Possible binding brakes responsible for poor MPG???

[Crasher]

The metal surfaces of the caliper carrier that the pads slide on. I don’t mean to be rude but are you sure you should be taking the brakes to pieces, they are a matter of life and death…

[Jonny88]

OK cheers. Well that's the exact reason I'm asking. I like to do as much maintenance as I can on my car but if I'm unsure of what I'm doing I won't tackle it, especially when we're talking about brakes! If I don't ask, I won't learn.

Thanks for your help Crasher.

[vwcabriolet1971]

The problem with the front brakes could be rusty carrier pad surfaces , binding caliper guide pins or corroded caliper pistons or a problem with the piston seals. The only thing that pushes the pads ( & caliper) back off the discs is the piston seals. These seals deflect when the brakes applied. When the brakes are released it is the elasticity of the stretched seals that returns the pads / Caliper to the normal free position. It doesn't take much Stiction / binding to stop this happening. A good cleanup of the pads & carrier surfaces would normally fix this kind of problem . But if the pistons can be pushed back a few times and the caliper guide pins cleaned and lubed then so much the better. If you've never had any DIY experience before then as Crasher says don't start on the brakes.

[Jonny88]

Thanks for that. I've got plenty of experience with DIY just not with brakes. So don't think I'll be taking them on anytime soon. Cheers for your help.

[Jonny88]

So I took the car down to the garage for a free brake check this morning. Had a call later, the long and the short of it is that I need new discs and pads on both front wheels (the pad was stuck in the carrier on the drivers side and badly worn) and a new calliper to replace the seized one on the rear near side wheel. So essentially the only wheel that didn't need any work was the free wheeling one in the first place.

[wid77]

The sliders allow the pads to move back and forth as they're applied. The clips can be removed easily.

[Jonny88]

Hi guys,

Apologies firstly for this thread rearing it's ugly head again.

I'm going mad because I can't seem to find any reason why my economy is so bad. Did a bit of driving round town earlier today. "Sedately" is an understatement! Never exceeded 2200rpm, fewer gear changes as possible, mostly flat. All that gave me the great return of 22 MPG!! I would expect to be getting something like 40+. Have also done motorway driving and not noticed any considerable increase at all.

Anyway I had the intercooler replaced recently (as you may have seen from this post https://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/s...d.php?t=110545) as it was leaking. When it was done I had the entire pipework (as far as possible) checked for leaks or poor seals and all seemed alright. I've had a load of work done on my brakes (as I thought they might have been the reason (needed new discs and pads and a new calliper anyway)) but all this seems to have made no difference.

Anyway, a mate got into my car the other day and the first thing he said was "should your turbo sound like that??". He was questioning the hissing that I've posted about previously (above link to thread) that I thought might be the reason for the poor economy. However as stated I have had the intercooler replaced as it was leaking and was what I thought was providing the hissing noise.

Anyway the long and the short of it all is, I've had all of the potential reasons explored and as a result discounted and am still left wondering what could be going on???

Could the turbo be on it's way out or do they just suddenly go??? Do correct me if I'm wrong (which is quite possible!), but leaking air would mean a less efficient burn and therefore reduced economy?? Thus meaning that if I can source the leak and fix it (if that is the problem), maybe my economy should return to normal figures as a result??

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated guys.

Thanks a lot and sorry again to bother you all with this uninteresting topic.

J.

[herby0001]

Yes, you're right, your economy will be being affected by an air leak, as there is too much fuel for the amount of air the engine is getting. As it's escaping, you'll be getting a significant amount of black smoke out your exhaust, even under moderate acceleration (or 'exhilaration' as someone recently wrote, though those two words, oh and maybe 'desperation', could be closely related when it comes to cars!)

Have you checked your vacuum hoses? I vaguely remember a not-so-recent thread where a a guy had issues and traced it to a vacuum hose to the turbo. Worth a look maybe?