Brakes.......?

[Ikelos]

Hi all, any one else got squeaky brakes, mine squeak like mad when it has been left overnight, it makes a right row backing out the garage and then squeaks for the first couple of hundred yards down the road, it goes in for it's first service this coming friday, they are picking it up and bringing it back, do they check the brakes on the first service, or even take the wheels off. might give them a ring tomorrow............

thanks

[Jan&tone]

Get them to check it out, sounds like dirt....

[Chris Dance]

Get on a clear safe road, run the car up to say 40 MPH then do a full emergency brake. Do this a couple of times you may find this will clear the squeaky brake problem.

[Ikelos]

thank you, I will try as you say......................

[timberwolf]

Hi all, any one else got squeaky brakes, mine squeak like mad when it has been left overnight, it makes a right row backing out the garage and then squeaks for the first couple of hundred yards down the road, it goes in for it's first service this coming friday, they are picking it up and bringing it back, do they check the brakes on the first service, or even take the wheels off. might give them a ring tomorrow............

thanks

Do you apply the parking brake?

If I understand correctly, what Chris is suggesting (and not IMHO the most intelligent or best method by the way for a Prius) is that your braking problem is due to rust on the discs? If that was the case then I think your braking would have more of a grinding quality and the braking would be rougher.

I'm surprised if you have a disc rusting problem if the car is kept in a garage?

If it was very high pitched, very loud squeal, possibly like finger nails on a blackboard, then you probably have a small stone trapped between the disc and a braking component.

If you have a squeak the I guess it could be the pads are too smooth?

If it is a squeal then the brake(s) needs to be stripped down, check that the brake piston is not getting stuck, or it could be the brake pads, anti-squeal plates, etc that need to be cleaned and repacked.

No, the mechanic is unlikely to notice that there is a problem on a routine service, especially as you say it only happens first thing in the morning. I'm being a little cynical, but I think if they manage to put in the correct oil and not overfill it during the service then you are doing well. :!Removed!:

[Ikelos]

Hi. yes the parking brake is on, and, yes, it is the nails on the blackboard, might be easier for me to get the wheels off and check them myself, my better half says the car is not used enough, she might be right, it is one year and one month old and the total mileage, so far is 1174...........

[Costa Del Solway]

Hi. yes the parking brake is on, and, yes, it is the nails on the blackboard, might be easier for me to get the wheels off and check them myself, my better half says the car is not used enough, she might be right, it is one year and one month old and the total mileage, so far is 1174...........

1174 in 13 months ...........you would have been cheaper taking a taxi

[Chippy01]

I had that problem about a month back on my '07 T-Spirit. I've only had my Prius for about 4 months and had no problems to start with.

I jacked up the car and removed one of the wheels (front), and then unbolted the caliper (2 bolts).

What the caliper bolts screw into, are two pins. These are identified by the rubber 'bellows' on them.

These pins are meant to slide to centre the caliper as the pads wear under useage.

When I pulled on these pins they would not move. No, they were not siezed, they were 'glued' stuck by the old grease on the pins.

A little more effort got the pins out, I then cleaned off the old grease and re-applied a slight coating of light grease. Once re-inserted they moved with very little effort. If you do this, make sure that the rubber bellows are seated properly to prevent dirt, ect from contaminating your good work, and it will also help the premature drying of the new grease.

Reassemble the caliper, refit the wheel, and you're good to go.

I then did the other front wheel and went out on a test drive. Perfect. No more squeaking.

Fast forward to this weekend. And while driving through town I heard another squeak . Leaning out of the window it appeared that this time the noise was from the rear. I just knew that I should have checked the back a month ago.

This afternoon I went about the rear wheels the same as I did the front.

The main difference is that the rear caliper is held on by only one bolt.

The caliper moves on a pin fixed on the caliper carrier and on the caliper bolt itself.

Where the bolt goes through the caliper there is a rubber sheath inserted. This sheath is bellowed on both ends to allow movement in both directions.

