Hi, All.
After a rear brake job that included new rotors, pads, calipers, hoses, steel lines, and parking brake shoes I drove my Jimmy to work and back three times (150 miles total) without incident.
Today my wife drove it for the first time; I came along as a passenger. Within about five miles we noticed a periodic squeak, consistent with wheel RPM, that seemed to be coming from the left rear. This was accompanied by a strong smell of overheated friction material.
I had her drive straight home. A minute or so after she shut off the vehicle (in 35F weather) the left rear rotor measured 325 degrees and the right rear 225 degrees.
Both new rotors showed evidence of heat, with the strongest evidence being in the area of the parking brake shoes.
I checked the regular rear brakes on both sides to be sure they locked then the pedal was depressed, and then released as they should. The pads looked new and normal.
When I did the brake job I tested the parking brake adjustment the same way (with the parking brake pedal, of course). They locked and released just fine. The shoes were new so they were quite thick -- so they were adjusted just about as loose as possible, but they did work properly.
Neither my wife nor I had applied the parking brake since the brake job was finished.
So -- Why would new parking brakes that lock and release properly behave themselves for 150 miles, then start making noise and overheating, when they've never even been applied except for the initial test?
Has anyone else experienced this? I'm stumped!
Thanks in advance.
After a rear brake job that included new rotors, pads, calipers, hoses, steel lines, and parking brake shoes I drove my Jimmy to work and back three times (150 miles total) without incident.
Today my wife drove it for the first time; I came along as a passenger. Within about five miles we noticed a periodic squeak, consistent with wheel RPM, that seemed to be coming from the left rear. This was accompanied by a strong smell of overheated friction material.
I had her drive straight home. A minute or so after she shut off the vehicle (in 35F weather) the left rear rotor measured 325 degrees and the right rear 225 degrees.
Both new rotors showed evidence of heat, with the strongest evidence being in the area of the parking brake shoes.
I checked the regular rear brakes on both sides to be sure they locked then the pedal was depressed, and then released as they should. The pads looked new and normal.
When I did the brake job I tested the parking brake adjustment the same way (with the parking brake pedal, of course). They locked and released just fine. The shoes were new so they were quite thick -- so they were adjusted just about as loose as possible, but they did work properly.
Neither my wife nor I had applied the parking brake since the brake job was finished.
So -- Why would new parking brakes that lock and release properly behave themselves for 150 miles, then start making noise and overheating, when they've never even been applied except for the initial test?
Has anyone else experienced this? I'm stumped!
Thanks in advance.