I jump on the highway this evening and about 1 mile down the road, I think: something ain't right. The steering wheel is vibrating and my Accord keeps downshifting on a flat road to maintain speed set by the cruise control.
Rest stop is 1/2 mile ahead. I pull over. Slight smoke coming from front right wheel. The rim is hot. I don't know what to do. I need to get to an appointment in 40 minutes that's 30 miles away. I go into bathroom and repeatedly grab 40 ounce cups of cold water and drown the caliper and rotor... There's a steam bath pouring off the wheel. After about 2 gallons of water were poured onto the brakes, the steam stopped.
I slowly backed the car up a few feet and moved it forward.... There was no noise and appeared that no drag was present. I got back on the highway, hit 55mph for a few miles, pulled off at the exit, and the wheel wasn't hot.
I completed my trip, 90 miles total, without further issues.
What could have caused this??
The front brakes were replaced 20k miles ago. There's plenty of pad left. That same rotor was "hung up" 20k miles ago, and that same wheel not only got new pads and rotors, but also a new caliper and brake line because of the excessive heat generated from being "stuck". Today the new caliper WAS hung up, but it seems ok now.
The last time I drove the car was Sunday, and I was on the turnpike for 800 straight miles, going 80-90 mph, making a few stops as I drove back to Indiana from New Haven, Connecticut. There wasn't an issue then.
And as a side note: the rotor isn't warped from getting smoking hot and then being drenched in water. There is ZERO shake or vibration in the steering wheel when I apply the brakes.
Rest stop is 1/2 mile ahead. I pull over. Slight smoke coming from front right wheel. The rim is hot. I don't know what to do. I need to get to an appointment in 40 minutes that's 30 miles away. I go into bathroom and repeatedly grab 40 ounce cups of cold water and drown the caliper and rotor... There's a steam bath pouring off the wheel. After about 2 gallons of water were poured onto the brakes, the steam stopped.
I slowly backed the car up a few feet and moved it forward.... There was no noise and appeared that no drag was present. I got back on the highway, hit 55mph for a few miles, pulled off at the exit, and the wheel wasn't hot.
I completed my trip, 90 miles total, without further issues.
What could have caused this??
The front brakes were replaced 20k miles ago. There's plenty of pad left. That same rotor was "hung up" 20k miles ago, and that same wheel not only got new pads and rotors, but also a new caliper and brake line because of the excessive heat generated from being "stuck". Today the new caliper WAS hung up, but it seems ok now.
The last time I drove the car was Sunday, and I was on the turnpike for 800 straight miles, going 80-90 mph, making a few stops as I drove back to Indiana from New Haven, Connecticut. There wasn't an issue then.
And as a side note: the rotor isn't warped from getting smoking hot and then being drenched in water. There is ZERO shake or vibration in the steering wheel when I apply the brakes.
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