# Hobby 750 Brakes Overheating



## Kev1

Hi guys
We recently went to the Alps skiing.
We had a fabulous time.
However the only down side (substitute panic for down)
Was the front brakes kept overheating on down hill runs.
We had new pads and discs fitted two weeks before we went
Yep I was in 2nd gear
Yep I kept off the brakes as much as possible.
However twice we had to stop cos the brakes had started to smoke.
The previous owner mentioned he had had it happen to him.

Anyone else had the same thing.
If so any recommendations for getting it fixed
No suggestions of parachute drougs. lol

Thanks in advance
and if anyone wants to know how we got on skiing in the van giz a shout
Kev and Sue


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## Wizzo

What sort of mileage are we talking? I would expect high mileage to have to replace discs otherwise there may be an underlying cause to your problem.

I would suspect possible seizure or part seizure of the brake calipers. I am assuming that the pads were decent quality or OEM parts?

JohnW


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## Kev1

Hi John
The discs were new and the pads
and the wheels spin freely


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## Bill_OR

We hired an X250 based motorhome in NZ last year and we had the same problem on a couple of very long downhill runs through the mountains. It was a bit worrying but everything was OK after we allowed the brakes to cool off.


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## 747

My thoughts would be that you have a base vehicle which is a light commercial van with a heavy motorhome body on the back on an Alko chassis.

The front brakes will be doing virtually ALL the work and are just not up to it in extreme conditions. I believe that the only way around it would be to buy a new set of discs and pads of a specialised high quality.

I have a similar sort of van and will be interested in all comments, especially as the van weighs at least 4.25 Tons (at least) when on a trip. It might actually be wise for you to run yours on to a weighbridge to check. The tag axle vans run right on their front axle weight limit and I bet many are overloaded.


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## Kev1

Thanks 747
Once cooled down the brakes performed fine


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## trek

when was the brake fluid last flushed through & changed ?

Brake fluid absorbs moisture this water heats up within the fluid & can boil this can cause the brakes to fade 

vehicle manufacturers often recommend a change of fluid every two years


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## Kev1

The brakes did fade
However the brakes were smoking big time


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## 747

It is not only moisture in the brake fluid that causes brake fade.

The high temperature of the disc and pads make them less efficient. The discs were probably glowing.


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## Kev1

Thanks 747 yes they were


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## KARTMAN

Were the pads bedded in sufficiently? How many miles did you do in the 2 weeks after they were fitted? New pads will quickly glaze if used heavily too soon after fitting and cause fade. Cheap happy shopper pads are virtually useless, we only fit branded eg. Ferodo,Mintex or Apec.


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## inkey-2008

I met 2 ladies in Portugal a few years ago who had the same thing. Had new pads fitted for the trip. 

In a hilly part of France they had the front brakes glowing red hot. VW replaced the discs but not the pads. They got in to Spain and it was still happening they kept stopping for up to an hour to cool them down.

VW in Spain said that nothing was wrong because when they took it in the brakes where cool and run free.

I took out the pads and rubbed them down by a 1mm.

Took it for a test drive with my foot on the brakes everything was okay.

Emailed them on my return to UK and they had no more trouble.

Andy


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## cliffhanger

Hi

We owned a 750 five years ago. We were told by a garage in Italy(went in for something routine and the wife speaks Italian))that the running gear, i.e clutch, brakes etc on the front end were being pushed to the maximum by the weight of this motorhome. 

We later had a suspension strut go on the front offside.

regards

MAC


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## spatz1

I always use the immediate bedding in procedure thats prescribed by the sports brake manufacturers out of habbit and avoid smoking the brakes and possibility of disc warping by using the "engine" braking and driving slower on descents....


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## Kev1

Hi guys 
Thanks for all the replies.
I did try to ease the brakes in.
Yes the vans heavy.
The previous owner had fitted vented discs
These had all cracked and hence the reason we had new discs and pads

Fine on normal runs but when you are coming down an alpine road you do need to use the brakes and low gear

Aint life fun

All comments really appreciated

Kev


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## kenny

*brakes*

if you look by the rear of the van there is a thing there to adjust the pressure on the back brakes ,it is supposed to alter with the depth of 
thread if this is not set right by the man-factor it can mean moor pressure on the front brakes , i would try to find a some garage the is good on brakes kenny i have 700 no problems


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## erneboy

I think something must be wrong. I have been surprised at how well my brakes hold up even on very steep downhill runs. No noticeable fade at all. That's on a 5.2 ton 3 litre Fiat, touch wood, Alan.


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## Spiritofherald

Flexible pipes can perish internally with age with the result the flakes of rubber can create a one way valve. I would start by changing them. 

It could also be a faulty master cylinder not fully returning, and this might not necessarily affect the rear brakes, especially if they're shoe brakes.


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## Kev1

wow been dormant for a while
thanks for the replies
Kenny what do you mean by a thing there to adjust the pressure on the back brakes?


Kev


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## bubble63

I have had the same thing in the yorkshire dales

long down hill descent to a camp site, the brakes stunk and light wisps of smoke present.

At the time I was unsure wether it was the brakes or the clutch, now i think it was the brakes, we were pulling [been pushed!] a car trailer, i think its a lot for the brakes, only thing to do it to stop and take a cooling off break

A 737 needs about 20 mins to cool off the brakes before it can depart during a normal landing, brakes absorb huge amounts of energy.

watch these brakes watch here

regds neill


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## rayrecrok

Hi.

Try Pushing the brakes on and off quickly, and go to an even lower gear, the trick is to not to be going that fast you have to break hard..

ray.


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## javea

HGV drivers are trained to go downhill at the same speed they would go up it. Perhaps necessary to engage a lower gear earlier to keep overall descent speed down?


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## Kev1

Hi all thanks for the replies 
I have driven HGV's and drove daily a large transit and very large trailer for almost 35 years so I am used to bigger vehicles in all sorts of terrain.
This was our first trip abroad with the camper
This happened in France in the Vosges mountains on a very long descent almost 4 miles long, escape lane at the bottom
I was in 2nd gear and dabbed the brakes to reduce speed. The brakes started to smell and I began to notice brake fade so pulled over straight away.
As I stopped the brakes started to smoke badly. We stopped for almost 45 minutes to let them cool down. 
We timed our descents from ski resorts after that for quiet times of the day so we could crawl down.

Yet we still got smoking brakes despite using them as little as possible
and not riding the brakes in any way. On the flat under normal braking they worked absolutely absolutely fine.

On return I took the vehicle to an hgv garage who readjusted the rear brakes. We have yet to go down a big hill

We will see what happens
Anyone with a Hobby I would particularly like to hear from.
Thanks again to everyone who replied

Kev


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