foothill Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 After having the front wheel off to fix a flat I noticed the inside of both rotors were rusty and the pads not fully contacting the inside surface of the rotors, outer surface of the rotors were fine. I removed the rotors and had them turned, cleaned the slide clips of the pads, cleaned the pads were they fit onto the clips, and lubed the slide pins. Now after 200 miles, I see that the outer surface of the rotors has minimal pad contact. The car is the Front wheel drive and is a Limited model, does anyone else have this occuring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyerjmr33 Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 After having the front wheel off to fix a flat I noticed the inside of both rotors were rusty and the pads not fully contacting the inside surface of the rotors, outer surface of the rotors were fine. I removed the rotors and had them turned, cleaned the slide clips of the pads, cleaned the pads were they fit onto the clips, and lubed the slide pins. Now after 200 miles, I see that the outer surface of the rotors has minimal pad contact. The car is the Front wheel drive and is a Limited model, does anyone else have this occuring? The outer surface of the rotor is contacted by the pad behind the piston--- it will be the primary contact when the brakes are applied. The inner side of the rotor not making contact is caused by the caliper sticking on the slide at the edges, Lubricate the caliper where it is contacting the stationary part of the assembly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foothill Posted September 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 The outer surface of the rotor is contacted by the pad behind the piston--- it will be the primary contact when the brakes are applied. The inner side of the rotor not making contact is caused by the caliper sticking on the slide at the edges, Lubricate the caliper where it is contacting the stationary part of the assembly. I don't understand, the pistons are on the inboard of the rotor and that's the side that was not in full contact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyerjmr33 Posted September 27, 2011 Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 I don't understand, the pistons are on the inboard of the rotor and that's the side that was not in full contact. Sorry-- I had my head on backwards--- The inner surface of the rotor is where the piston is and should be the primary contact. If you have no contact on the outer surface, the caliper is sticking and not sliding on the pins. Compress the piston and with the caliper in place, make sure it will slide freely. If there is any drag, lubricate it where it is dragging. The inner side will have contact unless the pistons are frozen in place. If the pistons are stuck, you'll have no brakes on that side and the vehicle will have a severe pull to the side that is working. The usual problem is a worn pad on the inner side from the caliper being stuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foothill Posted September 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 (edited) Sorry-- I had my head on backwards--- The inner surface of the rotor is where the piston is and should be the primary contact. If you have no contact on the outer surface, the caliper is sticking and not sliding on the pins. Compress the piston and with the caliper in place, make sure it will slide freely. If there is any drag, lubricate it where it is dragging. The inner side will have contact unless the pistons are frozen in place. If the pistons are stuck, you'll have no brakes on that side and the vehicle will have a severe pull to the side that is working. The usual problem is a worn pad on the inner side from the caliper being stuck. Here's what I tried today: Removed the wheels, confirmed that the calipers did move inboard/outboard easily by hand, confirmed the pads did not stick in their mountings, installed a block of wood in place of the pads and extended the pistons approx 3-4mm, reinstalled calipers and bled the front calipers. Same thing, outer pads don't contact rotors. Edited September 27, 2011 by foothill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyerjmr33 Posted September 27, 2011 Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 Here's what I tried today: Removed the wheels, confirmed that the calipers did move inboard/outboard easily by hand, confirmed the pads did not stick in their mountings, installed a block of wood in place of the pads and extended the pistons approx 3-4mm, reinstalled calipers and bled the front calipers. Same thing, outer pads don't contact rotors. The only thing that prevents the outer pads from contacting the rotors is that the caliper is sticking in place. Looks like you need a second set of eyes so you can have someone apply the brakes while you watch the action of the caliper --- or, lightly spray some black paint on the rotor and take the thing for a drive and see if it wears the paint off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Depiry Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 At a light or parking space,apply extra pressure to the brake pedal to center both sides of the caliper,this will also raise the pedal height for better braking,Marty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal3thousand Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 The above advice is good. I would look at the piston itself. Maybe that 3-4 mm was not enough to see the issue. I would also check mounting bolts. It doesn't make sense that the piston force is not causing the outer portion to slide and make contact with the other side. Good luck either way! I'm interested to see what comes of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foothill Posted September 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2011 I'm going to take one more try at using a block of wood and extend the pistons more than 3-4mm. That's my weekend job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.