I gently removed mine for two reasons. One, it's easier to clean, and two, to check it's condition.

Once cleaned up and re-greased, re-assemble everything (reseat the bellows and make sure you note which way the sheath is supposed to go if you remove it), and test your work. ;)

I have a couple of theories on why this has happened. They are probably wrong, but I'll express them anyway.

I read somewhere that the 'majority' of the Prius braking is done by the regenerative cycle, and that the actual mechanical brakes don't come into play until you drop under 5mph. If that's the case perhaps the 'lack of use' causes the sliding pins to 'sieze'?

How is this regeneration done? Is there something in the wheel hub that heats up when the regeneration is being produced? Heat will dry up grease and cause the componants to stick.

Or maybe the wrong grease was used to start with?

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Hi. yes the parking brake is on, and, yes, it is the nails on the blackboard, might be easier for me to get the wheels off and check them myself, my better half says the car is not used enough, she might be right, it is one year and one month old and the total mileage, so far is 1174...........

1174 in 13 months ...........you would have been cheaper taking a taxi

1000 miles a year? lol you're kidding? I do that in just over a week.

[timberwolf]

Hi. yes the parking brake is on, and, yes, it is the nails on the blackboard, might be easier for me to get the wheels off and check them myself, my better half says the car is not used enough, she might be right, it is one year and one month old and the total mileage, so far is 1174...........

If you tell your dealer you've got a problem then they should look at it, I just don't think they'll notice on a service, although they have a service checklist to go through and I think they should inspect the brakes - how much of check do they really do?

A parking brake typically works on one set of wheels (usually the back ones - I don't know for certain on a Prius), so if something is sticking and it happens to be overnight, could it be related to one set of brakes?

At the moment, I am also doing a low annual mileage, my car sits outside the whole time, but apart from very occasional disc related rust (I think after lots of non vertical rain!), the brakes have been okay so far.

[timberwolf]

Thanks for write up of that problem.

I have a couple of theories on why this has happened. They are probably wrong, but I'll express them anyway.

I read somewhere that the 'majority' of the Prius braking is done by the regenerative cycle, and that the actual mechanical brakes don't come into play until you drop under 5mph. If that's the case perhaps the 'lack of use' causes the sliding pins to 'sieze'?

How is this regeneration done? Is there something in the wheel hub that heats up when the regeneration is being produced? Heat will dry up grease and cause the componants to stick.

Or maybe the wrong grease was used to start with?

Regeneration is inboard using one of the electric motor/generators, it's probably MG2? if that is the one always connected to the front wheels. Regeneration is only on the front wheels, and although the back brakes are only going to be friction, they probably don't get that much use being the back ones.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Thanks for write up of that problem.

I have a couple of theories on why this has happened. They are probably wrong, but I'll express them anyway.

I read somewhere that the 'majority' of the Prius braking is done by the regenerative cycle, and that the actual mechanical brakes don't come into play until you drop under 5mph. If that's the case perhaps the 'lack of use' causes the sliding pins to 'sieze'?

How is this regeneration done? Is there something in the wheel hub that heats up when the regeneration is being produced? Heat will dry up grease and cause the componants to stick.

Or maybe the wrong grease was used to start with?

Regeneration is inboard using one of the electric motor/generators, it's probably MG2? if that is the one always connected to the front wheels. Regeneration is only on the front wheels, and although the back brakes are only going to be friction, they probably don't get that much use being the back ones.

To add to this, my front pads have just been replaced at 34k miles. Now this is considered low for a Prius but very good for a taxi. My rear brake pads however, are barely used!

[Ikelos]

us old one's have bus passes, and there lies the trouble, we use the bus or train, and the car sits in the garage, mind you, we did take it to Tesco's yesterday

Hi. yes the parking brake is on, and, yes, it is the nails on the blackboard, might be easier for me to get the wheels off and check them myself, my better half says the car is not used enough, she might be right, it is one year and one month old and the total mileage, so far is 1174...........

1174 in 13 months ...........you would have been cheaper taking a taxi