Brake pedal height

Steve C

Member
Good morning to all, i have a 3500 v8 auto, and have a question regarding front brakes.
I am sure my front brakes are not fully moving away from the discs, they are not binding at all, but enough to make a very annoying low pitched grinding noise when driving, I have checked the pads, discs, shims, pins etc also well coated with copper grease.
I have now checked my brake pedal height ( having read on the forum various items on this), my pedal sits at 6" from the floor, which is low according to what i have read.
Could this low height be related to the brakes not being fully released? and if so is it just a case of release the lock nut and adjust the push rod to move the pedal up.
Many thanks Steve.
 
If you have the requisite free play the height should not be relevant to brakes dragging. Book says bottom of pedal pad should be 6.5-6.75" above the FLOOR - ie, bare floor, free of carpet. As you say, undo the locknut, screw pushrod until correct height achieved. Free play should be ~ 1/16". A grinding noise would indicate the disc surface needs work, or there is grit in the pad? There maybe a m/cyl issue, or the caliper pistons have corroded surfaces, preventing them from retracting properly. Check the temperature of the front wheels after a decent run - more just a run around the block. A good way to test for brake drag is to get on an empty stretch of very slight downhill road, drop gear into neutral and let it roll to a halt - brake drag will show up as a small lurch as the car stops. If you dont feel a lurch, brakes are not dragging. If you do feel a lurch, feel the wheels for heat.
 
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Hi, To be satisfy yourself the master cylinder is releasing, do a headstand in the footwell and pull the rubber boot back off the master cylinder and check that the piston comes back and touches the circlip.

Colin
 
Adjusted the pedal height, and as usual you are right, noise still there. very low pitched grinding noise, passengers say they can not hear it, but i know its there, need to do more checks.
 
Had my brakes looked at this week as the car was very sluggish, o/s/f calliper was binding, indication was a grinding noise. Symptomatic of lazy calliper, car stood for 18 to 24 months so time for some new callipers for peace of mind (and stopping ability) so not going to skimp on this job.........surcharges included but worth it to keep the car roadworthy me thinks.
 
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