Out for a ride today and on the way home, I started feeling an intermittent vibration in the foot pegs and hearing a groaning sound. It was the same kind of feeling when you're dragging a large stick caught underneath the machine. I was able to nurse the beast home, and it appears that my rear brake was dragging - got the hot break smell and of course the rotor and the right side of the axle were hot to the touch. Anybody got any ideas as to why the initial symptoms were intermittent (with a dragging brake, I would have thought that it would be a steady groan) and what might be causing the brake to drag? Both rear brake levers (hand and foot) feel normal.

 

Just for the heck of it, I would take a guess at contaminated brake fluid. I would flush out the lines with some fresh clean fluid and take it on another ride.

 

Ninty5Wolverine, thanks for the feedback. Probably a good time to pull the caliper off and have a look at the pads too. I bought the machine used a couple of years ago and don't know when the brakes were last serviced.

 

I suggested a fluid change because brake fluid is hydroscopic, and I know it easily absorbs water. I was guessing as the lines heated up from the engine heat water in the line would expand and cause the piston to push out a little.

 

Yeah, funny thing. I had to move my machine in the garage today. The machine was cold and I had it in neutral so I could just push it around. I realized that the brake wasn't dragging. I think you're onto something. It was a hot day when I ran into the brake problem (hot for Nova Scotia anyway), and it's quite possible moisture in the brake line forced the piston out. Thanks much.

 

Looking for some help here on a couple of items. I took the rear caliper off and removed the brake pad retaining bolts. It looks like the rotor had worn fresh grooves into both bolts and the caliper housing. When I removed the caliper mounting bolts, they seemed like they were on tight. The rotor is on tight too. The caliper wasn't contacting the rotor when I removed it.

1. Any ideas how/why the rotor and/or caliper could shift position to contact each other? (heat expansion?)

2. Anybody know a part number or were I can get a brake pad spring for the brakes on a 2002 Wolverine? I have the service manual (no pad spring shown in exploded view) and have surfed the net for a part number, with no luck. I'm replacing the pads, the service manual recommends replacing the pad spring when changing pads.

3. As suggested for dragging brakes, I'm going to bleed the brake lines and put in fresh fluid. If I attach a hose to the bleeder valve and add fluid to the reservoir as I apply the brakes, will that keep air out of the lines? Would one of those syphon hoses with the little hand pump work? I've never bled brakes and want to avoid taking the machine to the dealer for work if I can avoid it.

thanks