08-14-2019, 03:02 PM | #1 |
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2011 X3 Front brakes binding
Just got a 2011 X3 with 97k on it and after it's been sitting for a couple of hours with parking brake applied when I drive off initially after going a couple of hundred yards the front brakes bind enough to almost bring the car to a halt. I know it's the front brakes as they get very hot where as the rear ones appear normal.
If I operate the brake pedal lightly at this point it "releases" and does not repeat for the remainder of the journey, until it's been parked up again and left for a couple of hours. I've had the brake fluid flushed and the front calipers serviced, with new pads fitted but it still happens. It has had a prolonged period of just sitting on the car lot from where it was purchased. Has anyone seen this before or have any bright ideas what I could do to determine the cause. Thanks in advance. |
08-14-2019, 03:33 PM | #2 |
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I would take the car back to the shop who did the brake pads/fluid flush- they should be able to diagnose; seems surprising they did not catch the issue when they initially did the service work.
It might be one of the caliper pistons is sticking, thus the brake pads not fully releasing from the rotor surface. FYI- the parking brake only actuates the rear brakes (it's all electric system with small motor on backside of each rear wheel's caliper). Good luck/Bill |
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08-15-2019, 12:34 PM | #3 |
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Bill thanks for the input, yes I have subsequently had the brake fluid replaced using a reputable shop and initially thought it had solved the issue, however it came back on drive off this morning albeit after a longer driving period (3-4 mins) and less severe. That would suggest that the interference between the pads and rotors is less than before. So when it happened, as before it felt like the braking force was applied to both sides equally and both rotors were equally hot. So that would suggest both caliper pistons are failing to release fully until the brake pedal is lightly applied. Is there any other component of the brake system which could cause residual pressure in the front brake circuit, or should I just replace both calipers?
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08-15-2019, 02:23 PM | #4 |
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Well I suppose it's possible the anti-lock brake (ABS) module could be involved, but I think that is highly unlikely.
It's seems odd/unlikely both L and R calipers have sticking pistons. I'd almost be wondering if those new front pads are not the correct part; typically best to look at most likely and simplest possible cause when troubleshooting, hmm... |
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08-15-2019, 03:30 PM | #5 |
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Did the brakes bind before servicing?
There can be a few "culprits" On our cars usually the biggest culprit are the sliding pin rubber guides. Over time, they deform. When replacing the brake pads, you can easily check them. When they go South, you will see heavy rubber deposit on the guide pins. The rubber guides are cheap, but can be tricky to replace. Will need grease to make them slide in the caliper. Also, the guide pins need to be cleaned or replaced if they are damaged (very rare). Also when replacing them, BMW advises against using grease on the sliding pins. The reason is, if you ever changed the rubber guides, you will notice that they are coated inside with a white dry grease (All these brake parts are usually ATE). Another one could be the brake line(s). They are made out of rubber and sometimes they can disintegrate from the inside, blocking fluid passage to the piston(s). In this case, only 1 piston is actuated, but when releasing the brake pedal, the fluid doesn't go back in the master cylinder (the damaged side) and stays there longer applying pressure on one piston. And the 3d situation could be a rusted/pitted piston. In this case you need to rebuild the brakes and you need new rubber seals. Not difficult, but if the pistons are damaged beyond repair, it's hard to find quality replacement brake pistons. Most of "rebuilt brake pistons" don't coat the pistons and they will fail rather quickly after a rebuild. 0.02
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08-16-2019, 12:09 PM | #7 | |
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I'll be doing this work over the Xmas period, but will do a follow up post so it may be of help to others as I've found absolutely nothing on the internet on this issue. Once again thanks, Fraser |
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08-16-2019, 01:58 PM | #8 |
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Drives: 2018 X3 M40i, 2012 X3 Xdrive35
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Sounds like it must be the master cylinder. For both front brakes to bind, it would not be the rubber brake lines nor would it be guide pins. The common source is the master cylinder or something withing the abs system.
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01-02-2020, 02:12 PM | #9 |
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Thanks 383Vette for that thought which I pondered on for a long while and came to the same conclusion. As I'd previously checked the front calipers and rotors and had the system professionally flushed I to came to the reasoning it must be the master cylinder as the probability of both sides binding at the same time was extremely remote. So got my self a Dorman M630919 master cylinder and fitted it, got the brakes re bled and in the last week it hasn't re occurred, so I think it's sorted.
Tried to do an autopsy on the old unit but couldn't get into it easily, but the action was rough when stroked unlike the new one, so something was wrong with the internals. Hope this helps others. Happy New year 2020 |
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08-07-2020, 04:50 PM | #10 |
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I have a 2012 and having the same issue. Only the front brakes are locking up. I have taken both front calipers off and greased the pins. They seem to be moving freely. Test drove it and still sticking. Changed the Master-cylinder bleed the air out, test drove it... still sticking... I am not sure what to do next. any advice?
