Confusing & contradictory volvo 240 brake pad opinions.....

Hello everyone. I have a 1986 Volvo automatic 240 DL sedan with aroun
190,000 miles on it. About 3 weeks ago I took the car to my sho
because it was leaking brake fluid and the pedal was getting softer an
softer. They found a broken brake line as the cause and successfull
repaired it. They did not mention any other braking issues. Now toda
while I was driving on the expressway, I hit a small piece of meta
debris at 65 mph with my right rear tire causing an immediate an
severe blowout. (luckily I kept good control and no crash or othe
damage occured, but i was unable to locate and inspect the piece o
debris i struck, as the tire explosion probably sent the debris flyin
into the grass.) When the government tow truck showed up (The state o
Illinois has a free motorist assist program for cars on the expresswa
in Chicago with minor problems. The program is free and the drivers ar
employed directly by the state, therefore they have absolutely no reaso
to lie about needed repairs.) and he took the bad tire off (after som
major difficulty with a rusted log nut) to put the spare on, he becam
very suprised and said that my brake pads were horribly worn. When
asked him if he had ever seen worse, he said yes, but not many. Now
have no knowledge of how the volvo brake pads normally look, so I too
his word for it and promised to have the pads inspected. He als
remarked that the rotar appeared very worn ("like a CD"?) and neede
replacement, and he even said the calipers were in poor shape. He als
said I could slam on the brakes one day and the caliper would brake of
and I could have an accident. I tried to tell him repeatedly that
just had a brake repair and that the shop said nothing. I also tol
him that since the repair, i have noticed no braking problem
whatsoever, but he didn't seem to believe me. He really scared me, s
after he changed the tire, I took the car to a Different repair shop
to get the destroyed tire replaced, and while there I also asked the
to specifically look at the braking system of that tire, esp the brak
pads. After they finished, to my suprise, they told me the brake pad
and other braking components on the entire car look to be OK and do no
need to be replaced right now. Additionally, while the screw spindle
and the part where the tire sits are somewhat rusty looking, I hav
always had brake work done as needed and have not noticed any problem
(ie squeeky or spongy) other then the brake line repair. [maintenanc
within the prior four years (time since i acquired the car) include
new master cylinder, new pads, new calipers, ground rotars, all ne
brake lines, and other misc brake items] My questions are who do yo
think is right? Could the government tow driver simply be unfamilia
with the appearance of older volvo brake pads and other parts, an
mistaken that for worn parts? In other words, does the older 240 tak
a smaller or otherwise different looking brake pad then typica
domestic cars?? Or could both shops be wrong and the tow drive
correct? What would you do in this case? Thank you for any help o
insight

 

My guess is the road assistance driver was mistaken - but the stakes are
high. It's worth a third opinion - most brake shops will do free inspections
on the chance of getting any needed repairs done in their shop.

I am concerned by the rusted lug nut. That shouldn't be happening if the
wheel was off recently.

Mike

 

There are four lug nuts. All of them have a pretty high degree of rus
on them, as they are likely the original lug nuts. However, three o
the four came off easily. It was only the fourth that required a larg
effort to remove. It is possible that the fourth nut was simpl
overtightened. I understand your point though. I am thinking that i
the pads were as severely worn as he stated, would not the brakin
power have some noticeable decline? As for the original questions, i
anyone is familiar with the brakes on the 240 specifically--
--"Could the government tow driver simply be unfamiliar with th
appearance of older volvo brake pads and other parts, and mistaken tha
for worn parts? In other words, does the older 240 take a smaller o
otherwise different looking brake pad then typical domestic cars?? O
could both shops be wrong and the tow driver correct? What would you d
in this case? Thank you for any help or insight."

 

I would assume tha tthe bkare shop gave you paperwork stating that
they ahd done the inspection and certified that all was OK. Their
reputation and status as an open shop depends on your safety when they
certify such as being true. The tow truck driver has nothing riding on
his statements. That alone would ease my worries.

For the most aprt, if the pads are evenly worn and all things are
working correctly, disc brakes work quite well right up until the time
tha tthe friction material falls off the backing plate- I know from
experience. Some manufacturers place a metal wear indicator that rubs
and makes noise against a non-braking part of the disc if the pads
wear too far (not Volvo from what I have seen). That's why it is
important to get the brakes inspected regularly.


