When Good Brake Conversions Go Bad, The Christian Coomer Story Options

[Coomer]

So tonight sucked bigtime. I just got home after spending five hours to drive six miles.

It all started at around 8:30, when I finally got my car back together and went for a drive. Around 9:00, I heard a sound from the rear, and then it occurred to me that I forgot to torque down my lug nuts. I'd tightened them with a wrench when the wheels were in the air but hadn't tightened them when I put the car back on the ground, so I immediately pulled over and had my dad bring me my wrench and wheel lock key to tighten them.

I tightened the lugnuts(which were fairly loose) and figured everything would be alright. I started the car up and started driving, then realized that the rear brake pads were now hitting the rear rotors, making the car feel as if the e-brake was on. Crap.

So I figured maybe letting the fluid out and driving home very slowly would solve the problem. Nope. So I figured maybe I could loosen up the lugs just a bit and see if the brakes would stop engaging. Nope.

It turned out that one of the lug nuts would not come loose. So I went home and grabbed some tools while my dad watched the car, and came back ready to take off the rear calipers completely and then slowly drive home. We ended up breaking off one wheel stud, destroying the threads on two more, and damaging the threads on the rest.

So I pulled off the rear calipers and bolted the wheels back on, then slowly started making the six-mile trip home at 5-15 mph. About a mile into the trip noises started coming from the rear. I figured it was probably a dying wheel bearing or something since I only had three lug nuts holding the passenger side rear wheel on. I checked the lug nuts several times on the way home and they were tight, but the noise got louder and louder.

Finally I made it home(about 15 minutes ago), pulled off the rear wheels, and found that my brand new right rear Brembo rotor is brown on half of it from friction(on what I do not know) making the rotor very hot.

So yeah, don't be retarded like me. Always tighten your lug nuts before you go anywhere. Or else you'll end up like me, with ten lugs and lug nuts that need replacing, a brand new rotor that may need replacing, and who knows what else.

[soltrain]

damn, that's all bad. Sorry dude - hopefully the brakes are still good.

[presure2]

damn christian, that sucks bigtime.
just outta curiosity, why did you use 5th gen rear brake stuff?

[Jeremy1210]

5th gen stuff is more available, that i have found. it also fits fine

[Batman722]

eek

[doGGy]

Dont feel alone Coom, i spent 1 day cleaning/restoring ST165 brake assembly what had to go on my car.... and second day i found out what right assembly aint good at all cuz both brake pistons on it are rusted and stuck.... so now i had to put stock brakes on again... wasted one Valvoline brake fluid bottle.... wasted lots of hours of work... and still got nothing from this.....

[dustin15brown]

Damn Coom... good thing you're iight

[Digndoug]

I pretty much did the same with my front. For got to re-tighten, then the next morn break off a stud. Then break my locking lug conector. Then now to find I think my wheel barings going. All with in the past three days and working 50 hours a week barley havign time to work on them.

[Coomer]

Yeah, I feel your pain. I replaced the bearings and hubs and studs today and then looked at my rotors. One is warped to the point where it moves in and out about 4mm when the rotor rotates. And the other is cracked in a circle right inside the stud holes.

And both have more wear after 13 miles than my front rotors with 60,000+ miles.

Looks like after wasting $400 on brake crap all around, I'll be going back to stock all around.

[macavely]

coomer welcome to my club FUTOYCC (Fook Up Things On Your Car Club)...

must say never seen that one done before... at least it was the rear wheel and not like me when i forgot to tightne the front wheel and lost 2 lug nuts on the hi way .. or forget to tighten the holding nut on the struts and have your springs boung off the strut ever time you high a bump on the road ...

[97GTinKC]

As far as feeling like the brakes were being applied, Did you just convert to discs? If so, did you change master cylinders also? I have heard of cases where the brakes overheat after converting to disc due to a small check valve at the master cyl which keeps a slight pressure on the line to the drum brakes (which the return springs on the shoes can override), the discs dont have the return springs (or the check valves), so the brakes can drag and overheat, not sure if it applies to Celicas, but something to check...I seem to remember it being in the master cyl where the lines screw in, small brass check valve assembly built in to where the flare fitting seats, not sure if it can be removed or not (or if it is even related to your problem for that matter) May need a GT master cyl.
I have also had the rubber lines collapse inside to where they wont let the pressure off, would still stop ok, just wouldn't let the pressure off, causing the brakes to drag real bad. good luck with it

[OOBE]

Wow Coom, bad shtuff always happens to you...what else you need...a big horny bull butt-****ing you while you sleep? Anyway, man, good luck with the stuff. I am happy that being a military aircraft mechanic, I have gotten the discipline of quadruple-checking (minimum) everything after installation and checking it before operating it. Sometimes our minds fail...we think we did something but we didn't. OR, we did something but we think we didn't, hehe, it goes both ways. Good luck!

[Hanyo]

hey coomer,

did you ever figured out what went wrong? any updates?

[Coomer]

hey coomer,

did you ever figured out what went wrong? any updates?
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Apparently if you're using fifth gen. parts, you need the whole hub/knuckle from what I understand. I'm back to stock drums now.

[Hanyo]

oh i see... When the disk brake assemble is installed onto the st drum hubs, and the caliper do not line up with the rotor. that is why it was riding the brakes. did i understand what went wrong?

[Coomer]

oh i see... When the disk brake assemble is installed onto the st drum hubs, and the caliper do not line up with the rotor. that is why it was riding the brakes. did i understand what went wrong?
[right][snapback]327548[/snapback][/right]

Yeah. Also, the fifth gen. rotor's large hole in the middle is just a tiny bit too small to fit over the hub...it gets on part of the way but not all the way on until you tighten the lugnuts, at which point the rotors crack.