Mk1 Brake Problem

[julian_s13]

Hey Guys,
Took my front brakes off last night (Disks)
I found that the outside pads had nothing left on them and the inside ones had
sort of 5 - 6mm left ??? is this a common thing ???
What does this mean ??
Any help will be appreciated,
Thanks
Julian

[Peter Jones]

It means you need new brake pads.

[julian_s13]

Yeh well thats obvious but why are they wearing so unevenly?

[Jace]

Because the piston pulls outside inwards harder than it pushes the inside outwards in your case, sounds like nothing serious.

[Peter Jones]

Part of any brake pad replacement involves inspecting and lubricating the caliper slide mechanisms. In your case the pins or bushes might be worn or need lubrication.

As the piston pushes the inner pad onto the disc, the outer pad is also pushed into the disc by the bracket over the disc. The same piston causes both pads to move, one directly, one indirectly.

When you take you foot off the pedal the pressure on the inner pad is released and so should the pressure on the outer pad.

So what's happening here is that the slide mechanism is sticking and not fully releasing as much pressure as the inner.

This means that in the unclamped position the outer is still very loosely touching the disc and wearing prematurely.

The slide pins should be a serviceable item but finding replacements might be a challenge these days. Just try lubricating them with some anti seize or the like. Make sure the whole lot can move freely on the slide pins.

Grab a workshop manual too, there's more to changing pads than just slamming in a new set of pads, you've really got to check out the entire set-up while you're under there.

Are the hoses OK? Learn how to test and inspect them.
Are all the unions tight? are there any leaks? are the discs too thin? are the discs warped or discoloured? Are the wheel bearings OK, they can affect braking too.
Bolts tight? Right type of bolts used? Non -reusable bolts replaced? Dust caps on the bleeders? Foreign matter ? Wheel bolt torque? Clean? Cracked disc? cracked caliper? Right type of caliper? Pads correctly installed? etc. etc.


But yeah, you need new pads.