Brake and coolant problem after collision. Need help

[CrazyInteg]

I was involved in a collision a month ago. I hit the front driver's wheel at about 35 MPH. I had to replace a bunch of suspension stuff. I finally got it all finished and took my baby out for a spin. I notice two problems now.

1) Front drivers brakes have an issue. The brake pedal doesn't move much, and if I hit the brakes hard the car pulls hard to the left. It's like the caliper isn't fully open and the pads are almost touching the rotor. Can I "reset" that caliper?

2) The passenger side carpet is wet. It doesn't dry out either!! The car overheated while driving. Fluid is full, and I even changed the thermostat. I can look in the radiator at idle and see the coolant flowing around. I'm thinking there's something wrong in the heater core area. Any ideas on what could have happened? I'm going to try a heater core bypass and see if that fixes it.

I appreciate any constructive comments. Thanks!

[amolao]

Today's word is: "Inspection"

1) Take tire off and inspect brake assembly for proper operation. Double check the bleeding and for any brake or hub components making contact or getting stuck.

2) Inspect for coolant leaks in the passenger area. Sounds like it might be a bad line going to core. Does the wet spot smells like coolant??The overheating might be air in the cooling system.

[CrazyInteg]

No it does not really smell like coolant. We broke a 130 year record for rainfall in October though. But the last 3 days there has not been any rain, I have left the windows open 24/7, and the carpet is still wet. Not damp, I'm talking WET. My dad is telling me that coolant doesn't dry up like water, the carpet will always feel wet.

How can I get air pockets out of my coolant passageways?

[amolao]

You have a water leak, maybe is just not enough temp and ventilation for it to dry. Pull carpet, inspect windshield.... You can sit in the car and have your Dad outside with a water hose spraying suspected spots until you see water coming in.

Refill coolant system, search the FSM or here for different methods. If you have the DOHC, is very tricky when it comes to get the all the bubbles out...

[MoSinister]

(basically expanding on amolao here...)The brake pads ride on the rotor. That is, they are always in contact. But there shouldn't be any clamping pressure while the pedal isn't depressed. I'd start with jacking the car up and spinning the wheel. It should spin fairly easily. Compare it to the other front wheel in terms of spinning. If it seems to "catch" at any point, there could be a problem with a warped rotor or other alignment issue. Were the pads/rotor changed at the same time as the suspension pieces you replaced? Inspect the brake lines. Make sure they aren't getting crimped/pinched or have any other noticable damage. Pull and inspect the pads for uneven wear (if not already replaced at the time of the suspension pieces) and damage.

Regards.

[CrazyInteg]

Sorry guess I should say the car was sitting on jackstands the whole month while it was raining. So it might have leaked through the cracked windshield or windows (or heater core could be leaking)

My 91 240sx has S13 SR20DET

[amolao]

:hide

[CrazyInteg]

Alright, I didn't fill it properly. I see there is an air valve that I need to open. I'll give that a shot and see what happens. Then Saturday I'll try the heater core bypass.

For the brakes, I think I may just take it into a shop. I don't really have any free time, leaving the country next month.

[CrazyInteg]

Fixed the overheating problem. Broken fan relay. It sits right by the wheel well of the wheel that was hit in the collision.

How I diagnosed it. Ran the car in the driveway for 10 minutes. Temperature holds rock steady, fans never come on. Drove on the internstate in 3rd gear to see if it was caused by high RPMs. Nope ran fine. Get off the interstate, some red lights before I can get back on the interstate and the car's temp starts to rise quickly. Once I get back on the interstate it drops back down to normal. Get off the interstate, it raises again. I come home, and wiggle the relay around. The fans come on, and it cools down. Actually the cap (?) of the relay came off, and I had to push some things inside together and the fans stayed on as long as I pushed the contacts together. So today I'll get a new relay, and call up a brake place to fix the brakes tomorrow.

Then my baby goes into storage until 2008, and I'm flying around the world. Thanks for the advice fellas!!