Rich Posted October 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 Also when I took them apart again last week I noticed the rust on the discs had worn down those areas on the pads, so only the raised parts are in contact with the rest of the disc now. Not got any judder or noises coming from them so they seem fine. I'm baffled by this smell, I might see if Joe has a minute spare to take a look when I drop the 5 off, he might recognise it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 Good idea..... As sad as it is we can recognize smells like pads/ binding/ clutch and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 I got home last night and the smell was there. I decided to drive to work this morning through the lanes and one of the roads is a mile long with speed bumps all the way along so I did lots of braking. I got to work and I got a slight whiff of the smell so it must be hot brakes. Maybe I'm just being paranoid now but I'll see what happens at the MOT on Saturday. The last thing I can do really is replace the handbrake shoes and remove all the clips/springs and give the whole area a good clean. I might as well replace the cable on that side as well but I'll see if it gets any worse first. Also I am not feeling the love for these Vred tyres any more, the traction control keeps kicking in on damp roads now when pulling away and they still have a few mm of tread left! I'm putting the winter wheels on this week so they'll hopefully last next summer and then I'm replacing all 4 tyres. They are tramlining again as well, I hate that feeling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Without direct evidence of a brake problem i'm surprised you still think it's the brakes... You've done all there is to be done to them and the fit looks perfect, no uneven wear, no glazing and no binding.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Without direct evidence of a brake problem i'm surprised you still think it's the brakes... You've done all there is to be done to them and the fit looks perfect, no uneven wear, no glazing and no binding.... Maybe I should drive home like miss daisy with minimal braking (difficult in an auto!) and see if it's there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 I've worked on brakes all my life and if you were my customer i would be pulling my hair out because they are perfect. It's not like i could say lets try this or that because there is nothing more to try.... You need someone like Joe to smell the smell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 I've worked on brakes all my life and if you were my customer i would be pulling my hair out because they are perfect. It's not like i could say lets try this or that because there is nothing more to try.... You need someone like Joe to smell the smell. I think you are right! The trouble is you have to get out of the car and smell it immediately otherwise it disappears! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liner33 Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Without direct evidence of a brake problem i'm surprised you still think it's the brakes... You've done all there is to be done to them and the fit looks perfect, no uneven wear, no glazing and no binding.... Maybe I should drive home like miss daisy with minimal braking (difficult in an auto!) and see if it's there. its worth a try , go out later when the roads are quieter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 I tried that and the smell wasn't as noticeable although if you had a good sniff there was a whiff of it! I swapped the wheels yesterday for the winter ones and the wheel spins freely but there is a rubbing noise, although it's no worse than the other side. Got the MOT tomorrow so will see what happens! I noticed one of the summer tyres had 2 nails in it! Only tiny ones so I'll leave them as I'll be changing the tyres after next summer anyway. We seem to be picking up a few recently, the Civic has had them as well. I brought the wheels inside to give a coat of opti-seal and inflate them - I used a spare battery with a 12v adapter for my compressor. No sitting outside for me! But the missus didn't look happy! I think it was Nick who asked for photos of the disc/drum so see below. I also cut that part of the guard out to make sure it's not rubbing on anything. While the front wheels were off yesterday I checked the compliance bush that has slowly been coming out of the arm. It's got worse since last year but I've had no knocking and the handling seems ok but I'll change it next year. I've had the bush since I bought the car nearly 2 years ago! I think it should only get an advisory and it'll fail if it's separated from the arm completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMARTLY Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 Are those cracks in the disc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 No just marks from where the car has been parked up for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickT Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 Are those cracks in the disc? I was going to ask the same question too The edges of the discs look rusty. Have you got it back together again or can you take a pic of the brake pads on the discs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 There are some photos a bit further back in this thread Nick. The pads I've fitted are genuine, the ones they replaced are slightly smaller, hence the rusty edges. They've now worn the edges of the pads so the rest of it is making contact with the surface of the brake disc. They definitely aren't cracks as I noticed them myself. Got the MOT in half an hour so fingers crossed. The old pads had done 14k miles and were fitted by a company called Wheels In Motion, in Cambridge! Note to self - Coolant topped up to max! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liner33 Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 ~good luck on mot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickT Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 Good luck Rich, it's about time you had some Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 Passed! Got an advisory on that bush but I knew that anyway. I think I need to change it now really before winter is here. I'm hoping the bolts come out ok, one of them is known for seizing in the bush! Then it's either buy a press kit or take it down the garage. The brakes are ok and after 60 miles on mainly the M25 and A roads the smell was a little stronger. The wheel was cold and disc/hub just warm so I'm baffled. Think I'll just keep an eye on that for now. The noise I was getting from under the car was the top CAT shield, one bolt hole had rusted away. He wrapped some wire around it and the bottom shield to hold it in place. Sorted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2016 I've hardly used the car since it passed the MOT as the missus has been using it but I went out in it last night to get some petrol. The last tankful she got 19mpg and this one was 22mpg, it's thirsty around town! I had forgotten how quick the car is, it pulls really well so I went for a blat before going home and worked the brakes as well. She has only smelt that smell a couple of times and after using the brakes heavily all the wheels were warm but not hot so I think the smell is coming from the exhaust, it just seems stronger from the wheel area. It was there when I got home so maybe the cat is at fault or could an O2 sensor cause it? It's not a sweet or petrol smell but is really hard to describe, could it be oil burning? The car does use abit of oil, which is normal. I switched from Esso fuel to Shell last year and that's not helped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam_r Posted February 23, 2016 Report Share Posted February 23, 2016 Is it slightly rotton eggy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2016 I have read about cats causing that rotten egg smell but it's more like a burning, that's why I suspected brakes to start with. If by rotten egg it should smell foul then I don't think it does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 Reads like the catalytic converter to me..... If they don't get hot then they stink like rotten eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 I think it might be. The missus hasn't really smelt it and she doesn't rev the car like me! She went to Surrey the other day and it was fine. I'm wondering if it might only be happening when vtec opens, even though it has a short range, which I think is 6-7k rpm, so it doesn't get used that much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted February 26, 2016 Report Share Posted February 26, 2016 Short journeys and thermal shock are the cat killers basically they don't work until their really hot hence the accumulation of odour...Saying that the cat isn't a mechanical component as such so a good blast down the motorway will clear it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2016 I did a little experiment on Friday night when I dropped Josh off to youth club. I took it easy going there (A roads and M25) and there was no smell but on the way back I switched to semi auto mode and took the revs into the vtec range so red-lining it almost. When I got home the smell was there and I stuck my nose in the tailpipe, it's definitely from here but strongest around the OSR wheel, so possibly to do with the backbox. The exhaust is a genuine Honda one that I bought new 2 years ago. When I picked Josh up I kept the revs under 4k rpm and there was no smell. We went out yesterday and the missus was driving so the revs stayed under 6k rpm and again no smell. I'm sure when you hit vtec the engine uses more oil so it must be something to do with this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted February 29, 2016 Report Share Posted February 29, 2016 No i don't think so..... At low revs the cat is containing the sulphur so actually doing it's job, whereas when you boot the RPM the heat is trying to clear the cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liner33 Posted February 29, 2016 Report Share Posted February 29, 2016 Could just be heat, I wouldnt worry too much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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