Floating Brake Discs

[CamL]

Hi Rick

Am I correct in thinking the Vanquish S has fully floating discs and that you should be able to feel a bit of movement in them?

I'm getting an oscillation/vibration through the steering wheel under braking (light and heavy).  Feels a bit like an out of balance wheel but as it's only under braking I don't think it is that. Jacking each wheel up in turn and grabbing the disc and trying to shake it I can detect a small amount of movement in all four except for one quadrant of the o/s front where it seems to be stuck.  I'm wondering if this could be the cause.

However, I can't budge it.  Can't even loosen off the allen bolts on the bobbins as it feels like they will strip - are they metric or imperial?  I also gingerly tried bashing it with a bit of wood but to no effect!  Any tips or thoughts would be appreciated as I'm in Switzerland and a fair way away from an Aston dealer. It's a 2007 car if that makes a difference.

Cheers

Cam

 

[Rick]

Hi cam this is very spooky your car was only mentioned on saturday, pete mckenzie came up to see me, and i understand he did your set up on your car for the gearbox, small world, right back to the brakes, could be a problem with the bobbins have you a rattling also that sound like it is from the brakes, secondly because they are getting hot and cold and lots of rain etc thrown at them the bobbins do easily seize up and can be a pain to remove,

first get the brakes hot and using a penetrating oil spray the bobbins preferably at the rear taking care not to get any on the brake disc itself, then a bit of aggressive braking do this procedure a few times in many cases this will free them off, unfortunately if this does not work replacing the bobbins will be the next course of action,

[CamL]

Small world indeed, the Vanquish clan.  Pete did a superb job with the gearbox and spent a lot of time getting it absolutely spot on, makes a real difference to the driving experience as I'm sure you know.

Thanks for the pointers on the bobbins, I can't say I've noticed any rattling noises but I will give the penetrating oil a shot and see if they can be freed up.  There are some good hills around here to warm them up on!!

I'll pop my head round your door to say hello sometime in the autumn with a bit of luck, as I'm planning a trip up to Edinburgh then.

Thanks again

Cam

[Rick]

no problem at all and the kettle is always on,

it is amazing the difference when a vanquish gearbox is setup properly, must admit it is one of my favourite jobs as you can really notice the improvements, and takes a certain amount of skill to get it spot on and not just within tolerance,

and i have never understood why all the other oils on the vanquish have replacement schedules but not the asm fluid which has a major effect on drivealbility , and it is the main complaint with vanquish owners is the gear change,

[CamL]

Well, it worked!  A few judicious squirts of WD40 followed by a few maximum attack stops and all appears fine.  So thanks for that.

Agree with you about the asm fluid, mine had already started to degrade apparently, and it would appear obvious that it will do over time whether used or not.

[Rick]

now that you have had yours set up properly a flush and asm fluid change either yearly or i would recommend every two years will not be a big job and just keep her in tip top condition, and one thing i would recommend is to carry out the clutch learn procedure every 3 to 6 months easy to do and can be done by yourself,