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08-07-2020, 07:10 PM | #11 |
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Do you have the original brake lines still or replaced with oem or aftermarket stainless steel lines? If original, they might be partially collapsing and somewhat working as a one way valve.
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08-09-2020, 10:18 AM | #12 |
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Mark sure the brake pads are freely moving in the carrier most people are too lazy to clean the surface where the pads mount, best check is to get the brakes to “bind” jack car up and if possible use large screwdriver to pry outside pad away and try to spin wheel. If wheel free spins get in and hit brakes and see if it binds up again, if it does pull the pads and clean and grease the surface including the brake pins.
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02-26-2022, 10:53 AM | #13 | |
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Any suggestions are welcome. |
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02-26-2022, 08:00 PM | #15 |
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03-05-2023, 03:40 PM | #16 |
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I have the exact same problem on my F25 2013 X3 35i xdrive....I have been trying to find someone else with the same issue for some time and came across this post. Brakes are constantly binding and random times, sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't happen. Only thing that unsticks them is tapping the brake pedal. I will explore the potential fixes in this thread and repost my findings. This is a maddening problem especially with passengers in the car.
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09-14-2023, 12:54 PM | #17 |
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mayhewt11
mayhewt11.......I am having the same exact issue on my 2013 X3 F25 N20 engine....rear brakes binding....tapping the brake pedal is the only way to get the rear brakes free. Were you able to find the root cause and fix to your problem? thanks
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09-14-2023, 01:13 PM | #18 |
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marco polo
Here is everything I did to resolve the issue: Replaced master brake cylinder. It's not as hard as you'd think. It was popping and grinding when I took it out and pushed on it. Definitely needed that. I bled the brakes. This resolved the issue but eventually it started again. Replaced all rotors and pads, I made sure to add anti-sieze to the contact points between the pads AND the calipers so the mechanism can freely move back and forth when brakes are applied. Bled all 4 brakes properly, no air bubbles I have not had any issues since then. It was a nightmare for over a year and finally the car drives without issues. Interestingly enough, when I replaced the brakes completely, the cylinder inside of the caliper that pushes against the brake pedal thus causing the car to stop was really jammed in an awkward position, and this may have been the cause. When you replace the pads and rotors, you will have to use a clamp to depress that cylinder so you can reinstall the floating caliper. It takes moderate force but shouldn't be anything insane like it was for me. I ended up removing that caliper cylinder and putting it back in after cleaning it up, then bleeding the brakes really well. Hope this helps. |
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09-14-2023, 02:18 PM | #19 |
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mayhewt11
Hello mayhewt11,
Thanks for your quick reply.!!! Well, i have done the brake bleeding on all 4 wheels and only on the rear wheels also. tested both rear calipers to see if the piston releases and they only release when we released the brake lines on ABS module from the rear calipers.....they let go and wheel spins. They stick unless I do the pump brake pedal all the way in and/or pump the pedal. I got a hold of an Autel scanner and tried the ABS valve activation and pump motor activation on rear wheels. This activates valves and pump to identify brake lines as per the scanner. I did that about 6 times . Brake pedal felt softer and car worked fine until i got home. But the issue persisted next morning...shifted in drive and car didn't moved until i pushed on the brake pedal hard. With the suggested additional brake parts you changed , i dont think its my issue. (disk,caliper,pads,etc) What I think now that you mentioned it is hitting the master cylinder if space allows it just to see if maybe that does releases the brake fluid pressure. Another thing that i also want to try is to take the fuse of the ABS module and check the brakes if they are still getting stuck. |
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09-14-2023, 03:39 PM | #20 |
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Indeed my master cylinder was faulty, wish I took a video of it compressing next to a new one. I am still convinced that is what fixed it. I remain nervous as I know the problem could reappear any time.
When I was driving, it almost was as if the automatic handbrake engaged immediately after I let off the gas pedal at speeds above 60. Let me know how it goes with the master cylinder and/or the fuse, the fuse is a great idea, I didn't think of that! Try that first! |
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09-19-2023, 08:52 AM | #21 |
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mayhewt11
Well the tapping on the master cylinder didnt do nothing. The fuse for the ABS is something that can get complicated....i thought it would be one main fuse but their is about 10 fuses for the ABS. I didn't give it a try. Don't want to see a bunch of messages in the car.
Issue persist, rear wheels drag until i stop and push the pedal all the way down. My wife is suffering with this and i feel lost with this. I got a rear driver side caliper coming on the mail but the issue is not going to be fix with this caliper....we thought it was only that because we saw once the smoke coming from that side.... wish that maybe some other members could advice if they had same thing happened to them. |
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09-20-2023, 01:07 PM | #22 |
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What do you mean tapping on the master cylinder? I had to replace the whole thing. As for my problem, I do fear it happened slightly over the weekend, it wasn't severe and could be in my head. I also wish some more people would explain this issue, we cannot be the only ones!
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