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Alland
if they fail completely and utterly, you can always use the parking brake to stop, get out, and call a wrecker. hold out the parking brake release with your left hand and push the pedal to stop (it takes longer,) or on a sporty designed car, keep the unlock button on the end of the brake handle on the console pushed in and pull back the brake lever to stop (this is harder to regulate the braking.) it works like your old time non-power-assisted brakes, and no fluid is needed for this mechanical disaster backup.
downshift as needed for That Last Stop to reduce your workload... and then shut the buggy off and call for a tow.
I've only had to do it once, with soaking wet brakes, and it does work... and it does take 2 to 3 times the distance to stop you're used to.
if you're nervous, just for the hell of it, get to an empty parking lot one Sunday or late evening and try it, so you will have done your once-in-a-lifetime practice as well. there are very few total brake failures out there, and almost never on regularly-maintained cars.
Does someone have any input on this? I would to fix this problem once and for all. I'm trying to sell my vehicle and no one will want to buy it because of the annoying squealing/squeaking. If these two things are different could someone tell me what the differences are.
Now very frustrated.
I have 2000 Taurus and decided to do my brakes in order for me to be sure that everything is done with high quality parts and labor.
My questions are
1. Do I need to replace rubber boots on caliper slider pins? If yes are they dealer items?
2. Do I need to replace caliper slider pins. Dealer is asking $12 each?
3. Acnhor bolts ( 2 pieces 15 mm), do I need to replace them.
4. I couldn't see slicon grease in local pepboys store. I was planing to use it on the wheel and rotor hub? What else I can use instead of it.
5. Can I use sand paper if wheel hub is rusty, if yes what number?
Many thanks to who takes his time to answer me.
1. If the rotor is stuck on the hub, how do you take them off? I'm considering to replace them.
2. If the bleeder valve nut is rounded, what to do?
Thanks a bunch!
2. Reuse them providing there's no pitting or corrosion on them, otherwise replace them. Should be ok if the rubber boots are still ok. Don't forget to lubricate them. (see #4)
3. Original anchor bolts come with thread locking compound on them. Reuse the originals with 2 - 3 drops of Loctite Blue thread locker on the threads.
4. I'm surprised that dilectric silicone grease isn't available at your local parts outlet. Check with the counter staff. The slider pins and bushings must be lubricated, but DON'T use any petroleum based products. They will damage the rubber components. Good quality pads usually come with a small packet of silicone grease.
5. It's absolutely important to make sure the mounting flanges of the hubs are clean with no rust scabs. Same for the inside surface of the rotors if they're being reused. Failure to do so will result in rotor lateral runout, causing brake pedal pulsation and premature pad and caliper slide pin bushing wear. Use a stiff putty knife then #100 paper to clean them. After, put a very light skim of silicone grease on the mating surfaces to retard corrosion.
If a rotor doesn't want to come off, spray the hub area with a good penetrating fluid and let it soak in. My U.S. counterparts over at Batauto.com all swear by PB Blaster as the best around. Then give the rotor a few good whacks with a rubber mallet to dislodge it.
Before attempting to loosen a bleeder, strike it sharply (and squarely) a few times with a small hammer to jar the threads. Use a 6 point socket to remove and you should be all set. If a bleeder's already rounded, try Vise Grips (any copycat locking pliers are worthless), then install a new bleeder.
A couple of more tips:
Prior to caliper removal, remove the bleeder and bottom the piston with a c-clamp. Place the forcing screw against the outboard pad and the clamp pad on the back of the caliper, then rotate the screw in. It will force the caliper outward toward the rotor, bottoming the piston.
Index the rotors to the hubs prior to removal if they're going to be reused.
Do not let the calipers hang by the hoses while performing brake work. The hoses can be damaged internally. Hang the calipers from pieces of stiff coat hanger.
Clean and lubricate all metal to metal contact points.
When reinstalling the components, slip the rotor onto the hub and temporarily retain with one wheel nut while installing the caliper.
Use an aerosol brake cleaner to remove any grease or other contaminants from the rotor surfaces.
Use a torque wrench to tighten the wheel nuts.
Don't forget to pump the brake pedal up before moving the car.
Where can I find the PB blaster? I have WD40 and it seems doesn't work very well to free the rust bond in other applications.
Will look for a Vise Grips, hope it's not too expensive.
The jaws form a three sided triangle with the lower jaw having a raised bump for griping and forcing the head into the other two sides. There are no teeth in the jaws. It simply grips as works like magic on striped screws.
bleeder screws are a soft material and strip easily. Once it is striped, you only get one chance because the soft material and the teeth in a regular vise grip will tear it to shreds.
I bought a 4lw and tried it on bleeder screw that nothing else would touch and was so impressed that i went back and bought the 7 and 10 and have since used them on striped oil drain plugs and nuts on manifold heat shields that have been downsized by rust.
