Clutch travel

does anyone elses clutch pedal travel all the way to the floor? Just checking because mine is rubbing a hole in my carpet and that seems odd. Also does anyone elses steering wheel shake while they brake?

The pedal should go to the floor, but you shouldn't have to press it that far to release the clutch completely. Take it back to the dealer for an adjustment check.

Steering wheel shimmy is because of front rotor warp. When the high/low spots on the rotor are misaligned, the car will pull right/left as you apply braking. Rotor warp is almost always due to your driving habits. It's a major problem on police cars because of high speed runs followed by a hard stop and uneven rotor cooling caused by the caliper/pad assembly remaining in one spot retarding the cooling rate while the rest of the rotor is exposed to the air and cools more quickly. Uneven cooling causes rotor warp.

Two ways to prevent (not fix) it:

1) Use brakes as little as possible. If you have an M6, use engine braking to slow the car when exiting an expressway, then brake gently to a stop.

2) If you must brake hard to a complete stop, pull up a bit short of the car or intersection in front of you and allow the car to creep forward slightly to turn the rotor every few seconds. This will allow all of the rotor surface to be evenly exposed to the air and it will cool evenly. No warping.

To fix it, have the rotors turned and then apply 1) and 2) above.

Mldavis, can I have all of your automotive knowledge?

Vibration felt when braking can also be a glazing of the discs. Also caused by improper break-in. It causes an uneven friction area on the discs so part of it slips a little more than the other. The sensation is identical to warping. Either condition might require turning the rotors to fix.

Properly breaking in your pads/rotors is something that is not taught. "take it easy" is really subjective. What needs to be done to new brakes is several cycles of hard braking with cool-down inbetween. Get up to about 50MPH and push the brakes firmly (but not firmly enough to engage ABS!) to slow you down to about 5-10MPH and let off. Let the brakes cool a couple of minutes driving and repeat about 10 times.

If you don't have enough road for this, the first 15-20 times you come to a complete stop, let off the brakes at the last few feet so the trapped heat can escape and not glaze or warp the rotors.
Using this technique both my GTO and my Saturn (which is notorious for this behaviour!) brake nice and smooth.

Good luck!

Sadly the vibration from braking was noneof the above. It turns out that there is something wrong with my suspension or that 245 45 r17 dont fit the front of the gto. My front tires have been rubbing on my suspension since I got the car. Both tires are down to the radial if not through and one is already flat. Thanks for all the help though. Fun...

Originally posted by torridredaccd@Jul 5 2005, 07:41 PM
Mldavis, can I have all of your automotive knowledge?
Well, what I think I know comes from several sources. First, I'm a scientist (chemist) by education. Lots of physics and math to get there as you know. Then, my first job (as a teenager) was working in a construction machinery warehouse, stocking parts and working in the shop so I saw a lot of complex machinery broken down and re-assembled. Then I worked as a new car service manager in the '80s for GM, BMW, Subaru dealership and got to see the difference in engineering philosophy between the Americans, the Germans and the Japanese. I've torn down engines, transmissions, differentials, you name it.

My father was quite knowledgable about construction machinery (same company) but he wasn't a car guy. I loved cars as a kid and remember being confused by some of the terminology being used by guys at school when referring to mods, and the nicknames used (Pancho for Pontiac, Goat for GTO, etc.) So I bought Hot Rod magazine and read them cover to cover. Also bought a series of Hot Rod published books on things like powertrains, fuel systems, suspensions, etc. There was a lot of theory in there that helped me in later years.

After I got out of the military (Viet Nam), I got a job as a service manager (see above) and read service manuals, took the tests and got my GM Master Technician rating, and was a darn good trouble shooter in my dealership in Liberal Kansas. My shop was often asked by Olds and Chevrolet to fix cars that other dealers gave up on and I can't remember a single car/truck we didn't fix to the owner's satisfaction. The computer controlled fuel systems were already with us when I left the job (local economy went bust with the oil drilling shutdown in the area).

The rest is just keeping up with technology. Read everything you can get your hands on and keep an open mind when you hear "old mechanic's tales."

:type:

Originally posted by torridredaccd@Jul 7 2005, 04:34 PM
Sadly the vibration from braking was noneof the above. It turns out that there is something wrong with my suspension or that 245 45 r17 dont fit the front of the gto. My front tires have been rubbing on my suspension since I got the car. Both tires are down to the radial if not through and one is already flat. Thanks for all the help though. Fun...
What is the dealer going to do for you? I have heard where others have had a tire rubbing issue on the fronts as well. They should at least do the alignment and replace the tires since it wasn't your fault....

I took the car to pontiac to have it aligned and they did, but it turns out that the front wheels rubbing on the shocks is a factory defect on these cars. Of course they didnt tell me that until after I payed for the alignment and now I have to cokme in at a later time to have that serviced as well. So every take a moment on your 04s to see if the inside wall of your tires are still there.