I have an 84 rx-7 and i was driving it the other day and the front right brake started to slowly get tighter and tighter until it would almost lock up and then it would release. It would do this when i was just driving i didn't even push the brake. Well i was close to my house so i decided to try and drive it home, it was fine for a while and then the brake started to tighten and pull to the right, then all of the sudden i here a loud bange and it pulls even harder right so i head for a parking lot and by the time i get there my wheel has went flat and drug the last 100 feet. I jack it up and take of the tire and there is only half a rotor left and it has put a whole through my rim. I lucky have a 82 parts car but i was just wondering if anybody could tell me what caused it. any help would be greatly apreciated. I have some offers on it so i need to fix it asap so i can sell it. Thanks

 

They are a wear item and are subject to metal fatigue and constant abuse. Anything that get's hot and cold over and over is going to suffer more fatigue that causes cracks and what not.

 

Just like webber in the australian grand prix...anyone?

Yea that can happen, what kind of rotors were they? just stock?

 

Pictures?

 

Webber wasn't the only guy with brake problems...

You may have had a stuck caliper, where it doesn't slide freely on the pins that support it from the bracket. When you release the brake, the inboard pad can push the piston back in a hair and relieve the brake. The whole caliper also slides outward just a hair on the pins to relieve the outboard pad. If the caliper is seized on the pin, the caliper won't ever float to the outside and the outboard pad can cook your rotor.

As long as you're servicing the front right, work your way around the car and check for uneven wear on all corners. Also go ahead and remove the caliper bracket, slide the caliper off, grease the pins and check the grease boots, and reassemble with a little antiseize on the threads of the bracket bolts. You'll be glad you did.

 

i don't have any picture and the rotors were stock. Basicly there is just half a rotor left. The thing that gets me is that it started to tighten the brake while i was driving and it was quite a while after I had let off the brake. I would be driving for a couple minutes without using the brake and it would start to happen.

 

Did you smell anything unusual while you were driving? If the caliper slides were locked up you would have probally smelled a burning smell, similar to when you slip a clutch too long.

 

'82-'84 are incompatible.

 

Yea as Jeff said, the hubs/spindles and axles were all different from 82 to 84

 

k thanks for the heads up....no i didn't smell anything.

 

are your rear brakes working properly? may be time to get all new brakes.

 

might try some caliper rebuilds while you are in there messing with the brakes. they are really simple and it can make a HUGE difference...plus you can stop any other problems from happening by doing this " preventative maintainence "

 

Good I'm not the only one who wants pix

 

that rotor explosion thing is really common on the race cars, the rotors need to be inspected periodically for cracks

never heard of this for a street car though

 

ya the rear brakes work great. how do you rebuild a caliper?

 

by replacing wear parts, fairly simple and straightforward, pretty sure there is a thread or 2 in the archives

k well i cant find anything in archives but the procedure is in the FSM

 

time to get a caliper rebuild kit! $30 straight from mazda. best investment besides buying my 7! im waiting on the front kit to come in

 

Some years ago a V8 supercar driver, Don Watson, from downunder had a rotor explode at 180 mph on Conrod Straight, at Bathurst, the car went into and straight through the runoof area and into a tire wall rolling over and killing the unfortunate pilot.

http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=265

 

During Le Mans when Chevy put their two new C6 Racing Vettes in the race, one of the Carbon Fiber Rotors exploded when the driver was making a turn, could see the thing red hot and then it just gave and he spun out, lost them 1st place along with another accident on the second car.

Also I believe that there was a similar incident in a recent Le Mans race as well...

 

I had a ver similar problem happen to my 85 gs. I was out beating it and came to a good stop. She started to lock up and all of the sudden my foot went to the floor. I pushed the caliper right through the brake rotor. I had to reverse to unstick everything. All one could hear was metal shards hitting the ground. All parts of the rotor that was. Hehe. Didn't really hurt anything surprisingly. jacked it up, stuck a new rotor on, and away she went.

 

K here are some pics....how does everything look? do i need a new hub (i think that is what it is called) i know i need a new rotor and i think that the calipers is skrewed.


Thanks

 

HOLY.

When My brake pad fell out (previous owner) i ground down my piston like that (but not cuz of rotor probs) and everyone said to get a new/reman caliper because there is a chance the piston made the hole bigger or off shape because of the lateral force on it from grinding down.

On that note if you do get a new caliper it is best to get a pair and do both sides at same time.

Check rockauto.com for good reman caliper prices (like 30 bucks) seem to be decent quality

 

Wow. Time for a new caliper, rotor, bearings and races. Make sure when you buy the caliper that you have them specify if it comes with a mounting bracket or not. Most non-loaded calipers do NOT come with the mounting bracket. All about saving money$$$ A loaded caliper comes with the mounting bracket pads hardware etc. *Call them* I would not reuse the one you've got on there since it quite possibly could have been the root cause of this problem. AKA RUST I would also THOROUGHLY check the spindle for any damage that could have been caused. rockauto is da-bomb Best of Luck