Imbalanced front brakes

[deano_180]

Hi
My 1992 K10 failed its MOT last week with imbalanced front brakes of 42%.
With close inspection I found the N/Side had a seized caliper guide pin, which I have now repaired.
While I was on the job I replaced the brake fluid at all for corners as the fluid was turning a shade of brown.
The pads are like new but the discs are quite worn.
Do you think I have solved the imbalanced issue ? as without rolling road testing I shall never know.

Many thanks
Deano

 

[MLC2]

As you say it's one of those things you just can't be sure of without the use of brake rollers. If they are very imbalanced then you will feel the car pulling to one side when braking.

Might just be the guide pin if it was very tight. Also make sure the pads can move fairly freely in their guides
You can check for a partly seized piston by seeing how easily and smoothly they retract. I use a large welding clamp to squeeze pistons in but you can do the same by carefully prying the front of the caliper out with a screwdriver while still mounted on the disc.

MOT testers tend to be pretty keen on front disc condition, so unless they have advised on them they should be ok.
However discs and pads for the K10 are pretty cheap and probably cheaper than a re-test fee so if the calipers are ok new discs and pads should be a fairly guaranteed cure.

 

[RTLkyuubi]

Give the tester a ring and ask if you can take it down to give it a try on the rollers. I did this when my viva had an inbalance on the front brakes. He told me to swap a shoe and a drum from one side to the other I took it down to see if it worked, all was well and he then said that the retest done and got a pass certificate, nice

 

[getawaycar]

Do an emergency stop and see if the car pulls to the side?
Brake imbalance just means one side works better than the other at some point.

If your imbalance is not fixed the car will pull to the side when you nail the brakes on. If you have fixed it then it won't!

The pass figure is 25% so your brakes have to be pretty bad to fail on imbalance. If you have addressed the problem (which it sounds like you have) then there won't be anything to worry about.

 

[porkpie700]

I think you will have sorted it, disks are £13, i changed mine 2 years ago. As long as you put some grease on the slide pins and make sure that the little rubbers stay clipped on, they should stay free for a few years at least.
If you want to test it yourself there are two easy things you can do; drive slowly on a flat EMPTY road, let go of the wheel and brake gently. It should stay reasonably straight but most micras tend to pull slightly to the left, but i think this more down to the gearing of the diff than the brakes.
The second thing; jack it up so both front wheels are off the ground. Turn both wheels by hand to make sure they aren't binding. Then get someone to sit in and press the pedal untill one of the wheels becomes harder to turn, get them to hold the pedal exactly there and then go check that the other wheel if equally as difficult to move.
You can also use the second test for the back wheels when you're adjusting the handbrake.

 

[RTLkyuubi]

Do an emergency stop and see if the car pulls to the side?
Brake imbalance just means one side works better than the other at some point.

If your imbalance is not fixed the car will pull to the side when you nail the brakes on. If you have fixed it then it won't!

The pass figure is 25% so your brakes have to be pretty bad to fail on imbalance. If you have addressed the problem (which it sounds like you have) then there won't be anything to worry about.

That doesnt always work as with my viva, it had a 50% inbalance yet slamming on the brake didnt pull it to one side.

 

[deano_180]

I tried the emergency brake procedure prior to fixing the guide pin and noticed no pulling to either side, the brakes do feel better but i think this could be down to the fresh fluid.
Got the retest today, fingers crossed.

 

[Shaun]

I tried the emergency brake procedure prior to fixing the guide pin and noticed no pulling to either side, the brakes do feel better but i think this could be down to the fresh fluid.
Got the retest today, fingers crossed.

good luck! (Y)

 

[deano_180]

Passed with flying colurs ! Asked tester for the imbalance measurement which now reads 11%.
So keep those guide pins clean as a whistle.
Thanks for everyones input, great site !