It is best to clean off the excess grease first! Don't use the suspension
oiler. Grease the front suspension with a grease gun every 1500 miles and
you won't have this problem is the first place.
Regards,
Greg Solow
----- Original Message -----
From: <BradFarr@aol.com>
To: <morgans@autox.team.net>
Sent: Friday, November 26, 1999 9:56 AM
Subject: A brake story
> Last year, one set of pads became fouled with oil from the front
suspension,
> so I replaced the pads.
>
> A few weeks ago, the car ('95 Plus 8) began to pull to one side, and so I
> took a quick look from the outside, and cleaned away any excess oil/grease
> from the suspension. I wanted to see how badly they pulled to one side, so
I
> did several hard stops on a deserted road. The pulling seemed to decrease
> after several hard stops, so I tried an experiment. I drove to the local
ski
> resort (still closed, road deserted), and on the way down I made repeated
> hard stops -- 60mph to ~5mph -- all the way down. The brakes began to
smell,
> then fade, till I got to the bottom, by which time the brakes were
smoking,
> the discs were dull red, and braking ability substantially reduced.
> A drove a few miles to let the brakes cool, and tested them. The result:
> normal braking ability, no pulling to one side.
>
> So, my questions to this knowledgeable group:
> Does this make any sense as a way to rid brake pads of oil?
> Is it likely to cause (or have caused) any damage? (warped rotors, melted
> lines, glazed pads?)
> Apart from the questionable practice of driving a car to the point of
brake
> failure on a public road, it was easier and more fun than changing the
pads.
> I already give my Alfa an occasional "Italian tune up," is this the
> equivalent "English brake job?"
> Thanks,
> Brad
>
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