MacGyverS2000
Electrical
- Dec 22, 2003
- 8,504
The wife's car (Nissan Cube) has had issues from practically day one... but this particular thread is about brakes.
At some point in the past, the steering wheel took on a real shudder during braking... fine, warped rotors. But why did they warp? While doing some maintenance work (read, replacing the failed CVT that nearly killed us... twice), they dealer was kind enough to notice the shimmy and turned the rotors. A month later it was back. We decided to live with it.
Took it to a local shop (for a SECOND broken flange on the tailpipe, which left the muffler hanging) and they noticed the shimmy, too (as if you could miss it!). The front disc pads were down to the last millimeter or two, but the rear drum pads were practically untouched. Mechanic said it appears as if the brakes are running about 90/10 rather than a more pad friendly 70/30 split on braking power... which would explain why the front rotors overheat and warp so easily. So, new rotors/pad are on order, and I threw in some new drums/pads for good measure because the price was so good (about $300 for everything).
My question is, how can I change (fix/repair?) the proportioning on this car (and on an acedemic note, why isn't it set properly from the factory)? On the NSX, it was a set of handles in the boot, but I'm learning with most cars it's generally a setup that requires replacement of the master cylinder if you want to change it out (assuming you can get a master cylinder with a different proportion... such as the Altima).
Could this simply be an issue with the rear drums not being adjusted properly? Don't most modern drums have auto-adjusting pads that ratchet with every pedal press, ensuring after a few initial presses (after initial assembly/replacement) that every succeeding press will apply proper pressure for the life of the pad?
Dan - Owner
At some point in the past, the steering wheel took on a real shudder during braking... fine, warped rotors. But why did they warp? While doing some maintenance work (read, replacing the failed CVT that nearly killed us... twice), they dealer was kind enough to notice the shimmy and turned the rotors. A month later it was back. We decided to live with it.
Took it to a local shop (for a SECOND broken flange on the tailpipe, which left the muffler hanging) and they noticed the shimmy, too (as if you could miss it!). The front disc pads were down to the last millimeter or two, but the rear drum pads were practically untouched. Mechanic said it appears as if the brakes are running about 90/10 rather than a more pad friendly 70/30 split on braking power... which would explain why the front rotors overheat and warp so easily. So, new rotors/pad are on order, and I threw in some new drums/pads for good measure because the price was so good (about $300 for everything).
My question is, how can I change (fix/repair?) the proportioning on this car (and on an acedemic note, why isn't it set properly from the factory)? On the NSX, it was a set of handles in the boot, but I'm learning with most cars it's generally a setup that requires replacement of the master cylinder if you want to change it out (assuming you can get a master cylinder with a different proportion... such as the Altima).
Could this simply be an issue with the rear drums not being adjusted properly? Don't most modern drums have auto-adjusting pads that ratchet with every pedal press, ensuring after a few initial presses (after initial assembly/replacement) that every succeeding press will apply proper pressure for the life of the pad?
Dan - Owner
