Binding front brake

[Johno5]

I have a 2002 Citroen Xsara Picasso 1.8 and it has a binding O/S brake. It's only binding slightly as I can turn the wheel by hand, but when driving it sounds horrible and the area gets very hot. So far I have fitted new brake hose, sliders, and caliper but it's still binding. I know the disc isn't warped and causing it as I can fully rotate the disc and its binding all the way around. Can anybody help as I'm pretty much out of ideas now.

[Patt]

Hi, you have pretty much covered everything but are the brake pads free enough to move? Copper grease can help where they slide.

[RichardW]

Take the pads out and check the rotation again. Is it the wheel bearing?

[Johno5]

thanks for you replies, I've taken the pads back out, one was a little stiff, but after taking a dremmel to the caliper carrier and little to the lugs of the pads, and adding a little copperslip they're free now, but after rebuilding I get the binding back. without pads it's turns freely enough. I have to say I'm a bit stumped and possibly looking towards changing the wheel bearing next. unless any one else has any other suggestions.

[craigbooth]

I'm not sure about yours but my c5 has the hand brake on the front wheels and at the back of the calper where the cable joins on there is a little leaver that the cable pulls and a spring to return the leaver. On my c5 the leaver had corroded a bit and was sticking like yours so I used a bit of wd40 and gently tapped back and forth to free the leaver and then a bit of multiple purpose oil and taped back and forth to work it in this worked for me. I also lobbed up the sliders on the caliper as one was stiff

[Xantianut]

Ay up!

If the Xsara has a front handbrake, then check that the mechanism beneath the rubber cover behind the caliper is lubricated. If in doubt, pull the caliper off, clean with aerosol brake cleaner then apply spray grease to the mech. Many of the rebuilt calipers I have seen have little or no lube applied during assembly. If that doesn't work, try changing the handbrake cable. A swine of job but.....

Good luck.

[uncle buck]

The Xsara Picasso's handbrake works on the rear brakes.

There must be something causing the pads to bind, it's just a case of cleaning everything up & making sure that the caliper is free to float on the sliders and that the pads are free to move in the carrier.

Check that the piston of the new caliper moves freely also.


Cheers.

[Johno5]

Thanks again for more replies. your right uncle buck, the handbrake is on the rears. The caliper I used was a brand new unit, the pistons fine, I used brand new sliders too and lubed them up with the lubricant that came with the kit, and the pads were free in the carrier. I've got a new wheel bearing to fit tomorrow but I'll be amazed if it is that.

[uncle buck]

Well I guess you're just unlucky

In my years of fitting brakes I've never came across a binding problem that hasn't been caused by a seized caliper or a corroded slider.

Your brake set up will either be the type where there is a spring wire that is part of the pads or the type that has 4 metal clips per side that go onto the carrier that holds the pads.

In either case the carrier where the ends or the pads sit has to be nice and clean & free from rust build up. Now I know you may think you have cleaned them but you really need to clean them!, hit the area where the ends of the pads sit with the end of a sharp screw driver you may then see steel that you thought was good come off, you need to get this area back to nice shiny steel, not just the base but also the whole area that the tang of the pad contacts. This will involve scraping and tapping the whole area with a sharp screwdriver or better still a file.

Sometimes it's easier to remove the carrier from the car to give it a good de-rusting, so undo the 19mm bolts that hold it to the car, the bolts may also be Torx headed.

When you have the "Pad Lands" nice and clean put some copper slip grease on the whole area you have just cleaned, personally I like to use a thin coat of Wax Oil on this area as when it dries it is a nice thick wax that out lasts copper slip by a long way...now I know someone is going to say this is wrong and it's not recommended, well that's up to them, all I can say is that I have used this method for years with no problems and I like to stick to methods that I know work!

Now copper slip the tangs of the pads and these should fit into the carrier nice and freely, you should be able to fit them and push them up to the discs by hand easily....bolt the caliper back up and give the brake peddle a few short presses to bring the caliper pistons up to the pads, that's it....the job should be a "gud un"



Cheers.

[Johno5]

Correct again uncle buck. The pads were free but just not quite free enough and it was causing the inside pad to bind on, but............... this hasn't cured my original problem. It started whilst driving along anything over 20mph I could heard a faulty wheel bearing type noise, a rumbling, whirring noise. After jacking up the car to check wheel bearings I came across the binding brake and just assumed they were linked. Whilst driving along and hearing the noise I've dipped the clutch and the noise has remained, pitch altering as the car slowed, and I've tried turning left and right to see if that alters the pitch or makes it louder or quieter but it doesn't. It has has new wheel bearing on both sides only about 10000 miles ago so I'm thinking it shouldn't be those. Earlier today I checked the driveshafts and CV joints and cant find any wear in those and couldnt find anything in the wheel bearings, so I jacked up both sides and drove it. With both wheels spinning the noise is there. When I grip the right hand wheel so just the left is driving the noise stops, but when I grip the left wheel and just drive the right the noise is there, with an added rumbling. is this the dif on its way out? or the gerarbox? This car has been horrendous, one thing after another.

[uncle buck]

Hi,
glad you have sorted the binding brakes, the Pad Lands really have to be clean and free from any rust build up as you now know.

So the noise is on the right hand side (O/S), it could be coming from the intermediate bearing that is on the drive shaft on that side!...check that the 2 nuts that secure the bearing are tight, I think they are 11mm nuts.


Cheers.

[Johno5]

I did consider the intermediate bearing but other then checking how tight the nuts are is there any other way of checking the bearing? I grabbed the driveshaft going thorugh it but theres no play in it. can the intermediate bearing be changed on its own?

[uncle buck]

The intermediate bearing is normally quite reliable but you never know, from under the car try spinning the wheel so the driveshaft turns & listen to the bearing to see if it sounds like the noise you have identified.

Yes the intermediate bearing can be replaced separately but you need a long bearing puller to do the job.


Cheers.

[Lighty]

Had this problem quite recently on a Picasso, and it was the ABS block faulty, you would drive about a mile, and the brake began to bind, and then got worse.

[Johno5]

I've not had chance yo get under it again but I'll check the intermediate bearing when I do. that's interesting about the ABS block lighty, is there anyway of checking the block itself? can it be stripped and cleaned or is it a direct replacement job? I'm so tempted to just scrap this car, but I just don't want to be beaten.