Zucc-meh

Hello Z fam,

So i went to Japan for a month, yes it was amazing. When i came back, I pulled the Z out for a drive and noticed some drag. After making it about 5 mins from my house I could tell something wasn’t right.

I pulled over and noticed a lot of heat coming from the rear passenger wheel. I assumed it was the brake caliper, maybe it seized I thought, maybe even the E-brake. Regardless it was hot..and i mean hot.

I got it home took off the caliper, it was still just as hard to spin, (car in neutral and e-brake off).
I then proceeded to take off the rotor to check the e-brake. e-brake was fine and engaged. There is no sound from the wheel bearing on this side so I suppose I’m ruling that out for now.
*** FYI, I replaced all brake pads in the rear (Hawk), new rotors (duralast?), new e/brake shoes, and a new caliper on the rear passenger side in question. Also, a new wheel bearing installed by a shop on the rear passenger side. ***

Im kind of stuck at this point as I don’t have much experience with axles/differential/ though am trying to learn now. My friend thinks it may be the differential? But only on this side??

I’d really appreciate any advice or help at this point from anyone who’s experienced something like this or might have any knowledge how to attack this from here. Thanks so much in advance.

~~~


(My other car (4runner) is giving problems at the same time so this is a bit time sensitive unfortunately, but hey life is life and im still stoked to own the Z, most reliable car I’ve ever owned)

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Welcome- from your description, I sounds like the e-brake is sticking. Did you check it both before and AFTER you released engagement from the cockpit? Outside that, was the driver's side brake caliper/rotor as hot as the PS? Concentrate your efforts on the side that's sticking. It could also be that the caliper seals are toast and need to be rebuilt.

bre240z

so it was fine before changing all the brake parts?

Zucc-meh

Hi,

Thanks so much for replying and the welcome.
As i mentioned, the rotor is off of the car and the hub is still dragging. Takes a grown mans strength to spin the lug mounts even an inch, without the rotor on. I was aware the e-brake functions by expanding onto the interior of the rotor when activated in the cockpit. Now that the rotor is off, there is nothing for the e-brake shoes to grab on to. NOTE: The driver’s side rear wheel assembly/brakes/rotor was not hot at all, normal temp after a 5 min drive. I hope this helps. I have ruled out the e-brake at this point and have passed that point. Looking forward to your reply. Thanks

Zucc-meh

Yes, and after. Though please note I drove the car around once a week or two for a year after doing all the mentioned work. Thats why im so confused. As it ran great without this problem a month before i left for my trip. I do live in Hawaii so things tend to seize more here, rust accumulates faster becomes of the salt in the air.
Thanks for your time

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

So, you've ruled out the e-brake and calipers as the main cause of the drag. You mentioned the PS wheel bearing before and also thought it was OK. I suggest you continue to closely examine at the drive units on that side, from the bearing, hub, axle and onto the differential if need be. How many miles are on this Z?

Zucc-meh

Thanks for the reply. Yes, so thats where I’m at. I realize already I need to examine these parts beyond the hub as anyone should diagnosing. The reason i started this thread was to see if anyone in the community has dealt with these symptoms and is able to provide any advice from their endeavors thereafter on what may be the root issue here. It seems its beyond the hub…
I’m not super experienced beyond the hub but i guess its time to research! Also , this Z has 214k but pretty babied after the first owner, i bought it at 127k

icer5160

iTrader: (4)

Hi Zucc,

I still suspect something is off with the brakes on the rear PS side. Note that it's totally normal for it to be difficult to rotate the rear wheel hubs (with wheels/brakes off) because of the drag from the differential. I had a fun time spinning the output shafts on my rear diff when I was re-installing the axles after major maintenance. One obvious item to check if you have the non-brembo calipers would be the brake pad anti-drag spring clips. I know these are for sure on the front pads, I can't remember if they are also on the rears (I think they are). These clips need to be installed in a specific way, otherwise the brake pads could be dragging on the rotors when you're not braking. I know you already replaced the entire brake caliper, but I would still inspect the slide pins and make sure everything moves smoothly/freely.

What's the trim level of your Z? Brembo or non-brembo brakes? Make sure you got the correct size rear rotors & pads for your calipers (did you compare the new to the old?). I would adjust your e-brake star wheel down until there's zero drag on the rotor hat (Note: You can re-adjust this to the correct index by simply repeat pulling the e-brake handle in the vehicle). Also inspect your rear dust shield & wheel speed sensors. Make sure there's no contact between the rotor and dust shield. Since you had the wheel bearing replaced there already, I assume they didn't find anything out of the ordinary with the axle. I've never seen it happen, but it's possible for road debris to get wrapped up on the axle between the small dust shield (press fit on the axle) and wheel bearing at the inner hub.

Good Luck! I hope you track down the source, I just find it hard to believe you're still having this issue after doing all the right things...
1) Replaced brake caliper
2) Replaced brake rotor
3) Replaced brake pads
4) Replaced e-brake shoes & re-adjusted.
5) Replaced wheel bearing

At this point, I'm thinking user error? I don't know what else it could be.
Cheers
-Icer