Strange front brakes dragging - Page 2

buzzinhalfdozen · 02-16-2012, 09:47 AM

I have the exact brakes on both my SS car and my sons bracket bomber, never had an issue with either. Both are fairly heavy cars of course the kid loves to "park it" @ times near the stripe. The first thing we need to figure out, is the issue hydraulic or mechanical? Personally I would put car on stands, remove frt. wheels, put a couple lug nuts on to retain the rotors then have someone apply the brakes and release them while you check for pad release, the rotors should turn freely immediately after pedal release. If the seem to be dragging, loosen one of the bleeders and see if that frees them up, if so then you're dealing with an hydraulic issue.If you find loosening the bleeder doesn't help, you need to check for caliper alignment, both centered and for being square to the rotor, if the caliper is "tilted" in relation to the rotor it will cause issues. Another thing that can cause problems is the pads being hung up in the caliper, they should move freely. As Strange eluded to, their calipers are not designed to "retract" they use an Oring in their calipers VS a sqare cut seal, the square seals tend to "pull back" more on the piston. Please try some of these things and let us know what you find. Joe

Tom Goldman · 02-16-2012, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmrphil

Might want to double-check that the master cylinder pushrod is retracting all the way - if the spool valve is in the wrong position it will not release pressure.

X2 on the pushrod adj.
make sure there is some freeplay on the pedal.
Try cracking the bleeder open when the brakes are draging , if it frees up, the problem is not in the brake caliper.
If the brakes still drag , check the rotors for "belling" and make sure the caliper bracket has been mounted correctly and are not bent .
Severely tapered pads indicate either a missaligned caliper , or belled rotor.
Check what you have thoroughly before spending $ thousands on something that is easily repaired.

Tom Goldman · 02-16-2012, 10:02 AM

Joe, were we reading each others minds?

buzzinhalfdozen · 02-16-2012, 10:23 AM

Tom, yeah we must be on the same page. Of course my post is "long winded" have a hard time trying to abbreviate my thoughts as simple as they are. Joe

randy wilson · 02-16-2012, 10:43 AM

They are right about Lamb and Mark Willams, but we have sucessfully used aerospace brakes, put springs between the calipers, and eliminated all drag. They were an issue on one front brake when we first got them, but now as free as a pro stock car, I think.

CrateCamaro · 02-16-2012, 11:20 AM

A friend of mine told me he had this problem and it was because he had just a bit too much brake fluid in the master. Drained a little and fixed. Im not no Texas Ranger

but I sure hope this helps. Pedal adjustment would be my second guess. I always make sure to check the clearance. I like to have just a little play in the rod.

Sean Marconette · 02-16-2012, 12:05 PM

Just out of curiousity, how bad are they dragging? With the tires off the ground, you should be able to spin the tires by hand. They should continue to rotate if shimmed correctly, and the rotors are not warped. Like others have suggested if you remove the hydraulic pressure and they still do not free up, then I would pull the caliper, and spin the wheel? This will eliminate the brakes as the issue all together. Are the wheel bearings so loose that the rotor is rubbing the brake pads as it turns?

My Strange brakes have been trouble free, it is a good idea to check the fastener hardware, and caliper alignment before the start of each season though.

Sean

Bubbba · 02-16-2012, 02:25 PM

X3 on the push-rod

Ed M.

Wade_Owens · 02-16-2012, 02:40 PM

Jon, you may PM or call Dean and Dennis Oliver. They had the exact same trouble and fought it for weeks.

Wade O

NewHemi · 02-16-2012, 09:21 PM

My Drag Pak came with Mark Williams brake/rotors mounted on stock hubs. We had a consistent front brake wobble on shutdown and braking. We measured everything, and couldn't figure it. When I finally decided it was becoming a safety issue, we got Strange Hubs, brakes and Rotors.

The first thing we noticed is that they dragged..We called, and talked to Strange, and they said, the pads are not broken in. We went through the suggested break in procedure. And they still dragged. We checked fluid levels, bled lines, checked everything. And after a couple of more races, apparently they seated, or something ?else? happened, and now they no longer drag.

I guess my point is that it was a mystery, and remains one. But since it isn't a problem right now. We will just take it, and be happy.

