Okay, guys. I need your help.
So, I changed my brakes yesterday. Rotors/pads. My first time ever doing them. I took out the old rotors, put the new ones back in (didn't put the screws back in though because I heard it's okay to run without them and I lost them), compressed all the pistons, put new pads in (lubricated them), and reinstalled everything.

Then, I go out to bed in my brake pads, and the usual stinky smell is in the air, and my rear wheels start smoking. HELLA. (I believe from the pads) Is this normal?? And something that I noticed when I put the new pads in, is that I couldn't turn the rotor. The pads seemed to be squeezing them really tight. Again, is this normal? And is that why pads need to be bedded in? Is it REALLY OKAY to run without those screws holding the rotor in place?

Today, when I looked at my car, I noticed that the rear lugnuts had a change in color a bit. From grey to a lighter tone, as I touched them, they were super hot, as well as my rims. The fronts were a bit warm too, but you can definitely tell that the rear wheels were the hottest?

Did I do something wrong? Or am I just experiencing something new since it's my first time for majority of all this???

Any help's appreciated. Thanks guys!

 

Did you do a brake job on the rear? If so did the piston in the caliper compress correctly/easily? Sounds like your caliper could be froze up. I always run rotor screw although the wheel torqued down would keep it safe, but still i would use them.

I also always remove the brake fluid reservoir cap when compressing the piston in the caliper.

 

maybe you need to compress the back brake pistons more, or maybe bleed the the calipers. If neither I'm thinking prop valve?

 

Yeah, I did the back wheels. The pistons made it down pretty far. I used a screwdriver and turned them to compress.
My caliper being froze up? What do you mean? I mean, my e brake works and all that crap.


This suckssssssssssssssss.

 

Meaning the caliper is seized up.. I would pull the wheel off and inspect.. I also suggest not driving the car untill you get it fixed because the pads will be gone.

How did the rubber seal look on the caliper/piston?

 

Rubber seals looked good on all fours.
What's funny is that if I didn't tighten the bolts up all the way that holds the caliper, the rotor spins real good in the air. Is that what I want to look for? Or would unbedded pads keep the wheel from spinning?

What would I specifically inspect, sir? I already looked from the outside and all I felt was HEAT!

 

Unbedded pads shouldn't keep the wheel from spinning, if the rotor is in good shape and you have the right pads it should actually be loose when you first use the brakes. Make sure your ebrake cable isn't sticking.

 

Did you compress the rear calipers by turning the piston or using a c-clamp?

 

OP said he used a screwdriver. I would think a C-clamp would either be impossible or would destroy the caliper.

OP: whenever you do a brake job, you ALWAYS need to grease the caliper slide pins. You need to remove each pin from the rubber boot, clean it off, and apply a coat of the same grease you use on the backs of the pads.

I have done this with every brake job since I bought my car 8 years ago, and I have never had an issue with any of my brakes.

 

I missed the screw driver farther down.

The caliper pins seem sensible to check. Also, was the rear piston "+" aligned with the pad pins?

 

ohhh yeah I always forget about that when describing the process to someone. But when I actually do the job I remember to check that.

OP from what you described about the rotor being able to spin freely before you bolted the caliper in place, but not being able to after, you could very well have misaligned the pins on the inside pad with the grooves in the piston face.

 

my stratus had this issue when i did a front brake job on it a few years back. i took it for a test drive and smoke started coming from the wheels. now, i'm not positive as to what cause it, but i did check a few things. i double checked the calipers to make sure they weren't siezed up. i also made sure i didn't get alot of brake fluid all over the calipers. and i re-bled the brakes. i'm not sure what actually caused it to smoke, but after i checked and recorrected those things, i was good to go. now, as for the lug nut discoloration, they do tend to get very hot, but if they are changing color's, something is dragging. i'd agree to check the caliper to make sure it isn't stuck closed.

 

Didn't do that part... dang. Haha.
Would this be causing the dragging? And how would I be able to tell if it's seized up? I'm gonna work on it after I get off work.

One thing about lubricating the sliders, as for the rear, the top sliders DID NOT COME OFF. Was is supposed to? The bottom sliders came off quite easily. So, in a nutshell, I just lubricated the bottom and not the top. Yeah, I think I screwed up there....

 

Got it fixed, boys!
The problem was that the sliders on the top of the rear calipers were dry as hell. And the rear left piston wasn't aligned with the pad. It's all good now though! Thanks for all the help. Much appreciated.

 

^ Good to hear