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Questions on alternator/brakes. S80

posted by  someone claiming to be swsteckly on  Sun Dec 14 16:52 CST 2003 [RELATED]

I have a 2000 S80 T6 which has been quite reliable.

I replaced the entire brake system and bled the fluid several months ago, replacing the front pads and rotors with stock parts, and the rear with stock rotors and Mintex pads. I did the work myself, and it has worked great all of this time.

Anyway, today I was killing some time in the shop, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to rotate the tires. I swapped fronts for backs, keeping them on the same side. I torqued the bolts to 105lb-ft with my torque wrench, in a 'cross' pattern.

Ever since I put the wheels back on, the pedal seems 'softer' and goes down further before grabbing. It can push it nearly to the floor before the pedal stops. It feels exactly like it did when I first put on the rotors/pads, but evidently it went away within a few days as it's been firm ever since. Is this something I should worry about, or will it go away as well? There are no warning lamps lit, and I have just as much stopping power as before, the pedal is just softer. I can't imagine what could have happened. I didn't open the system at all, other than checking the little rubber 'hats' on the bleed screws to make sure they were securely attached. The brake fluid level is unchanged.

Also, more importantly, I seem to be having a problem with my alternator. It has recently gotten cold here, but I had the battery tested and it is fine. Whenever the engine is over about 1200RPM, everything is fine, but when it drops below that, the lights dim a fair bit and all the lighting starts to 'pulse'. When I bring the idle up, the lights get brighter immediately. I tried putting my battery charger on, and let it get about 2/3 full (I left the key on too long and it died). I drove it outside, and the lights were bright. When the battery drains again, it will probably start doing the same thing again. Also, some times the starter is extremely slow, almost to the point of not being able to start the engine. Since the battery has been tested to be good, I'm assuming the problem is the alternator. Am I correct in this assumption? As well, once in a while, when I'm idling and getting the 'pulsing' of the lights, it is accompanied by a high-pitched sound coming from the front of the car which raises and lowers pitch in time with the lights.

Thanks.

Scott








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    Questions on alternator/brakes. S80

    posted by  someone claiming to be Steve H. on  Tue Dec 16 09:58 CST 2003 [RELATED]

    I had an extremely spongy peddle after changing pads on my 2000 S80 2.9. I located my problem, which was me. I inncorrectly installed the anti rattle wire/spring with the upper and lower tabs inside the ears on the calliper instead of the outside. I figured it out during bleading when I noticed the caliper having trememdous movement when my assistant would pump up and hold the brake peddle. Just a thought?








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    Questions on alternator/brakes. S80

    posted by  someone claiming to be n0v8or on  Mon Dec 15 02:08 CST 2003 [RELATED]

    Alternator:
    It certainly sounds like a bad alternator, but it would be worthwhile to first be sure the battery water level is OK. Most alternators are three phase AC generators with a full-wave rectifier for each phase, 6 diodes in all. When diodes fail, charging capacity is lost, 16% for 1 bad diode, 33% for 2, etc. A tech with an oscilloscope can quickly see if all 6 charging phases are present at the alternator output.

    Brakes:
    Coincidence aside (which is a possibility), the only thing I can imagine could have happened is some adhesion of a wheel to a rotor. So, as a consequence of removing the wheel & tire, the rotor was shifted, pushing the pads apart at that wheel. This should have self-corrected as the first application of brakes, but a shoe could be cocked or binding in the caliper guides (I've had this happen on other cars), resulting in increased piston travel. Does the car stop nice and straight if you remove your hands from the steering wheel (preferably in an empty parking lot)? Does pumping the brakes shift the brake engagement point higher?








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      Questions on alternator/brakes. S80

      posted by  someone claiming to be swsteckly on  Mon Dec 15 06:01 CST 2003 [RELATED]

      Thanks for the reply. When I got in the car this morning, the brakes are perfectly fine, just like the last time. I suppose there's nothing to worry about.

      I'll be taking my car into the dealer next week (probably) to have a software patch installed (part of my DIY heated seat installation), so I'll call ahead and ask them to be ready to check it while I wait. I've checked the battery fluid as well, and it seems fine.








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        Questions on alternator/brakes. S80

        posted by  someone claiming to be n0v8or on  Mon Dec 15 09:16 CST 2003 [RELATED]

        Well, if I had a parking light that stopped working for awhile, then sort of "fixed itself", I would not be worried. But brakes that lose effectiveness without a known cause, then get better overnight, would leave me uneasy. I cannot imagine any forces that would affect the calipers or pads while the car is standing.







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