rims get real hot
Thread Starter
3rd Gear
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
rims get real hot
after driving for about an hour,the rear rims at the hubs get very hot.I just had the brakes checked and they are ok.this is my first time on the forum.I have a 76 vette,which I have had for 4 years.Its great. thanks
Racer
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 330
Likes: 3
From: Wellington, New Zealand
If your hubs are getting really hot there are only two issues, wheel bearings or brakes. I had the same experience and it was the brakes binding. Check your bearings to see if they are too tight, if they are fine you will have to start looking at the brakes again. I took a jack with me on a drive and when I could feel it binding I pulled over, jacked it up and confirmed it was the brakes.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 7,739
Likes: 630
From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina
Originally Posted by mr303
If your hubs are getting really hot there are only two issues, wheel bearings or brakes. I had the same experience and it was the brakes binding. Check your bearings to see if they are too tight, if they are fine you will have to start looking at the brakes again. I took a jack with me on a drive and when I could feel it binding I pulled over, jacked it up and confirmed it was the brakes.
... almost ... in addition to bearings & brakes, there's also the exhaust that runs in close proximity on some cars ... maybe your's too close or leaking ... maybe not?
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 3,758
Likes: 3
From: Surrey
with the above. I once had a brake caliper that, due to corrosion, had very little movement on the piston. As the pad was pressed against the rotor it generated heat, causing expansion which pressed the pad against the rotor even more. When cold the wheel span freely.Something else to check is the parking brake adjustment. I've just had to replace 2 perfectly good rear rotors for the simple reason that inside the "top hat" is chewed up badly. A PO had obviously adjusted the parking brake badly (the cogged wheel inside the hub, not the cable adjustment) & the park brake shoes had chewed up the rotor so badly that new park brake shoes won't contact it
Advanced
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
From: Austin TX
I had the same problem. As a result I have taken my O-ring calipers off of my car. The front two would not release the brakes properly from the beginnig and a short time later the rears were doing the same thing. I'm not sure what the problem was, probably too close tolerance. The brakes looked fine, but the rims and wheels got way too hot. Traded the O-ring calipers (+$59.95/ea) for a regular set of calipers from Muskegon Brake and have not had any trouble since.
Don't know about the rest of you guys, but I find this kind of thing happening a lot. First you get something new. It doesn't work or at least doesn't do what you expected it to do and you buy another one to try to accomplish what you set out to do in the first place. It definetly takes money and persistence to solve many car problems.
Don't know about the rest of you guys, but I find this kind of thing happening a lot. First you get something new. It doesn't work or at least doesn't do what you expected it to do and you buy another one to try to accomplish what you set out to do in the first place. It definetly takes money and persistence to solve many car problems.
Thread Starter
3rd Gear
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Thanks for all the help.Went for another rip today and the rear drivers side wheel started to howl and then squeal.Sure sounds like a bearing.I'm told to do this job ,the rear axles have to come off.It would probably be a good idea to do both sides.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 15,176
Likes: 3,992
From: Connecticut, USA
Check
1- be sure parking brakes are not draggin
2- the brake hose is not swollen on the ID to lock the caliper
3- rotate the rotor with the caliper off the rotor and 1/2 shaft disconnected. It should be smooth and have no play. If the bearings are the problem then you must service them now as the heat generated is sign the spindle may also fail. They have sheared off in the past and /or welded the bearings in place. This is an involved job that requires precise tolerences, not hard per say, but accurate to .0005" ( 5 tenths)
Check the post I have going on this job and you'll see what I mean.
Good luck
Gary
1- be sure parking brakes are not draggin
2- the brake hose is not swollen on the ID to lock the caliper
3- rotate the rotor with the caliper off the rotor and 1/2 shaft disconnected. It should be smooth and have no play. If the bearings are the problem then you must service them now as the heat generated is sign the spindle may also fail. They have sheared off in the past and /or welded the bearings in place. This is an involved job that requires precise tolerences, not hard per say, but accurate to .0005" ( 5 tenths)
Check the post I have going on this job and you'll see what I mean.
Good luck
Gary
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