|
Can be a combined drag of several marginal calipers as well. Best check is to get an ir temperature gun or borrow one if you do not have one. If you were a working mechanic through familiarity you could tell with the wheelspin test. Your problem is a little subjective so do the temperature test. Post what you read if uncertain what the temperatures represent.
Drive a few miles and read all the disk brake rotors temperatures. Coast to a stop rather than braking so you do not read the braking temperatures. Try not to apply the brakes along the way.
You want to read the natural systems drag temperatures. Not the braking temperatures. You will compare left front rotors temperature to the right side rotor. Plus the same at the back rotors.
You do not want to see much of a temperature spread. Since this is the most common cause and actually the usual case it has to be ruled out first. You can have reasonble excessive drag without smelling brakes particularily. It takes a pretty heavy drag on a rotor to really get it hot enough to smell or turn the rotor red.
If it turned out to be not the brakes then it gets really interesting with things like the front end being so far out of alignment the car is plowing along. . Sticking calipers on older cars are quite common though remember.
I guess another test is to put the car on a flat surface. Can you push it by hand? If not something is wrong.The temperature test tells you where it is.
|