Terror on the highway

**Capt Pie** · 04-22-2015, 01:07 PM

Well my normal commute to work consists of about 10 miles on the highway along with some city driving. I'm minding my own business around 70mph getting on a long long sweeper off ramp, and off of a sudden it sounds like I have an out of balance washing machine banging around in front of my car. It was LOUD.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THISSS!!!!" I shouted.

I didn't notice any pull or sudden loss in power, so I let off all pedals and coast. I'm still hearing a tremendous racket coming from the front end of the car, followed by a loud KA-THUNK!!! that bounces under my car and out the back. Then more rattling and klunking. I throw on my hazards and slowly pull into the gas station.

I pop the hood and look to see if my engine is still there. Yup. No leaks. But notice a prominent hissing coming from my left front wheel. I also look and see my painted red caliper has huge scrapes taken out of it. Hmm..

Grab the jack and spare to put it on so I can go to work. Pull the tire off, and what the fuck... the whole caliper assembly falls backwards. SHIT!

I dig around in the wheel well and determine that the top bolt backed itself out, and what that happened, my Boyd's started banging the shit out of the caliper, which caused something the sheer off my valve stem since they are on the inside of the wheels for the Boyd's. I call work and tell them the situation.

I call the parts stores around, and no one has what I need. Co-worker picks me up along with the busted wheel and we head to Les Schuab. Tell them the story and they put a new valve stem on for free, right on the spot with no wait because of my situation. Top notch service! They said, "Don't worry about the charge, just come see us next time you need something."

So come to find out, the caliper bolt I need is a special bolt. I go to a chevy dealership and they find ONE in their system that is about 2 cities over. They have a driver out in that area and are putting it on a truck to bring to back for me, all while my baby sits on a jack in a gas station parking lot. So I should get her all back together in the gas station and bring her home. It could have been worse, and was lucky it happened when I was getting off the freeway rather than on it.

I have 4k Dashcam video I'll share later too if anyone is interested in how freaking LOUD it was.

***SMWS6TA*** · 04-22-2015, 01:15 PM

Any damage to the wheels? I'd be looking over that whole area real good. Those bolts don't just back out.

**Capt Pie** · 04-22-2015, 01:20 PM

I didn't see any damage to the wheels, and the Les Schuab tech didn't see anything either. I had a lot of time to sit and wait so I went over the wheel area and didn't see any damage.

Since I bought the car a few months ago, I noticed a very slight clunk coming from that wheels when I'd apply the brakes but it wasn't enough for me to inspect. Guess I know now I should have.

I looked around online as well, and it appears these things do back out on more people than you'd think. If I had to guess, the previous owner didn't put them back in correctly / tight enough when he took them off to paint them. I'm driving it a lot more than he did, so it eventually backed out.

Regardless, once I get her home, she is going up on jacks and I'm going to do a full inspection on everything. Priority 1 is to get the car fixed enough to drive home, priority 2 is a full inspection. I have truck as well, so I don't need to drive the Trans Am.

***SMWS6TA*** · 04-22-2015, 01:49 PM

I had an issue with my Durango last weekend. Been making low grinding growl noise. Pull off the drivers side and check the brakes, no issues, had slightly more than half it's life on the pads. Got to look at the passenger side and discovered a lug has been rounded off. I cut it off careful with a dremil. Look at the brake pads and there is almost nothing.

Caliper is good. I think because the lug was rounded someone only changed out the drivers side. They were in too good of condition compared to the pass side.

**Capt Pie** · 04-22-2015, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by SMWS6TA

I had an issue with my Durango last weekend. Been making low grinding growl noise. Pull off the drivers side and check the brakes, no issues, had slightly more than half it's life on the pads. Got to look at the passenger side and discovered a lug has been rounded off. I cut it off careful with a dremil. Look at the brake pads and there is almost nothing.

Caliper is good. I think because the lug was rounded someone only changed out the drivers side. They were in too good of condition compared to the pass side.

dude - that is nuts. why would someone just replace ONE side?

***SMWS6TA*** · 04-22-2015, 01:55 PM

Cause ppl can be lazy assholes......

**0rion** · 04-23-2015, 04:33 AM

i lost a brake caliper bolt on a rear caliper some years back.....I had been working on something back there and didn't tighten it down before putting it all back together. Does make quite a racket when the caliper gets into the inside of the wheel.

**Capt Pie** · 04-23-2015, 01:08 PM

It could have been worse!

**Dzel** · 04-26-2015, 03:18 PM

Ouch!

**Capt Pie** · 05-27-2015, 12:23 PM

FWIW, when I re-did all the brakes on my car last weekend, all the bolts were NOT torqued down with the proper amount. So I believe my theory stands correct that when the previous owner painted the calipers, he didn't use a torque wrench and set it to the correct amount.

**pajeff02** · 05-28-2015, 03:16 AM

One word - Loctite. The blue stuff.

Always a good idea to go over everything on your car at least once a year. Our car is due now in fact, and after watching your vid it'll be up on the lift this weekend for an inspection. Thank goodness it happened when, where and how it did as other then being majorly inconvenienced you made out pretty well.

**Capt Pie** · 05-28-2015, 06:24 AM

Originally Posted by pajeff02

One word - Loctite. The blue stuff.

Always a good idea to go over everything on your car at least once a year. Our car is due now in fact, and after watching your vid it'll be up on the lift this weekend for an inspection. Thank goodness it happened when, where and how it did as other then being majorly inconvenienced you made out pretty well.

The LSX gods were looking down on me that day- Was very lucky it happened where it did.

Also, the bolts that came out actually come with a little dab of Loctite on them straight from GM - So that's gotta tell you something.

BTW - I'm very envious that you have a lift! I get tired of rolling around on the garage floor after a while

**pajeff02** · 05-28-2015, 08:22 AM

I have been completely spoiled having a lift. My list of friends has also grown in the past few years...

**Capt Pie** · 05-28-2015, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by pajeff02

I have been completely spoiled having a lift. My list of friends has also grown in the past few years...

Isn't it funny how that works?

I work for Apple. You'd be surprised, just as I am, but how many friends I didn't know I have every Christmas season.

The texts always start the same:

"Hey Kev! How you been man?"

me - "Sorry I don't have this number saved in my phone, who is this?"

"It's Jimmy Joe! We rode at the same trackday in 2008!"

me - "Oh.. I don't really remember, but hey, whats going on?"

"You still work for Apple?"