Roger-- YACT on 92 Buick Park Avenue

[VirginiaDonkey]

I have a 92 Buick park Avenue that until recently had been fine. I started getting a burning rubber smell from the left front wheel area after I have driven 15-20 miles, and it seems to be worse when I have used the brakes a lot ( hilly terrain)

I also noticed that the wheel felt hot and if I spit on it, the spit would boil off, so my first thought was to replace the caliper. I did replace the caliper and the pads. the rotor was left alone because i get no shimmy or pulsing when I apply the brakes.

I still get the smell, so I checked the suspension/wheel bearing and it all seemed tight.

Other than the brake dragging (it shouldn't be doing that since I just replaced the caliper/brake hose), I am at a loss to what it could be. The drive belt is on the other side of the car so its definately not that.

Thanks in advance

 

[MichaelD]

There are a lot of "burning smells" that emanate from a car. I will assume that you are correctly indentifying the smell. I.E. it IS burning rubber rather than antifreeze or wiring. Each has a unique smell.

Sounds like the tire is rubbing on something. Is it inflated to the car manufacturer's recommended pressure? Measure when the tire is cold. I.E. hasn't been driven on in a few hours. It is the correct size tire, right? Not some 24" rap gangster rim jobbie, right?

 

[Vette73]

Does the rotor get red hot? Also does the the car have ABS?

With the wheel getting hot it does not sound like the tire is rubbing but that the braks are dragging. Could be sticking ABS pump, Proportioning valve, etc... Did you bleed the brakes and look at teh fluid? Alsod jack up the car have someone hit the brakes and let off thentry and turn the wheel and see if they are sticking. Also did you see signs of anything rubbing inside the wheel well?

 

[VirginiaDonkey]

Thanks for the replies.....

I am 90% sure its not anti freeze...it doesnt have that sweetish smell and I am not losing any coolant. There is only one set of wires in the wheel area and that is for the ABS wheel sensor and that looks ok.

The rotor does not get red hot, but I am using semi-metallic pads and that is probably adding some heat. I don't see any contact with the tire on anything.

I did bleed the brakes when I changed the rotor and the fluid was brown. I did not bleed the entire system, I just bled it until all the air bubbles were gone.

as far as the ABS pump sticking....could be, I have no way to test it (maybe disconnecting it/disable the ABS?)

keep the ideas comin!

 

[CraigRT]

are there any obvious signs of wear on the tire?
if it's burning rubber, and it happens often, you will be able to find the spot where it's coming from I woudl think rather easily.. if the tire is wearing and rubber is burning off, you could have one hell of a safety risk man..

 

[VirginiaDonkey]

Thanks Craig,
No, the tire looks fine....I even rotated the tires just in case there was something I was missing.

I am just concerned that it is a seal that is overheating, but so far nothing is obvious

 

[Demon-Xanth]

It sounds like a caliper is binding. You can probably grease the bolts holding it on and fix it.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
It sounds like a caliper is binding. You can probably grease the bolts holding it on and fix it.

He put a brand new caliper on and nothing changed.

At this point I'd start wondering about wheel bearings. If the bearings are going and have lost their lube, they could be overheating. Just a thought.

ZV

 

[VirginiaDonkey]

Thats my concern too....but conventional wisdom says there should be play in the wheel, right?

 

Run this test for me ;

Jack up the front drivers side (use jack stands and wheel chocks), set the E-brake and put the car in nuetral, now rotate the front wheel with your hands, it should rotate freely, if it does not, you have a stuck caliper, a faulty ABS block or your rubber lines leading to the caliper are swollen shut preventing the brake fluid from returning to the master cylnder or you have a faulty residual valve inside the master cylinder or your wheel bearings are adjusted too tight.

If it rotates freely, grab the top and bottom of the tire and rock it from top to bottom, if there is movement, your wheel bearings need adjustment or replacement.

Report back to me with your results.