Wheel seems to be dragging.

Maintenance advice to keep your Spider in shape.
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ylbill

Wheel seems to be dragging.

Post by ylbill »

Last week when I was out for a drive I noticed that when sitting at a slight incline the car didn't roll. The brakes seem to be dragging at times and other times it rolled okay. I jacked it up and spun the tires for a quick check until I have more time. The front passenger wheel seem to spin less than the others. I got about half a revolution. I'll be pulling the wheel when I can, but a heads up on what the problem might be is appreciated. Thanks
So Cal Mark

Re: Wheel seems to be dragging.

Post by So Cal Mark »

could be a sticking caliper, but a collapsed hose can cause the same symptom
ylbill

Re: Wheel seems to be dragging.

Post by ylbill »

So Cal Mark wrote:could be a sticking caliper, but a collapsed hose can cause the same symptom
Thanks Mark, looks like rebuild time, but I'll know better once I get time to get a closer look.
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azruss
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Joined: Sun May 30, 2010 12:24 pm
Your car is a: 80 Fiat 2000 FI

Re: Wheel seems to be dragging.

Post by azruss »

check your sliders. If they arent free, then the caliper will drag on one side. try driving in reverse and slam on the brakes and see if that helps.
ylbill

Re: Wheel seems to be dragging.

Post by ylbill »

Okay, I had a chance to take the caliper off. The wheel hub turns very freely now. The pads just seem too tight on the rotor. Can someone tell from my picture if the pads look like there in a good position? I'm a novice at all this, but not afraid to try a fix if it looks easy enough. Also, I don't see the slider bolts mentioned. Thanks
Image
Last edited by ylbill on Sun Jun 09, 2013 8:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
bobplyler
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Your car is a: 1979 spider 2000
Location: Charlotte, NC

Re: Wheel seems to be dragging.

Post by bobplyler »

Did you just unbold the caliper bracket? I usually pull the spring pins, and knock the sliding parts out. These can stick and cause the problem you describe.

The sliding parts are a part shaped kinda like ---/ that are on each side of the top of caliper.

That isn't a grease fitting on the top of the caliper. It's a bleed screw.
1979 Fiat Spider (since new)
2005 Lincoln LS (the wife's car)
2003 Chevrolet Cavalier (daily driver)
1999 Honda Shadow VLX 600
1972 Grumman Traveller 5895L (long gone).
ylbill

Re: Wheel seems to be dragging.

Post by ylbill »

bobplyler wrote:Did you just unbold the caliper bracket? I usually pull the spring pins, and knock the sliding parts out. These can stick and cause the problem you describe.

The sliding parts are a part shaped kinda like ---/ that are on each side of the top of caliper.

That isn't a grease fitting on the top of the caliper. It's a bleed screw.
Thanks Bob, This all helps. Told you I was new at all this. Thanks for not posting how dumb I was. I'm still learning in my old age and having fun at it. Beats sittin around doing nothing. In most other brake set ups it shows slider bolts, which is what I was looking for. I'll get back at it later. If these are sticking, whats the fix....replace, clean?
narfire
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Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:14 am
Your car is a: 1980 124 spider
Location: Naramata B.C.

Re: Wheel seems to be dragging.

Post by narfire »

Bill, there are 4 little clips that you can pull out with needle nose pliers. The little metal thing taps out and remember how it goes back in eh... The pads now come out and the thin clips as well.
Clean and perhaps check the piston movement with a bit of brake pedal and see if the piston comes out. Should be able to push the piston back in or use a "C" clamp.
I put a bit of grease on the little metal thingies you tapped out when putting it back together.
Installation fluid helps with this evolution as well :wink:
Chris
80 FI spider
72 work in progress
2017 Golf R ( APR Stg. 1)
2018 F350 crew long box
bobplyler
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Your car is a: 1979 spider 2000
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Re: Wheel seems to be dragging.

Post by bobplyler »

narfire wrote: Clean and perhaps check the piston movement with a bit of brake pedal and see if the piston comes out.
If you do this, use VERY LITTLE brake pedal pressure. Or you will push the piston out of the caliper.
1979 Fiat Spider (since new)
2005 Lincoln LS (the wife's car)
2003 Chevrolet Cavalier (daily driver)
1999 Honda Shadow VLX 600
1972 Grumman Traveller 5895L (long gone).
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kilrwail
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Your car is a: 1978 Fiat 124 Sport Spider
Location: Perth, Ontario

Re: Wheel seems to be dragging.

Post by kilrwail »

Put a small piece of 3/4" thick wood where the rotor normally goes, to prevent the piston from coming out. The key to watch for is whether the piston retracts by itself. If it doesn't it will drag.
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1978 Fiat 124 Sport Spider - original owner
1977 Porsche 911S - track car
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azruss
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Joined: Sun May 30, 2010 12:24 pm
Your car is a: 80 Fiat 2000 FI

Re: Wheel seems to be dragging.

Post by azruss »

Look at the first pic of this set. The item marked "shim" is the slider. It needs to be clean and smooth on the surface that contacts the calliper. the calliper track needs to be clean and smooth as well. when reassembling, put a little anti-seize on the shim. This will act as a lubricant for easier sliding. If the shim get stuck in the slider track, then the caliper will drag on the non piston side. The pads will wear unevenly. By driving in reverse and slamming on the brakes, you are reversing the load on the sliders and making them jump out of their position. Hopefully this will allow them to center the caliper. Hope this makes sense.

Image
ylbill

Re: Wheel seems to be dragging.

Post by ylbill »

Thanks for all the help everyone!
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