do i need new brakes? they are pretty messed up
04-14-2005, 06:54 PM
#1
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do i need new brakes? they are pretty messed up
aigh guys so i was rotating my wheels and i saw that my rear breaks are pretty messed up..i called my neighbor over to see what was up and he helped me out a little..this is kinda difficult to explain but anyways..heres a pic
as you can see the disk is not completly shiny..so my neighbor told me that the pads only grab the middle of the disk not the whole thing..and the other side of the disk is completly rusted...he told me to put some grease on the brake pads edges..i did and right now i can see that the rust is kinda going away..since the whole brake pad grips the disk..he told me to get the disks sharpened and cleaned from the rust at pepboys and then get new pads..but i dont think that would fix the whole mechanism..since the problem is that the pads dont move enough to grip the entire disk
im sorry i know this is confusing but i dont know a better way to explain it..if anyone knows what im talking about any help would be so appreciated
these are the pads..they are still pretty thick..so i dont know what can be up...help guys
edit: i forgot to mention that it was extremly hard to take the pads out ..i had to use a huge screw driver..and they were a pain to put back in even with grease
as you can see the disk is not completly shiny..so my neighbor told me that the pads only grab the middle of the disk not the whole thing..and the other side of the disk is completly rusted...he told me to put some grease on the brake pads edges..i did and right now i can see that the rust is kinda going away..since the whole brake pad grips the disk..he told me to get the disks sharpened and cleaned from the rust at pepboys and then get new pads..but i dont think that would fix the whole mechanism..since the problem is that the pads dont move enough to grip the entire disk
im sorry i know this is confusing but i dont know a better way to explain it..if anyone knows what im talking about any help would be so appreciated
these are the pads..they are still pretty thick..so i dont know what can be up...help guys
edit: i forgot to mention that it was extremly hard to take the pads out ..i had to use a huge screw driver..and they were a pain to put back in even with grease
04-14-2005, 08:11 PM
#3
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measure your pads and rotors, if the pads are less then 2-3mm thick I'd replace them. Also, measure your rotors and find the minimum specs on All Data or some other source. I don't know what the minimum spec is, I haven't had to replace my rotors yet. I'd advise to use good quality brake parts, the dealer pads are pretty good, but their rotors suck. Good Luck.
04-14-2005, 08:25 PM
#5
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Originally Posted by screamindman
Just to be safe...get yourself some new pads and rotors. Your brakes are a mess. Not worth risking your neck for.
04-14-2005, 08:36 PM
#7
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Your rotors are rusted and probably warped. You can get four cross drilled and slotted discs from Raceconcepts on the internet for $186 delivered, maybe even less for your year. Or get brembos for $280-$300 roughly. I'd get Hawk pads for $110 for all four. If money is a big concern then get oem brake pads or something like Bosch for probably $60-$80 for all four. You already have the brakes off ,so just put some new ones on. If your rotors are warped ,then your pads will never be ble to make good contact with the rotors. So either way it looks like both need to be done. It won't cost you $1000 to get this done. More like $300 without labor. What your neighbor means by sharpening the rotor is they'll put your rotor in a machine that will remove material from it to make it square and flush to the pad (mechanics will call this "turning the rotors") All they are doing is taking material off the rotor, so it'll eventually need to be replaced. For the amount of money they'll charge to do all this, you could be three quarters of the way to having a totally revamped brake system that will outperform stock. Good Luck
04-14-2005, 08:37 PM
#8
Remove the calipers from its slides- pull the slides out of the caliper torque member( bracket that holds the caliper in place) then libricate the slides, if the slides move freely you do not need new calipers. Repleace the rotors with OEM and put some new pads on there. If the caliper slides (little rubber dust boots on them) do not move freely in and out, you will need new calipers. OEM rotors are NOT bad, OEM pads is what causes WARPAGE to the rotors. I road raced my Maxima with stock rotors and never warped them with Hawk HPS pads, with OEM pads I could warp the rotors after a few laps around the road course- especially when trying to stop from 125MPH to 45MPH a few times. I've done my homework on the brakes, OEM pads suck- and I have my own trial and error data to prove it.
