My first ever car, drove it for few days now.
Today I noticed, after I took it out from my garage and driving it to work, that the brake wasn't responding as usual.
I noticed a strange smell from the car, so I parked, and noticed smoke coming out of one of the tyres!
The tyre is physically good, so not burning plastic, but the smoke is from the inside the rim somewhere.
Please assist me :(
thanks, would be safe to drive it back home? 20km away
Pumping the brake pedal hard and with sudden release - while stationary / also when you need to brake, making application and release, sudden, may free /keep the pad, free. Check your mirrors and keep distance from others.
If you have to drive any distance, at all, get out and check for heat in the rim/smoke, regularly.
If there is any place that you can go to that is closer than 20km, go there…
I know its prob not the case ut just make sure your handbrake wasn't left on a little during your drive.
Daren
thanks, i'll double check that
Only if both rear wheels smoke, you said one of the tires wheels, so it may not be the hand brake, unless they were drum brakes and badly/unevenly adjusted.
I was going to suggest exactly what Tas said above, very importantly that you don't do it when someone is tailgating you
yes only the right rear wheel.
@newbiesh: can you see if they're disc or drum brakes?
Still follow Tas' advice, it should temporarily get you out of a sticky situation ( pun intended )
20km drive is two far if your brakes are jammed
i think it might have been the handbrake on also, do you think having handbrakes on would impact on accuracy of the actual brakes? e.g. latency
Lol. If you have been driving, long enough (sufficient for smoke!), with the handbrake on, you may have glazed one pad / glazed & cooked the other. Regardless, that can alter brake-feel, and also make for brake-squeal, if you begin to hear that.
You do need to get things checked - if only for your own peace of mind.
Read of front? If front then brake caliper is not releasing pads pressure. If rear then either calipers or parking brake.
Either way it is a problem in braking system = absolutely not safe to drive.
the rear right side wheel.
About 80% of your car stopping comes from the front breaks, thats why you see all cars with massive front callipers and tiny rear ones, however you want to get onto this asap.
13QUIT
Ok guys i just went for a quick drive, seems to be ok now?! strange…
no smoking at all, and the brake works as expected…
Ok, so it is an intermittant problem, or a one off. Either way, it is not safe to drive until it is fully checked by a licenced vehicle technician, or brake specialist. I belive you are in Qld, so as you are new to Aussie and your new 2nd hand car, get on line and join RACQ.
Get it towed to your new local car guy, as if there was a one off issue, your concern is what if any damage was done. Next, if it is intermittant, again what damage was done, what appears to the cause if there are tell tale signs(hopefully) as the possible outcomes are next.
Cooked brakes causing smoke from inside the wheel area, could be….tight brakes, either drum or disc, and it makes no difference, the brake pad/shoe material could be glazed and or cracked, as well as cracked out of round drums or warped disc rotors, and are potentially all beyond safe use.
Then there is the cooked burnt out wheel bearings/bearing grease from the excessivly hot brakes, and case hardening damaged on bearings means they might not last very long at all.
The brake caliper and or hand brake assembly has fluid, seals, lubricant and moving parts of which some or all could of been damaged.
The smoke, pulling/dragging and strange brake pedal feel are all signs you need to take this very seriously and do NOT drive it.
If the brakes fail again, or the wheel bearing fails, or brakes jam on, you WILL most likely be involved in a crash.
No one knows just how bad the problem or damage is/was, or how luck you were, but that is why you need to park it, tow it, check it.
No ifs or buts, tow it away. You might have insurance, but that could be null and void if you knowingly drive a defective vehicle.
Dave. 40 yr car enthusist and mechanic.
It could have been the handbrake still partly on and dragging. On many (not all) cars the handbrake is a separate drum brake in addition to the disc with both located on the rear hubs. If this is so for this car then chances are ordinary braking will be unaffected and the handbrake may be a little useless now or soon. My 2010 Falcon and my 2015 Mitsu have this arrangement. It must be cheaper although it's hard to see how.
Drive carefully and have it looked at soon. If your car has a handbrake warning light then check it before driving away.
My old man did the same thing. He put his mobile phone on the console (90s phone) and the handbrake couldn't quite release enough and I was following behind in another car and noticed the smoke and the smell. He let the handbrake off and car was perfectly fine after that.
As everyone says, brake trouble. Usually this is pretty easy to fix. I assume the car is used and you've just brought it?
Take it to the mechanics and get them to check the brakes. It could be as most said, you just didnt have the handbrake all the way down. It could be that some part of the braking system is sticking. In either case, the brakes won't last long if they are constantly rubbing and it'll wear your rotors out too. Eventually, it can render your brakes useless, whether it's a parking brake or normal brakes.
You did a sleep-hoon.
Brake-pad is dragging. A little investigation and some adjustment required. Get it seen to.