Brakes heat up on excessive downhill .no one knows

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johnf_456, Feb 1, 10:28am
He actually drives cars often actually and tows a boat IIRC, he does not just ride bikes only.
sr2, Feb 1, 11:51am
Just a few pointers here from someone who worked for some time in the brake industry, (originally worked at PBR in Australia then trained staff for APPCO in NZ). I??
sr2, Feb 1, 11:52am
Just a few more pointers to address some of the ???advice ???offered so far, (not meaning to offend anyone).It??
ginga4lyfe, Feb 1, 12:06pm
here is a question that may prove fruitfull, have you at all applied any anti-squeel stuff to the back of the brake pads! I know when that stuff gets hot it smells horrible!
johnf_456, Feb 1, 7:14pm
Didn't think of that, especially until it burns off.
footplate1, Feb 1, 8:40pm
It doesn't add anything to the debate but, when we were in Tibet, the driver of our 4wd Toyota used to stop at a stream at the bottom of steep hils and apply buckets of water to the wheels.The steam that came off was amazing.But I often wondered what chilled water did to the hot metal.I seem to recall that it can make it brittle.
sr2, Feb 1, 8:55pm
A very quick way to warp your rotors!
mechnificent, Feb 1, 11:35pm
There are hills outside of Orkland Biker.

I have driven and ridden over the ranges heaps when I was younger. There is nothing about them that should cause heat build up on a vehicle that is being driven moderatly.

As has been suggested by a couple of others and myself, the heat builds up because the brakes are dragging and they don't get a chance to cool off between applications.
mrfxit, Feb 2, 3:45am
Agreed . It's the WHY, thats the hassle.
Best place to start is an inspection by a pro or a very talented home mechanic.

.( I got my hand up but probably not going to do me much good)
marte, Feb 2, 3:51am
Whats probably happening is the water in the brake lines heats up,
expands,
turns to steam,
causes pressure in the lines,
that pressure pushes on the brake pads,
causing them to rub
& heat up even more.

The heating up is whats happened by the sound (& smell ) of it.

The brakes have went 'ON' & now rub, loosing the ability to slow down the car.
They may also pull to one side (depending on the setup)

I learnt all of this thru experience, then I went to Midas & they explained the theory behind it.
I paid them to fix everything & most importantly.

'Vacuum bleed' the brakes only
& change the brake fluid when you buy the car
& change it everytime you are supposed to.
mechnificent, Feb 2, 5:40am
Marte, there are to problems with your theory.
First the pressure does not build up. Once you let your foot off the brakes the fluid returns up the pipes as it always does unless there is something preventing it returning up the pipes . like swollen rubber hoses, blocked return port, misadjusted pedal or master-cylinder as has already been mentioned.

The second thing is that water in the brake fluid is getting to be far rarer than it once was. All modern cars have sealed resivoirs. almost no air gets in there. Unless the vehicle is really old or the master cylinder's lid is missing then there is almost no likelyhood of moisture in the brake-fluid being a problem.
scuba, Feb 2, 5:45am
your taking the piss yeah!

somebody actually believes what they say!
clark20, Feb 2, 6:04am
Vacuum bleed only! No, think about how the seals work, they get pressure on them which pushes them out to seal on the bore (that's why they are cups, not O rings), you apply a vacuum and they suck in, making it easy for air to get introduced into the system.
johnf_456, Feb 2, 6:13am
Go back to school
sr2, Mar 1, 12:16pm
+1. I couldn??