No, the noise gets louder when I apply the brakes. I'll be changing brake fluid tonight anyway. I'll remove the pads and even rotors if they're not rusted on.


I've experienced the rust many times before but I've never had the scraping last more than a few minutes.

 

4 miles is nothing, you havent used em much. I'd run em some more. Though i'd go easy on them. The part where the pad sat on had a different amount of rust than the rest of the disc.

Also, if the master cylinder cap wasn't tightened, you could have lots of moisture in it, though this won't affect brake noise.

I'd say put maybe 50 to 100 miles on the car, then get back to us.

 

So I bled my brakes today and in the process found out what the problem was. Both front rotors are scraping against the caliper housing. I wonder if this is due to the lack of screws to hold the rotors in place. Is it possible that the rotors became warped after sitting for so long?

 

It has nothing to do with the screws. The wheel and lugnuts will hold the rotor tightly against the hub. Are you sure the rotors are scraping against the caliper bracket and its not just the fact that the rotor is loose without the wheel being installed?

 

You could be right but the sound is identical. Plus I pushed the rotor flush against the hub and rotated it; no noise. What else could it be making contact with? I made sure to install the wheel correctly...