04-14-2005, 08:44 PM
#9
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Originally Posted by BlackBIRDVQ
Remove the calipers from its slides- pull the slides out of the caliper torque member( bracket that holds the caliper in place) then libricate the slides, if the slides move freely you do not need new calipers. Repleace the rotors with OEM and put some new pads on there. If the caliper slides (little rubber dust boots on them) do not move freely in and out, you will need new calipers. OEM rotors are NOT bad, OEM pads is what causes WARPAGE to the rotors. I road raced my Maxima with stock rotors and never warped them with Hawk HPS pads, with OEM pads I could warp the rotors after a few laps around the road course- especially when trying to stop from 125MPH to 45MPH a few times. I've done my homework on the brakes, OEM pads suck- and I have my own trial and error data to prove it.
yea man the two little cylinders with the rubber dust boots on them move freely and have yellow/greenish grease in them...so im guesing i will just get new pads and get the rotors cleaned..but if everything is fine..how come the pads aren't moving enough to grasp the entire disk? i will get new pads soon though
04-14-2005, 09:06 PM
#10
Remove those caliper brackets from the suspension- should be 2 14mm bolts, and clean off the bracket with a wire brush in the area where the pads sit. After that lube just that part where the pads slide around in with some high temp wheel bearing grease- make sure it does not get on the friction part of the pad or the rotor or you will have problems with braking. Get some Hawk pads and some OEM rotors, and you should be good to go. In order to compress the piston BACK into the caliper you need a special tool to turn the piston back into the caliper. AutoZone, Napa and all big auto parts stores will have this tool for sale or lending, it makes the job eassier and at the same time less prone to destroying the piston seal thats around the piston. When turning the piston back in- spray some lubricant on the seal to prevent it from getting twisted with the piston. Hard to explain via a post, but once ya take the caliper off you will know what I mean. Alot of people try to be ghetto and try using vicegrips or channel lock pliers to turn the caliper piston back in- at the same time they end up destroying the piston seal.
04-26-2005, 02:29 PM
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hey guys..i bumped this thread up since i could use some more help..i took my brakes apart again and cleaned the pads and cleaned the area where the pads sit + greased everywhere..i still have a hard time putting the brake pads back into the caliper..it seems like the pads are too big to fit in there..i really have to force them in..also when i let my e-brake off and spin my tire i can hear a shhhhh sound..as in the pads are touching the rotor even though the brakes arent even applied
04-26-2005, 03:00 PM
#13
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Originally Posted by ghostrider17
See Blackbird's previous post...you didn't push the brake pistons back into the caliper far enough. That's why the pads don't fit.
Do it again with the tool he mentions.
Do it again with the tool he mentions.
04-26-2005, 03:31 PM
#14
Sometimes the pads are physically too big for the caliper torque member bracket (part that holds the pads in place and has 2 rubber boots with sliders in them that the caliper bolts up to) This is true when repleacing pads with aftermarket pads. I would get a nice wire brush and scrape all the stuff off the hardware/shims that hold the pads in place, even remove the hardware- just clips in, and clean underneath it also. If that does not work, you will need to grind the pads down in order to make them fit- I had to do that with my Akebono ProCeramic pads I got off TireRack- they didn't fit even with cleaning. OEM pads just fit right in with no problem. I'm talking bout the rear brakes here, I never had an issue with the fronts.
04-26-2005, 03:45 PM
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Originally Posted by BlackBIRDVQ
Sometimes the pads are physically too big for the caliper torque member bracket (part that holds the pads in place and has 2 rubber boots with sliders in them that the caliper bolts up to) This is true when repleacing pads with aftermarket pads. I would get a nice wire brush and scrape all the stuff off the hardware/shims that hold the pads in place, even remove the hardware- just clips in, and clean underneath it also. If that does not work, you will need to grind the pads down in order to make them fit- I had to do that with my Akebono ProCeramic pads I got off TireRack- they didn't fit even with cleaning. OEM pads just fit right in with no problem. I'm talking bout the rear brakes here, I never had an issue with the fronts.
ahh thats the thing man..all the problems are with the rear brakes and the oem pads
04-26-2005, 04:05 PM
#16
Looking at the pics, it looks like U got quite a bit of rust/etc of build up on the caliper torque member- where the pads sit in. I would clean the **** out of them with a wire brush, and give it a try.
04-26-2005, 04:29 PM
#17
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Originally Posted by BlackBIRDVQ
Looking at the pics, it looks like U got quite a bit of rust/etc of build up on the caliper torque member- where the pads sit in. I would clean the **** out of them with a wire brush, and give it a try.
04-26-2005, 04:41 PM
#18
push it in as far as you can- and make sure the little CROSS on the caliper piston is exacly up and down- as there is a little tab on the INNER pad (one that meets with the piston) that needs to slide into the cross/groove on the piston or you might experience uneven pad wear in the future or even draggin of the rear brake pads on the rotor. Its hard to explain without pics, but since you had it apart try to put the info togheter in your head and fantasize that you got it all done 
04-26-2005, 04:46 PM
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Originally Posted by BlackBIRDVQ
push it in as far as you can- and make sure the little CROSS on the caliper piston is exacly up and down- as there is a little tab on the INNER pad (one that meets with the piston) that needs to slide into the cross/groove on the piston or you might experience uneven pad wear in the future or even draggin of the rear brake pads on the rotor. Its hard to explain without pics, but since you had it apart try to put the info togheter in your head and fantasize that you got it all done
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