Hot Wheel!

[NEED4SPEED]

On my UK MR2 a 97 model GT-Tbar has a strange smell of burning when I brake. I have also noticed excessive heat from that wheel after driving when the others are cool and the alloy gets dirty very quickly (almost black with so it seems brake dust?) :!Removed!:

Theres no judder in the braking. Could this be a cease brake cailper, wheel bearings etc..?

Has anyone experienced this?

[Chris.S]

Yeah sounds like a sticking or seized caliper, MR2's are common for this

Excessive heat can also cause the discs possibly to warp too.

[NEED4SPEED]

Thanks for you reply. I have to agree I think it is probably a sticking or seized caliper as it happened on one of my old MR2's in the past, especially when it was left in a garage for sometime.

[Nicola]

If there is no judder when you brake, then you may be able to save the disc.

I agree its probably the caliper. So that will need changing, your pads probably will too.

Do not take it to kwik fit to sort out.

[NEED4SPEED]

Cheers for the reply, yep your right, taking it to a garage that I use near by. Have you had a bad experience with the kwik fit lot then?

How much do you reckon it would cost to fixed this problem? :(

[Kelvyn]

It can sometimes be an easy DIY fix. You need to take the caliper off (no need to disconnect the hydraulic pipe) then undo the slide pins and take them off. Get some metal polish ( brasso or solvol autosol) and polish them. Clean the bore that they slide in (rag dipped in white spirit wrapped around a screwdriver). Once all is clean, smear a little copper grease on the pins and re-assemble. If you really need a new caliper try http://www.brakesint.co.uk

If you are an IMOC member give them your membership number for extra discount.

Just checked normal price £60 to £64 depending on which wheel size (14 or 15)

[Dame]

Sounds like a caliper to me..... Since disc brake calipers are not sprung loaded, relying instead on the force of the disc going round inside the caliper to force them open when brakes are not engaged, they can seize quite easily.

[Nicola]

Kwik fit mis-diagnosed my dodgy caliper and told me that only the brake pads needed changing. Which I then paid for.

2 weeks later and the problem was no better, I then got another set of pads plus discs plus a recon caliper (from a different garage).

It wasn't cheap.

[Jimlad]

The calipers are supposedly not just a MR2 issue, but actually a toyota issue.

Get it sorted before it does any serious damage tho. I had some brake issues a while back. End up costing me £500 to get repaired !!

Luckily I have 4 spare calipers sitting in the house ! :)