Front Suspention Inspection Tips Please.

[Johnny-T]

So tomorrow I am taking 967 to my local brake guy to have him do an inspection of my brakes to see if we can figure out whats causing the clicking noise and extra hot rear left wheel as described in my last thread. I'm hoping its just the parking brake that needs adjusted but I am also prepared to just get all new calipers and pistons for all 4 wheels if we cant figure out a simpler solution.

While in the shop, I also want to do an inspection of my front suspension to try and figure out if something there is causing my steering wheel to shake when braking. It may be brake related but I dont want to make assumptions yet.

What specifically are the things I should have looked at extra close? Bolts, ball joints, ect? I want to have a nice list of things for us to inspect so that we can make notes on whats good and what may need replacing.

Having something in the suspension break while daily driving on the freeway is my greatest fear so I want to be thorough.

[Rich]

The braking/shaking symptom you describe is almost certainly due to a front brake rotor issue on one or both sides. It's normal enough but you do want to attend to it. DeLorean brakes are pretty much just like any disk brakes of that era and he'll know what to do. Probably check the runout with a dial indicator and, if that shows a problem, he'll likely turn the rotors as long as there's enough material left on them. Each rotor has the minimum safe rotor thickness stamped on the edge.

New disk thickness 12.7mm, Minimum thickness 11.7mm. Max machine per side .5mm. If the rotors are too thin to machine safely then it's new rotors for you.

While it's on the rack have him do a basic safety inspection. Upper and lower ball joints, tie rod ends, sway bar bushing bolts, brake hoses. None of those are the shaking cause but you need to know they're all solid so pay for the extra half hour to do it right. While it's up there consider having him check out the rear suspension, too, especially the Trailing Arm Bolts (TABs). Have him at least spin them in place to check for a bent TAB. He needs to pull off the splash guards on each side to access them.

So tomorrow I am taking 967 to my local brake guy.....While in the shop, I also want to do an inspection of my front suspension to try and figure out if something there is causing my steering wheel to shake when braking. It may be brake related but I dont want to make assumptions yet.

What specifically are the things I should have looked at extra close? Bolts, ball joints, ect? I want to have a nice list of things for us to inspect so that we can make notes on whats good and what may need replacing....

[Johnny-T]

The braking/shaking symptom you describe is almost certainly due to a front brake rotor issue on one or both sides. It's normal enough but you do want to attend to it. DeLorean brakes are pretty much just like any disk brakes of that era and he'll know what to do. Probably check the runout with a dial indicator and, if that shows a problem, he'll likely turn the rotors as long as there's enough material left on them. Each rotor has the minimum safe rotor thickness stamped on the edge.

New disk thickness 12.7mm, Minimum thickness 11.7mm. Max machine per side .5mm. If the rotors are too thin to machine safely then it's new rotors for you.

While it's on the rack have him do a basic safety inspection. Upper and lower ball joints, tie rod ends, sway bar bushing bolts, brake hoses. None of those are the shaking cause but you need to know they're all solid so pay for the extra half hour to do it right. While it's up there consider having him check out the rear suspension, too, especially the Trailing Arm Bolts (TABs). Have him at least spin them in place to check for a bent TAB. He needs to pull off the splash guards on each side to access them.

Thanks. Will have him check it out. I didn't think it was a rotor issue because after I had my MC replaced a few month back the brakes felt great and the shaking stopped. At that time my pads and rotors all looked good but I suppose something could have changed since then.

[Jonathan]

So tomorrow I am taking 967 to my local brake guy to have him do an inspection of my brakes to see if we can figure out whats causing the clicking noise and extra hot rear left wheel as described in my last thread. I'm hoping its just the parking brake that needs adjusted but I am also prepared to just get all new calipers and pistons for all 4 wheels if we cant figure out a simpler solution.

While in the shop, I also want to do an inspection of my front suspension to try and figure out if something there is causing my steering wheel to shake when braking. It may be brake related but I dont want to make assumptions yet.

What specifically are the things I should have looked at extra close? Bolts, ball joints, ect? I want to have a nice list of things for us to inspect so that we can make notes on whats good and what may need replacing.

Having something in the suspension break while daily driving on the freeway is my greatest fear so I want to be thorough.

While not exclusive to just during braking, our steering wheels will shake or rattle if the steering column bushing is worn out or gone all together.

