Car shaking!! Burning Smell! I really need help in this one!!!

[steve318ti]

When I speed up in the hwy the car shakes really bad ...sometimes....also I have a really heavy smell of metal burning from the front left wheel.
I noticed the smoke so after drive for a little time (about 60 to 70 mph) the driver front wheel had this steam and smell coming from inside the wheel!!!
Seems that something is burning, rubbing or getting toasted inside the rotor area.
The shaking starts couple of days ago when I was comming from work. I thought was the rotors and bads but I checked them and seems to be fine ( Actually I replaced front brake pads and rotors 8 months ago).
I have some oil leaking from my oil pan but the smeel was not oil.. was metallic.
I am afraid to drive the car again..
I brought it to the mechanic ..one said " the rotors and alligment" the other " the clucht must be replace"
I know that maybe be you guys need to see the car.. but I dont wanna be ripped for a mechanic that seems to hesitate about the issue.
Does anyone of you had a problem like this?
Thanks

[aceyx]

Possibly a frozen caliper. Jack the car up and see if you can rotate the wheel. It should spin slowly, but freely.

Rebuild kits are about $20, takes about two hours (including bleeding). While you're doing the rebuild, you may want to have the runout checked on that rotor.

[Bluebimma]

If its not the brake assembly, its probably your wheel bearing.

[blndweasel]

+1 on wheel bearing assy. This happened to me on a toyota corolla once, it was like all of a sudden there was a crunching sound coming from the wheel. If you jack the car up, grab the wheel at 6 and 12 o'clock with your hands, and try wiggling it back and forth on a longitudinal axis. If it wobbles, your bearings are shot.

If it was a seized caliper, you would have been pulling to one side or the other at just about any speed.

good luck mang

the blonde weasel

[steve318ti]

I went to the mechanic and we found that was a fozen caliper. Now the rotor has to be change as weel as the pads and the hoss (is what the mechanic said). The bad thing is that the guy want 600 bucks for everything.
I dont know if this is so much or so little but is to much for me. Tomorrow i will bring it to another shop. I lvoe my car but is giving me so many problems that I am thinking in kill him and sell his parts...

[aceyx]

Originally Posted by blndweasel

If it was a seized caliper, you would have been pulling to one side or the other at just about any speed.

Usually what happens is that the pad/rotor are in light contact, heating up only after an extended period. Remember that the parts wear down, so it merely drags instead of clamps.

Originally Posted by steve318ti

I went to the mechanic and we found that was a fozen caliper. Now the rotor has to be change as weel as the pads and the hoss (is what the mechanic said). The bad thing is that the guy want 600 bucks for everything.
I dont know if this is so much or so little but is to much for me. Tomorrow i will bring it to another shop. I lvoe my car but is giving me so many problems that I am thinking in kill him and sell his parts...

You can do this yourself for about $200-250 or so, and it's an easy weekend job. Post in your regional forum, see if anyone will lend a hand in exchange for a 6 pack.

[3DGE]

Originally Posted by aceyx

Possibly a frozen caliper. Jack the car up and see if you can rotate the wheel. It should spin slowly, but freely.

Rebuild kits are about $20, takes about two hours (including bleeding). While you're doing the rebuild, you may want to have the runout checked on that rotor.

I agree!

[blndweasel]

OK I misinterpreted the description of "frozen caliper"

One time I actually lost a caliper mount bolt, and my caliper went out of alignment, causing the pad to dig into the rotor at an angle... wheel seized on the freeway at speed... scary stuff.