Smokin! Brakes, that is

A brake question, thankfully not about the Mustang, but the family minivan.

First, the background: Had a brake job done on it by our mechanic about
two weeks ago, so the pads and rotors are still fairly new with only a
couple hundred miles on them. Coming down a 12% grade near my house this
morning I had to do some serious threshold braking to avoid a moron
pulling out in front of me. Made it home safely despite greatly reduced
braking capability, but the left front brake was smoking and smelled
terrible, and the right front was really hot (but not yet smoking).

So, the question is: Does smoking fairly new brakes completely ruin
their braking ability, or will they be fine once they cool down? I'm
concerned that it might have glazed the the pads, contributed (along
with heavy rain and big puddles) to rotor warping, or something along
those lines.

If they're permanently toast, I'm (carefully) taking it back to the shop
to have them redo it. If they'll be fine in a little while, I'm not
going to worry. If I won't be able to tell until I drive it next, I
guess I'll have to wait.

Thanks!

--
/ Garth - '83 GL V6stang Hatch <Former MW #7> \
| My V6stang: http://www.v6stang.com/v6stang |
| RAMFM Merchandise: http://www.cafeshops.com/ramfm |
\ Mail for secure reply information /

Garth Almgren opined in :

> A brake question, thankfully not about the Mustang, but the family minivan.
>
> First, the background: Had a brake job done on it by our mechanic about
> two weeks ago, so the pads and rotors are still fairly new with only a
> couple hundred miles on them. Coming down a 12% grade near my house this
> morning I had to do some serious threshold braking to avoid a moron
> pulling out in front of me. Made it home safely despite greatly reduced
> braking capability, but the left front brake was smoking and smelled
> terrible, and the right front was really hot (but not yet smoking).
>
> So, the question is: Does smoking fairly new brakes completely ruin
> their braking ability, or will they be fine once they cool down? I'm
> concerned that it might have glazed the the pads, contributed (along
> with heavy rain and big puddles) to rotor warping, or something along
> those lines.
>
> If they're permanently toast, I'm (carefully) taking it back to the shop
> to have them redo it. If they'll be fine in a little while, I'm not
> going to worry. If I won't be able to tell until I drive it next, I
> guess I'll have to wait.
>
> Thanks!
>

Yep, smaoking in itself means little; you'll have to wait, check for pulling
and pedal pulsing.

Frankly, there are at least 3 grades of pads and at least 2 of rotors...

The BEST reason for doing your own brakes is that you can then afford to use
the best materials... and it aint all that hard to do.



--
- Yes, I'm a crusty old geezer curmudgeon.. deal with it! -