Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

Gents,

The symptom:

During the day the wife and I both park in front of the garage (under a shade awning). Early evening we stroll out and allow the cars to free into the garage, down a mild incline.

Recently (number of months) I have found that I need to park a little further from the garage door, otherwise the Pajero won’t make it all the way into the garage under gravity. This problem is accompanied by a definite noise of binding brakes. This is not the case for at least a few hours after arriving home (at 3pm ), but only when everything is fully cooled off by the evening.

The problem is “mild” and the brakes do not get warm by driving off. I do however know there is a certain amount brake wear and wasted fuel, when I drive off on the mornings.

Because the car is parked with the handbrake up and I need to depress the brake pedal to release the box from P to N, I don’t really know if it is the handbrake or the discs that don’t release fully.

I have inspected (fancy word for peeking through the rims ) the disk calipers and they are clean and rust free.

My questions are:
1) Should I even bother?
2) Is there a recommended lubricant I can apply to a few of the moving parts in the caliper?
3) Any other advice you gents can think of?

PS: The car in the other garage is a new Chev Cruze 1.8. I have never seen a car with such low (zero) rolling resistance. My mind just boggles every evening.

Thanks in advance,
Roelf

Hi Roelf,

I must admit I almost never use my handbrake. Park on the auto box works fine.

I have read (maybe on the Powerbrake site) that if a disk / drum is hot and the handbrake is pulled up hard the material of the pad fuses onto the surface of the disk / drum.

For Gen 3 the park brake is a drum and shoes inside each rear disk rotor. See Ch 36 of the manual. Maybe you need to clean out the drums, check the free movement of the shoes, the operation of the return springs and then adjust the shoes and adjust the parking brake lever movement.

Looking at the manual, it doesn't look like too much PT.

Of course one or more of your brake pads (front / rear) may also be binding.

Check the free movement of each caliper assembly on the top and bottom pins.

If the assembly does not move freely then you need to strip and clean the caliper slide pins it and regrease (either red rubber grease or Mitsu has a repair kit with red grease, plus the little protective rubbers and piston seals).

If you cant get the assembly to float freely then you may have to replace the upper and lower pins, or even the whole caliper.

Andrew,

Thanks for the detailed reply.

I'll start considering the options.

I think a touch of red grease will be a good start.

Roelf

Some feedback:

Yesterday morning I tested the discs for binding - NOTHING
This morning I tested the handbrake - YIP, definitely a little scratchy noise and mild rolling resistance after releasing the handbrake. The symptom is really mild, but it isn't normal.

It is almost time for the Pajero's mid-service oil change. I think I'll ask my indi to have a look at the handbrake when I'm finished.