Problem After Problem

[Beezle]

Ok, here's the background on my car. I bought my 91 Talon TSI AWD not running for $450. Supposedly all the engine needed was a headgasket, but I didn't want to take the chance. I bought a JDM Cyclone engine with tranny and transfer case and put it in. I bought the car with 87,xxx miles on it. It was sitting for months outside on a major highway.

Ok, so the car is bone stock. Engine runs really good. The first day I drove the car it was running fine. Come nighttime I'm driving and then all of a sudden the car starts shaking and feels like something fell from underneath the car and it comes to a slow stop without me pressing on the brakes. Seemed like a locked up caliper. So I go to the autoparts store and buy front and rear refurbished calipers, brand new rotors and brakepads. Ok so I put them in a bleed the brakes. I go for a test drive and then all of sudden I hear a clinking sound. Great! I broke the passenger rear axle and the teeth got stuck in the rear diff. I bought a used axle from Mitsubishi graveyard and put it in.

Ok, so again I take it for a test drive. I'm driving for the first fiteen minutes and everything is going great. Then all of a sudden it feels like my calipers are locking up again. The car starts shaking and starts coming to a slow stop without me touching the brakes. It sounded like it was coming from the front right caliper. So the next day I bring that caliper back and get a new one and put it on. I take the car for a test drive yet again it was driving ok except all the brakes seemed to be squeeking. It's driving good, but then my friend points out the the front brakes are smoking (I guess my brakes are rubbing?). As I'm driving to my house a couple blocks down the same thing happens. My car shakes and I start coming to a stop without pressing on the brakes. It felt like my rears were doing it. I keep on driving since I'm almost home and when I'm right down the road the same thing happens, but it feels like my front right this time.

I have no clue what to do. Anyone have any ideas?

Oh yeah, when I bought the calipers they came with 2 o-rings per caliper and a little tube of black lube. I didn't use them since I didn't know what to do with them. Also, only the front right caliper has the metal clips that hold the brake pads tight.

 

[firehawk]

I dont know...that sounds very wierd. You shouldnt be going through calipers like that. Are they actually siezed? I know it may sound stupid but how are you doing with the brake fluid?

 

[kenamond]

Could it be something screwed up in your hubs? If the rotor doesn't mount flush with the hub, your rotor - even a brand new one - will "act" warped under braking and could possibly induce a warp in the rotor if you run it that way. It's very odd that it keeps moving to different corners of your car. It sounds like it comes and goes, so maybe replacing the brakes only made it look like it fixed the problem when it was still there but just not acting up.

Did you see anything wrong with the calipers/pads/rotors on the corners that were misbehaving? Were the rotors warped?

You may also want to check out other bearings and CV joints.

Bent spindle might cause your rotors to wobble, too?

 

[Beezle]

Firehawk - My calipers aren't siezed, it only does it at random times (mostly after 15 mins of driving). I can smell my brakes and they start smoking. The brake fluid is full, it's not going down at all.

Kenamond - I don't think the rotors are warped since I bought them brand new. Last night I started driving it for at least 2 hours and I wasn't having any problems excepts I smelt my brakes a little bit. I didn't see anything wrong with the anything except for one of the rotors the edge of it looked like maybe the caliper was hitting the corner of it. Something sounds loose though when I'm driving it.

 

[chicagoavenger]

just curious as why you go buy a new motor and take the time to put it in and wouldn't do a leak down test to see if it was really a a blown head gasket? just curious

 

[Beezle]

just curious as why you go buy a new motor and take the time to put it in and wouldn't do a leak down test to see if it was really a a blown head gasket? just curious

Blown headgasket???? This has nothing to do with a blown headgasket. The brakes are smoking and seem to be locking up. If I had a blown headgasket I would be pouring out smoke and the motor would run really shitty. The motor runs fine and the tranny shifts good.

 

[Newlogics]

First, make sure you have both axle nuts on and torqued. If the aren't, wheel bearing will wobble and send rotor will start running against pads, clipers.

Secondly, make sure t-case recall has been done. Does your car skip tires at all when making a U-turn?

 

[Beezle]

First, make sure you have both axle nuts on and torqued. If the aren't, wheel bearing will wobble and send rotor will start running against pads, clipers.

Secondly, make sure t-case recall has been done. Does your car skip tires at all when making a U-turn?

Hmm, I didn't torque the axle nuts down when I did it. I tightened em pretty damn good though. You think that can still be the problem?

Oh, and my car doesn't skip while making u-turns.