Brake Smell ?

[adren77]

I recently replaced my front brakes. I had my rotors faced, and I put on OEM brake pads. Sometimes when I park after I have been driving there is a smell like something is burning.

I had a similar problem with my 200sx few years back. My front brake pads were sticking and it smelled really bad, but eventually it went away. The smell coming from this car is very comparable.

On this car, it didn't start right after I changed the brakes. I am also noticing it more and more frequently. The car rolls find when in neutral, so the brakes don't appear to be sticking. I also haven't noticed any change in the brake feel. There is also no change of color on the brake rotors. I am wondering if this smell is coming from the brakes in the first place. Could it be my clutch? I have smelled clutch before and it didn't smell like this. I don't drive hard, and my shifts are very smooth and fast, so I don't think the clutch would smell that bad even if it was because of bad driving. It doesn't smell like tires, but it could be. I recently got a new set of Blizzak WS-60's. The smell is definitely coming from the front end of the car because that's where it smells the most. Sometimes when I pull up at a light, or park my car for a while, I can smell it inside the car too.

Anybody experience something similar to this? What could it be?

Thanks in advance!

[rn79870]

Great big guess here...(I'm not a brake expert.)Did you have the brakes done, or did you do it yourself? It sounds (smells)as if there might be a caliper not fully disengaging. Did you rebuild your calipers too? I can think of a few other possibilities too, from e brake to VDC but I'm not knowledgable on those things and couldn't guess. Are your rotors showing signs of heat damage?

I think it's time to jack up the car and remove the tires and take a good look.

[Beezer]

How many miles since the brakes were replaced? Its perfectly normal to have the odour just after a brake a job but it should dissipate once they are worn in.

[W661335PF]

There may be several possibilities, and here are a few that initially came to mind:

** You of course replaced them in pairs (sounds like a stupid question, but I've known people to replace only one side and not the other, which may overheat the new pads)-- judging from other posts of yours, do seem to know your stuff tho, so no disrespect intended (we ask what seems like silly questions in our practice, but the answers yield valuable insights))

** fluid restriction to one side and not the other, resulting in excessive use of one set of pads as opposed to the other

** you may have a leaky cylinder, which isn't uncommon. The fluid can then be slung everywhere and burnt off every time you brake

** brakes did not seat properly-- it generally can take up to 500 miles for brakes to bed or seat properly/evenly, and it has to be done at a slow rate as opposed to using a jarring pace. G owners as a lot tend to ride hard

** was the back of the pads relubed to avoid the clicking and back and forth motion? This can at times cause premature and uneven brake wear

** Is there a rubbing sound coming from anywhere in the car while you drive?

there are several other possibilities, of course, but try looking into these first. Good luck and hope this helps.

[infinititech1]

driving with the parkin brake up a little bit?

[c_anderson117]

Could you go into the scenario with the caliper not fully disengaging? I'm also having a brake smell and if I put my hand up to it after driving it is very hot (I can actually feel it on my leg as I walk by the back wheel). A few months ago that caliper seized and I had the pins pulled out, also 2 new pads and resurfaced rotors.

Sorry to jack the thread but I didn't want to start a new one for the same problem.

[telcoman]

Could you go into the scenario with the caliper not fully disengaging? I'm also having a brake smell and if I put my hand up to it after driving it is very hot (I can actually feel it on my leg as I walk by the back wheel). A few months ago that caliper seized and I had the pins pulled out, also 2 new pads and resurfaced rotors.

Sorry to jack the thread but I didn't want to start a new one for the same problem.

Had the same problem twice with my 92 Lexus. Sticky caliper. First touch all four tires before touching rims. Any warm tires are on hot rims so don't burn yourself. If the tires get hot enough they can burst into flame & set the entire vehicle on fire. I have AAA with 100 mi of free towing so I had the vehicle flatbedded to the dealer.You may need to replace the caliper?

Telcoman

[c_anderson117]

So if my tire gets hot enough it will catch on fire? Eeek

[joe603]

Are you sure its your brakes?? It could be clutch your smelling....

[c_anderson117]

^^^If you were asking me I have an auto.