Hopefully the administrators don't mind me posting here as it is not on a volvo vehicle. I was driving me and my friend to school about 40 min ago and when I realized the breaks where kicking in (Possible ABS?)

I quickly exited the service road scared it may get worse and cause an accident. Breaks are crappy enough so the quickest turn I could make I was on the wrong side of the road. (luckily I checked for cars first.) and went into the parking lot.

I'm no expert on breaks but shouldn't there be a gap between the break pad and the disk? Maybe this is why I'm getting 12MPG in this van.

Is it still safe to drive home today? I leave school in about 4 hours from time of posting. Thank you.

 

Depends on the vehicle. You can have guide pins sticking, caliper pistons sticking, and pads sticking in the caliper bracket, power brake failure, and various problems causing fluid not to return.


There are no springs in disc brakes, so there is not a gap between them an the rotor. They don't really retract.


The first step in troubleshooting is to figure out if the problem heals itself when the car cools off. If not, then you can jack up each corner one by one and see how many wheels are affected. If it does heal itself, but recurs, then you might consider checking to see which brake is the hottest when you get where you're going.

 

I do remember my friend pouring water on the wheels (for whatever reason) and she freaked out because on both of the front wheels the water was boiling. That was after a 30-45 min drive.

The vehicle is a 2002 dodge grand caravan ES

The car was only driving for 10 -15 min max before the brakes started acting up this morning. shutting off the car and turning it back on seemed like a temporary fix to the problem the rest of the drive. (5 min)

 

all brakes will heat up to the point of boiling water! First question is does the van pull to one side or the other or chirp a tire when braking? All cars have dual/diagonal braking systems where front left is on the same system as right rear etc. Is the Caravan the FWD or all wheel drive model - this may impact how the wheels free spin during your testing. If front wheel drive, start with the rear wheels as they should spin freely. Make sure the emergency brake is released. if one the rears is not spinning freely, see if setting and releasing the emergency brake pedal changes anything in the rear. Its not uncommon for emergency brake shoes to jam up... Next apply the brakes gently while spinning the rears. You don't need the engine running to test fluid getting to a caliper. See if both work the same. Now move to the front. Assuming you have front wheel drive, you should jack up both front wheels at the same time to get them to free spin (otherwise the differential will add drag). The emergency brake only applies to the rear, so see if either wheel drags. If all four appear good, then you have to start looking for other symptoms. Does the ABS light show when the key is in position 2 before starting (testing the bulb ) does the ABS light or a "traction" light come on when driving? does the brake pedal feel hard when you first start up then get easier (possible vacuum assist issues)? My bet is either you have a stuck caliper or your emergency brake shoes are not releasing or have had their pads come apart and are binding in the rear drums... ABS systems are computer actuated valves in the brake line path so its also possible a valve is stuck (symptoms are the car will pull to a side during braking and possibly have the rear tire skid). You can actually pull the fuse to test what happens with no ABS pump. car will still brake without the pump...

 

The car is FWD (found that out when being the stupid teen I am, and tried doing a donut; ended up as a burnout in a way I guess)

The vehicle does not pull of to the side as I drive (At least not a noticeable amount)

I will have to do those tests when I get into the parking lot after school. printing off your statement as a checklist.

 

Hey, is today your birthday? I noticed you just changed your age in your sig line.

 

No, my birthday is feb. 10th 1998. I had trouble in the past trying to change my signature, and decided to try again today. (After being inactive for a while)

EDIT: I have yet to perform the tests, as I have been working on fixing my phone. Cant find schematics anywhere.