David
The New Hemi Guy

02-16-2012, 09:47 AM	#11
buzzinhalfdozen Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bellevue Ohio Posts: 985 Likes: 0 Liked 12 Times in 9 Posts	Re: Strange front brakes dragging I have the exact brakes on both my SS car and my sons bracket bomber, never had an issue with either. Both are fairly heavy cars of course the kid loves to "park it" @ times near the stripe. The first thing we need to figure out, is the issue hydraulic or mechanical? Personally I would put car on stands, remove frt. wheels, put a couple lug nuts on to retain the rotors then have someone apply the brakes and release them while you check for pad release, the rotors should turn freely immediately after pedal release. If the seem to be dragging, loosen one of the bleeders and see if that frees them up, if so then you're dealing with an hydraulic issue.If you find loosening the bleeder doesn't help, you need to check for caliper alignment, both centered and for being square to the rotor, if the caliper is "tilted" in relation to the rotor it will cause issues. Another thing that can cause problems is the pads being hung up in the caliper, they should move freely. As Strange eluded to, their calipers are not designed to "retract" they use an Oring in their calipers VS a sqare cut seal, the square seals tend to "pull back" more on the piston. Please try some of these things and let us know what you find. Joe __________________ Joe Buchanan SS/BX 3117

02-16-2012, 10:02 AM	#13
Tom Goldman VIP Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Allentown,PA Posts: 2,436 Likes: 776 Liked 700 Times in 204 Posts	Re: Strange front brakes dragging Joe, were we reading each others minds? __________________ Tom Goldman 1500 SG , 1506 STK

02-16-2012, 10:23 AM	#14
buzzinhalfdozen Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bellevue Ohio Posts: 985 Likes: 0 Liked 12 Times in 9 Posts	Re: Strange front brakes dragging Tom, yeah we must be on the same page. Of course my post is "long winded" have a hard time trying to abbreviate my thoughts as simple as they are. Joe __________________ Joe Buchanan SS/BX 3117

02-16-2012, 10:43 AM	#15
randy wilson Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: N/A Posts: 882 Likes: 0 Liked 20 Times in 20 Posts	Re: Strange front brakes dragging They are right about Lamb and Mark Willams, but we have sucessfully used aerospace brakes, put springs between the calipers, and eliminated all drag. They were an issue on one front brake when we first got them, but now as free as a pro stock car, I think. __________________ don,t have one

02-16-2012, 11:20 AM	#16
CrateCamaro Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 411 Likes: 1 Liked 19 Times in 7 Posts	Re: Strange front brakes dragging A friend of mine told me he had this problem and it was because he had just a bit too much brake fluid in the master. Drained a little and fixed. Im not no Texas Ranger but I sure hope this helps. Pedal adjustment would be my second guess. I always make sure to check the clearance. I like to have just a little play in the rod. __________________ Tony Valerio 1968 Camaro 1700 IHRA H/CM 1701 NHRA SS/?A Last edited by CrateCamaro; 02-16-2012 at 11:23 AM.

02-16-2012, 12:05 PM	#17
Sean Marconette Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 958 Likes: 618 Liked 165 Times in 60 Posts	Re: Strange front brakes dragging Just out of curiousity, how bad are they dragging? With the tires off the ground, you should be able to spin the tires by hand. They should continue to rotate if shimmed correctly, and the rotors are not warped. Like others have suggested if you remove the hydraulic pressure and they still do not free up, then I would pull the caliper, and spin the wheel? This will eliminate the brakes as the issue all together. Are the wheel bearings so loose that the rotor is rubbing the brake pads as it turns? My Strange brakes have been trouble free, it is a good idea to check the fastener hardware, and caliper alignment before the start of each season though. Sean __________________ Sean Marconette 84 Mustang 5060 SS/N

02-16-2012, 02:25 PM	#18
Bubbba Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 14 Likes: 1 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Strange front brakes dragging X3 on the push-rod Ed M.

02-16-2012, 02:40 PM	#19
Wade_Owens Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 578 Likes: 0 Liked 3 Times in 1 Post	Re: Strange front brakes dragging Jon, you may PM or call Dean and Dennis Oliver. They had the exact same trouble and fought it for weeks. Wade O

02-16-2012, 09:21 PM	#20
NewHemi Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Ohio Posts: 472 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Strange front brakes dragging My Drag Pak came with Mark Williams brake/rotors mounted on stock hubs. We had a consistent front brake wobble on shutdown and braking. We measured everything, and couldn't figure it. When I finally decided it was becoming a safety issue, we got Strange Hubs, brakes and Rotors. The first thing we noticed is that they dragged..We called, and talked to Strange, and they said, the pads are not broken in. We went through the suggested break in procedure. And they still dragged. We checked fluid levels, bled lines, checked everything. And after a couple of more races, apparently they seated, or something ?else? happened, and now they no longer drag. I guess my point is that it was a mystery, and remains one. But since it isn't a problem right now. We will just take it, and be happy. David The New Hemi Guy