Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

XT brake pads drag when brake gets hot - Bleed out some brake fluid?

6K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  leggatt 
#1 ·
I have XT 775 disc brakes and levers. The pads start to drag when the brakes get hot. The pull of the levers firms up as the brakes heat up. Any suggestions as to how to fix this? I've tried centering the calipers without much luck.
 
#2 ·
As disc brakes get hot the fluid expands, and this is normally localised to the caliper area causing rub. This is normal, especially if you've dragged the brakes down a long, steep hill.

If you are doing shorter hills and this is happening then the solution may well be to remove some fluid from the system. The only other solution is a bit harder....brake less;)

If there is too much fluid in the system, the expansion can't push upward into the top reservoir gradually as you brake normally, so removing the excess will help. The downside of this approach is that if your brakes have a good amount of fluid in them now the lever throw before the brake engages might get a lot bigger.
 
#8 ·
OK, that didn't solve the problem

So, I just tried my brakes again now that the brakes are cold. The pads are still dragging. :bluefrown:

So I think what is happening is that the self-adjusting pistons are getting pushed out but not returning. There seems to be the piston itself in the middle and a self-adjusting part into which the piston fits. Is this normal for the self-adjusting part to be pushing out with use? I thought the self-adjustment happened as the brake pads wore down. I had pushed out the pistons on my last ride and the brakes were fine until I used the brakes again.

Any ideas as to why self-adjustment mechanism is pushing out so that the pads are dragging?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top