You can inspect it yourself while the car is on the ground, but that's another good thing to look for if you're taking it to a mechanic to look things over (and a lot less expensive to fix than new brakes).

http://support.delorean.com/kb/a71/p...ng-column.aspx

[David T]

Any good shop should be able to inspect the car. One area they may not be very familiar with is the TAB. The shields must be removed and the bolt inspected for bending, looseness, and any missing shims.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

The title of this thread would appear to be misplaced as your described symptoms are more typical of common Delorean brake system issues. It's likely a classic case of warped rotors caused at least in part by sticky calipers. Virtually every Delorean has had its calipers changed or is way overdue for it by now. When changing calipers you will want new flex hoses if original.
To address the pulsation I would suggest new pads, pins and shims along with, as suggested, machining or replacing the rotors. After that you will want to have the parking brakes looked over for worn parts and particular attention paid to insuring both rear parking brake assemblies are functioning and the cables and pads adjusted to apply evenly. Do the job once and do it right and you'll be set for years to come. Don't forget however that to make the system last for ten years or more requires brake fluid flushes every two or three years as a routine service.
Rob

[Rich]

Thanks. Will have him check it out. I didn't think it was a rotor issue because after I had my MC replaced a few month back the brakes felt great and the shaking stopped. At that time my pads and rotors all looked good but I suppose something could have changed since then.

Let us know what the shop finds.

Yes, something may have changed. Good rotors can go bad fast for lots of reason on any car.

Agreeing with Rob about the brake fluid flush. When you did your MC you likely covered that base but if not and if you don't know the age of the fluid in then then put a flush/fill on the list.

[Johnny-T]

So I just wanted to give everybody an update on what we found out.

Firstly, (and most comforting news for me) all of the ball joints, TAB, bushings, ect look great. Much better than I would have expected but one of the reasons I bought 967 was because of how well maintained it had been. Something that my mechanic was concerned with was the state of my steering rack. Drivers side has been leaking gear oil for the entire year Ive owned the car and the other side seems to have a tear in the boot as well although it is not leaking yet or has already run dry. I have always had a bit of a dead spot in the middle of the steering wheel but nothing that's bothered me so far.

We determined the clicking noise was just the pads moving a bit and is nothing out of the ordinary.

As for the shaking, since it only happens when braking, and the vibration is only felt in the wheel and not brake pedal, we figured it is almost certainly a slightly warped front rotor. My pads and rotors looked to be in great shape but we measured the rotors and saw they were all at about 11.8mm. This means I will have to replace them if I want the shaking to stop.

Lastly we come to the issue of that rear wheel feeling hotter than the others. All of my calipers and pistons are in great shape and we did not find any dragging or resistance in any of the wheels. My mechanic suspected a possible bearing starting to go bad on that wheel but with no noise from it yet he sent me home with a laser temp reader to use on my wheels for a few nights. The results were surprising, despite how the tire felt, it only ever got 5-10 degrees hotter than the others. My mechanic says the other tires reading right around body temp and the other one coming in slightly higher is why it felt hotter to the touch. Basically it was simply tricking my already paranoid mind into thinking it was hotter than it was.. lol. So nothing to worry about there and my bearings should be good for now as well.

Even tho my pads are still in good shape, I decided to just replace all of my rotors and pads. And I also ordered a replacement set of boots for my steering rack. I figured I would try that first and if I still get leaking gear oil, then I can replace the whole rack.

Hopefully the new pads and rotors will help with the shaking and they just might help with that annoying clicking too.

Thanks everybody for your suggestions. It really came in handy when my guy asked what he should specifically look at.

[Johnny-T]

Let us know what the shop finds.

Yes, something may have changed. Good rotors can go bad fast for lots of reason on any car.

Agreeing with Rob about the brake fluid flush. When you did your MC you likely covered that base but if not and if you don't know the age of the fluid in then then put a flush/fill on the list.

When I put on new struts and then a new MC, my brakes felt so much better. But my mechanic figures with the MC working properly again, it cause one or both of my front rotors to develop a slight warp to them. Especially because they were pretty much as thin as they could safely be. In hindsight, we probably should have measured the rotors and changed it all when I did the MC.

I know they bled the brakes when I did the MC but I dont think they did a flush and replacement. I will add that to the list of things to do while they are putting on the new rotors and stuff. Thanks again.