Burning Smell

[RedWolf]

Hello,

Yesterday, took a fairly short drive and noticed a burning smell and a small amount of smoke coming from one of the rear tires on the passenger side. Took a quick look in the area and didn't see anything amiss but need to dig deeper; didn't see any issues w/the exhaust & it seemed like the the brake pad may have gotten stuck. I drove around the block a little bit and the car seemed to drive fine again. Does anyone have any ideas on what to look for and/or possible culprits? Any ideas much appreciated as I'm not very mechanical.

[DUCeditor]

I suggest jacking up the front end and spinning the wheel you think may be the cause. Do you hear the brake dragging?

If so it is natural for it to seem OK now that it has cooled down. But if it is dragging it will heat up again when you drive and the problem will return.

I had that happen once on a Saab. When I pulled over to examine the source of the burning smell small flames were liking around the brake caliper. These extinguished with 15 seconds or so and when (after having the car towed in for service) I described what I saw to my mechanic he disbelieved me.

If this interpretation is correct you have two things that will need attention. 1) The likely need to rebuild the brake caliper and 2) to see if the heat has warped the disc itself.

Fortunately brake parts for a Spider are not expensive and this is work that can be done by most any mechanic.

Don't close your eyes to the problem. If the brake is dragging the problem will return and based in every known natural law this will occur at the worst possible time.

-don

[majicwrench]

Take it jfor another decent drive and then (carefully) touch both the wheels. If one is hotter than the other Houston you have a problem. Most likely brake dragging, could be an issue with park brake cable, or with caliper itself. Remove park cable first or at least make darn sure it is not tight. Spin rotor, is it tight? Compare to other side. Push PB lever back, does it spin easier??
Rip and tear,
Keith

[azruss]

DONT TOUCH! If the brakes get hot enough to smell, you just need to get close to feel the heat. Ask me how i know this

[GeorgeT]

Replace the flex hoses. These hoses have a habit of failing internally and then acting as a one-way valve for brake fluid - when you apply the brakes, fuild goes to the calipers but then the "valve" in the bad hose woun't let the pressure release. Be sure to replace the center hose at the compensator also.

[RedWolf]

Thanks for all the responses - I did verify last night that the wheels are not blocked by the brakes now; did a short test drive and the problem did not re-occur. However, I did not drive as long the other day; would a longer drive where more heat would build up tend to point toward one of the potential issues listed in this thread?

[124ADDHE]

Good suggestions above! Also lube those caliper sliders every oil change with good high-temp grease. Also the handbrake cable can rust, lithium grease once a year does the trick. Also the rear calipers are kinda prone to internal seizing if the car hasnt been used much.

[RedWolf]

Thanks for the advice - looks like parking park was the culprit.