__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 240 Estate - '93 960 Estate

 

There should be five.

Probably not. You should notice more noise (more of a grinding noise than
a squeak) and more pedal travel required to stop the car tho.

I think you should look for yourself. Disc brakes are pretty straight
forward. The rotor itself you should check with a caliper, but if you
see/feel a lip at the edge, it's worn too far. You can eye the pads quite
easily with the wheel off. I think Volvo specifies a minimum amount of
pad material of about 2-3mm.

If you don't know what to look for, buy a copy of the Haynes or Bentley
manual for the 240s. They should both have good pictures.

 

So you've lost one?

The 2-series including 240 all have 5-stud wheels, and there should be
wheel nuts on all 5 studs.

 

Owned and maintained (including brake pad replacements) '78 245, '84 240,
and '91 240. The number 240, translated from Swedish, means "doesn't change
much". Disc brakes on the 240 series are very straight forward. Nothing
complicated or unusual. As others have pointed out, the government tow
truck driver's opinion should not be accepted without some additional
confirmation. Find a qualified trustworthy brake mechanic or shop to end
your worries.

 

First, yes I do indeed have five lug nuts and none are missing, I simpl
wrote the wrong number. I took the car to a third shop that specialize
in brakes and mufflers. They put the car on the lift and removed al
four tires. They told me that the front brake pads are pretty worn an
have about three months of safe operation left. They said the rear pad
are still ok on both sides (including the tire the tow driver complaine
about). They also said that the rotars and calipers are still good o
three tires (again, including the one the tow driver was worrie
about). However, they did say that the rotar and caliper neede
replacement within the next two months, to be on the safe side, on th
rear driver's side wheel (they said that that rotar was too thin t
ground down any further). They quoted me an approximate total price fo
the rotar and caliper replacement on that wheel of $170. So I a
relieved to finally know what is wrong and what is not wrong with m
braking system. Also while I was there, they found that the muffle
was dangling as both brakets were broken (due to backing into curbs o
several occasions and low driveways), and it was causing stress on th
entire exhaust system. They bolted it back up to the frame securel
and did not charge for the repair (however it ended up being secured
bit snugly, as it is now rattling slightly against the frame mainly i
parking gear). They also rotated and balanced my tires at no charge
The only other item they mention was that the three older tires (no
including the replaced tire) should be replaced soon because they had
constant area of very small surface cracks circularly around the lengt
of the tire between the sidewall and the tread (an area about an inc
and a half in width). So my question now is do I really need new tire
because of the small cracks, even though the tread is still very dee
on all tires and none of the tires are loosing air? Or are my tire
still in good shape? (the shop also sells tires) Thank you for all th
replies

 

They sound like a reputable shop and their statements seem reasonable.
As far as the tire cracks, It would be hard for us to say without
seeing the tires. One way to check would be to let some air out (like
down to about 10 or 15 psi) and look into the cracks with a strong
light. If you can see cords (fabric threads) then they might be right.

__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 240 Estate - '93 960 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"

 

Regarding the muffler. The shop was able to bolt the muffler back int
into position, but only after really applying some heavy duty pressur
(good old fashioned elbow grease) with the car on the lift. Now as
am driving, the car seems to not move forward as much, ie. when i
drive gear, after taking the foot off the brake, but not on the gas
the car does not seem to be coasting [idleing] itself as fast, and th
pickup does not seem to be quite as fast, while the deceleration is
bit faster when I coast down from speed. However the change is small
and I cannot be 100% sure it is not just my mind playing tricks. Bu
my question is - could they have bolted the muffler so snugly that i
is rubbing or touching against the rear drive axel, causing tractio
against the momentum of the vehicle? Or is the axel out of the way o
the muffler to the point that this would not be possible (ie are the
seperated by a bar or frame component)? I don't really notice an
rattling except a little when in park. Also the car is not making an
rubbing or grinding sounds, and the car is not drifting in an
direction [ie it holds a straight line perfectly]. How fast [mph
should the car (1986 volvo 240 sedan) normally move while in drive an
idling (coasting)? Any other thoughts

 

I'm not sure about contacting the axle, but I had the exhaust pipe in our
765 lay over against the body where it goes over the rear axle. The rumbling
noise from the engine vibration was very loud.

Mike