Saxo wheel bearing

[Jonathancilia]

So today i removes both front wheels, the rotor tracks straight even the hub and the only thing i can find is that the caliper of the dragging side has the 'ears' wider than the other side. The non sticking side is 17mm and the dragging side is at 18.5mm! This will cause sticking am i right?

[Jonathancilia]

According to the measuring tool 2.4mm difference! No wonder the pads wont go in when new

[MattBLancs]

Morning,

Surprisingly large difference between those two - are there any part numbers visible as wondering if one is right part and the other "similar but wrong"

Sorry I lost on the 17 Vs 18.5mm ears - can you take another picture please?

206 is up in the air for an oil change today, so can measure caliper gap as comparison if helpful.

[Jonathancilia]

By ears i mean the thickness of the two outer parts that grab the outer pad. I ground the opposite part of the caliper piston so that it is roughly the same size as the other side and the wheel was not dragging as much but turns out there is another issue, i think this caliper either was damaged in an accident or something, when i fully tighten the two bolts securing the caliper it starts to drag. Only choice is to leave one of the bolts slightly loose. I will try to find a replacement caliper

[Jonathancilia]

For now i left one of the bolts just slightly tightened and covered it with loctite threadlocker. went 3 times around the block no juddering seems that this was the issue but time will tell

[MattBLancs]

Hi Jonathan,

Thanks for clarifying, I wouldn't worry about thickness of those bits, only the gap between them and piston (as you previously measured) - casting by different manufacturers could vary this without ill effects, it's only the gap for pad-disk-pad that is important.


I wouldn't be happy with bolts not done up tight to be honest. Thread locker will slow it down not stop coming undone, doesn't sound safe workaround to me.

Am confused as previously mentioned caliper replaced with no improvement, that suggests either extremely bad luck (two identically flawed calipers) or else something else is bent or wrong in someway. So I'd look at caliper's pad carrier as that bit been changed and suppose could be bent??

[Jonathancilia]

Could be but to my eyes it looks straight, even the rotor tracks straight beside the bracket. Yes thats why i ground down some of the metal in the aperture where the pads go in, actually worked and came out flat i grinded them.slowly. but as you say either bad luck with the caliper or its bent, i bought the calipers on ebay from different sellers so could be a reconditioned caliper that was installed om a car with an accident or something like that

[Jonathancilia]

Actually i completely covered the bolt with threadlocker so doubt it will come loose and even if it does the caliper piston cannot come back anyway without manually pressing the piston in. The pads have tabs on them that hold the piston

[MattBLancs]

...is bent or wrong in someway. So I'd look at caliper's pad carrier as that bit been changed and suppose could be bent??

Missed my own typo earlier - I meant pad carrier has not been changed (when caliper swapped a second time) of course!

I'd still not be very comfortable relying on thread locking compound, no matter how much put on it, if it was me.

Can you tell me more about what was ground away on the caliper? I think I need to understand the detail of that a bit better. If you can take another picture perhaps, anything to give me a better idea is welcome. Not meaning to send you out in the cold tomorrow - it's not the best time of year for messing with cars outdoors!

What was the reason for changing from the standard Saxo setup? Just seeking an upgrade?

[Jonathancilia]

Ground abit from the back of the caliper carrier where it touches the knuckle on the top bolt because it wont fit otherwise. I upgraded because the factory brakes did not feel good even after properly lubricating them. These stop much better

[Jonathancilia]

I will drill the caliper holes slightly larger to compensate for any bend that the caliper has, already filed some metal off from the holes and it got better so removing abit more should do the trick hopefully. The bracket is not bent for sure, i inspected carefully it looks straight and even the rotor tracks dead straight beside it. If it was bent it would be obvious i think

[CitroJim]

What was the reason for changing from the standard Saxo setup? Just seeking an upgrade?

I can confirm the standard Saxo ones are not the last word in braking efficiency Matt! Basically AX brakes and designed for a car carrying about half the weight...

Fairly OK on an AX but on a Saxo they're just barely adequate...

[Jonathancilia]

The juddering is fixed so the brakes were the problem, now to find a permanent fix by buying another caliper or drilling the holes a tad larger, thanks for the help guys

[myglaren]

What was the reason for changing from the standard Saxo setup? Just seeking an upgrade?

I can confirm the standard Saxo ones are not the last word in braking efficiency Matt! Basically AX brakes and designed for a car carrying about half the weight...

Fairly OK on an AX but on a Saxo they're just barely adequate...

I worked with a lad who had a Saxo. He took it for an MOT and said to the tester that he wasn't impressed with the brakes. Tester agreed and said that "They are all like that - rubbish"!

[CitroJim]

I worked with a lad who had a Saxo. He took it for an MOT and said to the tester that he wasn't impressed with the brakes. Tester agreed and said that "They are all like that - rubbish"!

You have to give them written notice in triplicate when you wish to stop Steve I've known more powerful drums

It certainly focusses your attention when driving...

Last night I watched a YouTube of Hubnut road testing an Austin A35. He commented that the brakes were not wonderful. My immediate though was that I bet they're better than those on a Saxo...