Brake woes, front disc failure at low miles and other problems

The wheel bolt thread damage would hint at them having been severely over torqued. The bolts would be suspect, (stretched), after that, and I'd not refit them.
Mac.
 
Strange how so much is wrong - glad you’re getting to the bottom of the issue. It seems that the rapid wear was indeed symptomatic of fairly major issues.
 
dj_efk said:
Strange how so much is wrong - glad you’re getting to the bottom of the issue. It seems that the rapid wear was indeed symptomatic of fairly major issues.
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It has been trouble free for almost 3 years. It hasn't seen much action recently as it has bore scoring and pitting. As soon as I started driving it the brakes started playing up again. It appears they do not store well.
 
philward said:
I have had two new front tyres recently but I thought I had checked the torque. I usually do, perhaps I forgot on this occasion.
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Always a good idea to keep an eye on what is being done. Otherwise by the time you check the torque, the damage is done.

RAB
 
RAB said:
Probably done by the incorrect use of an impact driver.

RAB
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Very likely. I found a similar thing on my 1.2TDI, if one look closely one can see that the diameter is reduced and the pitch is increased in the middle of the screw. It didnt fit well into the threads of the hub.
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Got to the bottom of the sticking caliper problem. Bores are fine, just a bit of rust in the dust shield location:

IMG_0719.jpg


The problem is the piston and it is not poor quality by Budweg. I think this mess is deteriorated red rubber grease that is supposed to be compatible with brake fluid. Clearly the product I have been sold is not:

IMG_0720.jpg



I could probably have restored these calipers but at the price I paid for the new ones they are going on.
 
Spoken to the grease supplier. It is classic red rubber grease for use in braking systems. I used too much then it appears heat has driven out the oils leaving a wax. What came first the sticking piston or the heat I will never know. The best way to avoid this is to buy synthetic red rubber grease such as Millers
 
When Little dog decides to poop his brakes he does it in style. 2020 I fitted new ATE pads and discs. 4k miles later in 2021 everything was fine. In 2023 just 5k miles later:

IMG_0721.jpg


Just 9k miles on them and they are badly worn. The left hand one with the definitely seized caliper is worse than the right hand one. I'm going to put them back on and see if I can bottom this before fitting new discs.
 
Dave M said:
Wow....whatever happened to the days when quality discs and pads lasted up to 30,000 miles.
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They banned asbestos. So the substitute needs more metal in the material to prevent it wearing away too quickly. This in turn wears the discs out. Gone are the days of 5 sets of pads to a a single set of disks. Now it’s lucky if you get two sets of pads to a disk

Paul


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philward said:
When Little dog decides to poop his brakes he does it in style. 2020 I fitted new ATE pads and discs. 4k miles later in 2021 everything was fine. In 2023 just 5k miles later:

View attachment 112080

Just 9k miles on them and they are badly worn. The left hand one with the definitely seized caliper is worse than the right hand one. I'm going to put them back on and see if I can bottom this before fitting new discs.
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Aside the blue caused by heat the discs dnes not seem to be in bad shape. I would be quite concerned about the amount how much baked pads are visible on the discs. But that is probably caused by the stuck calipers as well...

I have way worse discs on mine A2 and it has at least 60k km, but I suspect way more, probably more than 100k as when I bought the car 56k km back it had quite lip on the discs. I bought new ones but they are still waiting on the shelf about 4 years, but the old pads are still at half of their life 😆
 
Joga said:
Very likely. I found a similar thing on my 1.2TDI, if one look closely one can see that the diameter is reduced and the pitch is increased in the middle of the screw. It didnt fit well into the threads of the hub.View attachment 112071
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I don't have an explanation for the female threads being distorted. All of my bolts check out fine, no necking and no thread distortion. There is nothing to suggest they have ever been over torqued.

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I can remember the days when I would wake-up on a Sunday and think, what do I need to do to the Mini to get to work tomorrow. Austin Rover Parts Departments were open on a Sunday so join the queue. The guy behind the counter knows you and your car and has a good idea what you will be wanting. Larger more expensive parts can be picked up from a scrapper. Car is easy to work on, all sorted before Sunday lunch.
These days, special tools, part NLA, parts on back order, parts only available via internet. Car on stands waiting for bits or tools to arrive or for parts to become available. Today's progress:

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One connector.
 
Brake woes have been playing me up for years, but only the A2 everything else I own is fine. I think the latest issue has probably been caused by the car being parked up for a few months. Pads stuck a bit on the carriers, heat generated, rubber grease turns to wax, pistons won't retract, more heat blue discs etc.

I have:
Fitted new calipers
Fitted new flexible hoses
Fitted new wear sensor connectors
Cleaned up the pads (plenty of life left)
Cleaned up the discs (not fitting new until I have this problem bottomed and they will probably be fine once the new calipers and old pads bed in)
Filed the grooves out of the brake carriers (not great practice and they are available new, perhaps the next time I need wheel bearings)
Greased the brake carriers.
Greased the pins (calipers sliding nicely).
Put a slight smear of grease on the wheel bolts (yes I know that increases the tension at the specified torque and it is bad practice but the increase will not be massive and they will come out again easily)

IMG_0725.jpg


Yes I have sorted the plug in the pin sleeve.

Fingers crossed.
 
philward said:
Brake woes have been playing me up for years, but only the A2 everything else I own is fine. I think the latest issue has probably been caused by the car being parked up for a few months. Pads stuck a bit on the carriers, heat generated, rubber grease turns to wax, pistons won't retract, more heat blue discs etc.

I have:
Fitted new calipers
Fitted new flexible hoses
Fitted new wear sensor connectors
Cleaned up the pads (plenty of life left)
Cleaned up the discs (not fitting new until I have this problem bottomed and they will probably be fine once the new calipers and old pads bed in)
Filed the grooves out of the brake carriers (not great practice and they are available new, perhaps the next time I need wheel bearings)
Greased the brake carriers.
Greased the pins (calipers sliding nicely).
Put a slight smear of grease on the wheel bolts (yes I know that increases the tension at the specified torque and it is bad practice but the increase will not be massive and they will come out again easily)

View attachment 112230

Yes I have sorted the plug in the pin sleeve.

Fingers crossed.
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That does look very smart Sir. Hope it turns out to be as good as it looks.
Mac.
 
PlasticMac said:
That does look very smart Sir. Hope it turns out to be as good as it looks.
Mac.
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Thank you. I've since test driven it and the car feels much smoother and a little more responsive. The brakes are a little gritty but I did remove the lips around the edges of the discs with a grinder and big file. I then cleaned the braking surface (which I had left out in the rain :rolleyes:) with emery cloth. I think they will bed in.
Basically I'm back where I was when I posted 21/09/20; feels good and hoping I've cracked it.
 
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