When to turn rotors or replace?

[TobyU]

Well, ok. I learned something, although I'm not sure what. I guess when I do brakes I take the (caliper bracket, caliper mount, or web) off and the caliper comes off with it. That way I can get right to the rotor and have all those rusty parts in hand so I can clean them up real nice. Like I said, I'm not much of a mechanic and never learned from anyone just got tools and figured out how to get the job done ... maybe not the right way!

Either way ... my original point was maybe the problem with one pad wearing and the other side not wearing was slider sticking, not greased. Just trying to save you the cost of a caliper or two and fix the root cause.

You take the 18mm caliper bracket bolts off and take the whole bracket and caliper off together?? That might not even be possible of some cars but it's a quite a bit harder if you are just changing pads. Those bracket bolts are usually really on there and take a nice size breaker bar to pop loose. Then its just heavier and more cumbersome. and if you take it off to go any more to clean you would have to remove hose from caliper and I only do that if I am replacing or rebuilding caliper or replacing hose.
Try just taking the two 12 or 13 mm bolts out and pressing the pad in a little and taking caliper off.

But wait. If you take bracket off with caliper you can't gets pads without separating caliper and bracket...OR CAN YOU. I think they will pop out the inside. But some have the curved fatter end of the anti rattle springs/clips on inside. HMMM

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[Plati]

You take the 18mm caliper bracket bolts off and take the whole bracket and caliper off together?? That might not even be possible of some cars but it's a quite a bit harder if you are just changing pads. Those bracket bolts are usually really on there and take a nice size breaker bar to pop loose. Then its just heavier and more cumbersome. and if you take it off to go any more to clean you would have to remove hose from caliper and I only do that if I am replacing or rebuilding caliper or replacing hose.
Try just taking the two 12 or 13 mm bolts out and pressing the pad in a little and taking caliper off.

But wait. If you take bracket off with caliper you can't gets pads without separating caliper and bracket...OR CAN YOU. I think they will pop out the inside. But some have the curved fatter end of the anti rattle springs/clips on inside. HMMM

Inquiring minds want to know. TIME LIFE BOOKS presents...Mysteries of Driveway.
Order now- only 3 easy payments of 8.95+shipping and handling .

Yup, together. I have to wedge a screwdriver between pad and rotor to push piston in a little, then comes off. Never had any trouble with bolts but I do have a rather large breaker bar! Pads pop out with a little effort. Now that I've thought about it today, I have wondered if there was another way! I've learned a lot on this Forum.

 

[TobyU]

Don't worry about learning too much. I have an "Ego Reduction Center" I made.
You can come sit in it for a few hours when your head becomes too small to hold all the knowledge in there.

 

[TobyU]

And back on the topic of turning rotors oh, I don't think I've had a rotor turned in almost 20 years. I checked a couple here and there but every time I take them to the store they would say they're too thin to be turned and even show me on the mic. I always run 2 3 or 4 sets of pads I love her so that's probably why they wear down. If they're not pulsating I don't turn them. Then there's the occasional time that a pad will fragment or wear down in the backing plate will touch the rotor so then there's usually no turning that either.

So I will admit it , how many others will? Several times I've had a pad wear through and grind on the rotor for a little bit and I will just throw a new set of pads on it and let it smooth back out on its own. It does take some life off of that pan but nothing really noticeable.

 

[hawkman71]

Following up on some open threads. Sorry about that.

I started this thread last December before a big trip. Got the struts done and figured the brakes would last. Well loo and behold, 800 miles later, in Ontario, and I hear brakes grinding. (Where'd those warning so sounds go?) Since I had limited time, I chose a cheap set of pads from my old stomping grounds: Canadian Tire, with the intentions of doing rotors and pads at home. Well, here's June and my wife says brakes are grinding. I take a look and the outside right front pad is Written to the Bone! Inside pad is decent. The rotor it's obviously thinner on the outer half. Left side is completely normal. It looks like I only replaced one side last time!

It's disconcerting that one side is so much worse and that is one side of that side. Does that make sense.


The vehicle never pulls to the side during braking.

Replaced front rotors and pads. Seems great except in town today I felt a slight pulse in the pedal. Why would I get that with completely new rotors and pads?


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[Trainmaster]

That's the risk of doing a quick or incomplete brake job.

If your pads wear unevenly, the caliper pins (bolts) are stuck and not free to slide.

When the caliper piston presses its pad against the rotor, the caliper has to "float" or slide to clamp the opposite pad against the other side of the rotor.

When you do a proper brake job you make sure the pins are free from wear, not seized in the calipers, and are lubricated properly. You change the dust-cover boots. Make sure the caliper is free to slide in and out. Replace all the hardware using quality pads that fit without binding. File the rust off anything that binds so it moves freely. Grease the pads' mounting flanges.

Check the thickness and condition of the rotors and replace or cut them so they're smooth. A badly scored rotor will overheat.

If the calipers were sticking, it's possible that the rotors overheated and warped or bent. If they are cheap replacement rotors, they'll warp in a week and should be replaced with quality parts.

Besides using cheap parts, another cause of pulsation would be rotor runout caused by mounting problems. All of this can be measured with a dial indicator. It could be caused by rust on the hub preventing the flat seating of the rotor or uneven or over-tightening of lug nuts.

It's all in the details and in using quality parts. Do the job right or do it over.

I learned the hard way and it cost me lots of brake parts. I can fill my backyard with parts I wrecked by not doing the right thing.

 

[richs fishes]

I wish there was somewhere left on Long Island that still cuts rotors.

Little late to the party and didn't read through this whole thread so not sure if anyone else came up with an answer. But, try Colvin Auto Parts in Merrick. I haven't had rotors cut in forever, but they still have a fully functional machine shop.

 

[Trainmaster]

WoW! Neighbor... I know Colvin's very well. Just about the last real auto parts place around here. I'm 15 minutes away...

 

[richs fishes]

WoW! Neighbor... I know Colvin's very well. Just about the last real auto parts place around here. I'm 15 minutes away...

I used to be about 15 minutes away in Wantagh. I've since moved to western Suffolk and still take the ride back to Colvin! Wish I could find something even remotely decent closer to me!