Because of the setup of the jaws, the different sizes fit different bolt heads. the 4lw will handle from 1/4 to say 7/16 and the 10lw will grip around 1/2 to 3/4.
I now use these right off the get go, on rusted old bleeder nuts to prevent the stripping in the first place. If it has rust it isn't the right size any more and a flare nut will just slip anyway. If it won't release on the first quick push then i will hit the bleeder with the blue tip of a propane torch for about 3 to 4 secs (watch out for the rubber hose), re install the 4LW and presto, an easy release.
Good luck.
But the problem is: where did you buy them? Thanks!
Have not really seen them in the auto places but also have not really been on the lookout for them either.
happy hunting
Now I get a creaking sound from the front whenever the cars is stopped (with the brakes applied) and I start gradually releasing the brakes. Also, I noticed I get the same sound if I am stationary, again with the brakes applied, and I start turning the steering wheel. I think it comes mostly from one side.
Do you guys know what this may be? Could it be something loose, or perhaps I need to grease any of the components there?
Any suggestions welcome. Thanks!
Do you think turning the steering wheel while the car is stationary (with the brakes applied just enough to keep the car from moving) and getting this same effect is a cause for concern?
it won't hurt the tires much, but you are scrubbing off a little rubber that you could use down the road.
that's why, in the old days, when they actually put steel in brake rotors instead of whisper it while they went down the assembly line, they used to take a cut on the rotors to true them up every pad change. nowdays, because the rotors are so thin to save weight and provide more profit for the parts division (slap, slap! no, I didn't say that!), about all they routinely do is scuff the surface a little bit.
I have seen one or more references (in this board) to loosening the bleeder screw before compressing the piston. What is the rationale here? I have always just squeezed the fluid back into the reservoir and if no fluid has been added (generally the case) it should all fit back in there just fine.
Comments?
Alland
Thickness variation or parallelism .0005" maximum measured at 5 places around the rotor with a micrometer.
My rule of thumb, (which is only mine) is that I check the rotor for run-out, and if it's okay, I don't care if it has some very light grooves in it---the new pads will bed in, and in theory anyway, a corrugated surface has more surface area than a smooth one. I prefer to keep the stock thickness even if it is a little bit rough (not too deep a groove, however).
If the rotor is bent or deeply grooved I generally throw it away unless it's some rare type of car of course. New rotors are amazingly cheap I've come to find out, and I mean GOOD material, too.
The only thing stopping your car is those rotors and pads and that tiny patch of rubber on your tires as it sticks to the road. Skimp on what you will, but not on those things.
I dont know if I should throw out the Raybestos Quiet Stop as the dealer suggests. Seems waistful since I got very few miles on the pads, but then I am changing the rotors, and don't want to damage the rotors again.
Anyone know anything about these pads? My car is a 2001 Maxima, by the way.
I have 2000 Taurus. This brand is very infamous for rotor warpage, however many taurus owners are happyly using QS pads. THe problem is original maxima rototrs are soft for the pads.
I just installed Raybestos Rotors (the good one and expensive one) with QS pads. So far so good but it is still early. Before I did this, I lurked Ford Taurus forums and read all postings regarding brakes. I have not heard and read any negative comment about them.
Unlike what your dealer says, go head and get your rotors replaced with Raybestos rotors ($50 piece) and it will be cheaper that original part. You have nothing to loose I beleive.
Good luck and let us know.
Which Raybestos rotor did you install. You say it was the good one - I can only find one that matches my car.
I have a 96 Protege DX, 5 spd. Discs in the front, drums in the rear. About a year ago right after I bought the car I did a complete brake brake job (pads/rotors in the front, shoes in the back). I also replaced the rubber bushings for all the sliding pins in the front calipers, cleaned everything, and lubed it with synthetic caliper grease. Except for some hissing audible when braking at low speed, which I suspect is the pads which are to hard (cheap 30 buck item), everything has been fine. Until now...
A couple of weeks or so ago, I started feeling this wobbling when I brake at low speed when I come to a complete stop in a traffic light. It's a bouncy feel, like one of the wheels was an oval. I took the wheel off, and the rotors are a bit glazed (their color is not metal but a bit drak). It's not the back brakes, because I don't get the wobbling if I stop using the e-brake. Could these be wrapped rotors? I do not have the typical pulsation on the brake pedal when I apply the brakes at highway speeds, so I'm not sure...
TIA,
G.
Do you think that if I remove the glazing with emery cloth it would help? I want to avoid taking the discs out and taking them to shop to turn - They are 'el cheapo' rotors, so my feeling is that it will happen again in a few months even if I turn them, and I don't want to spend $$$ in new ones right now...
As for rotating the discs on the studs until I found a 'sweet spot', boy, that is a looooot of work.
G.
I think Shifty is right, and I probably have a (one) wrapped rotor. Plus, I noticed that if I have to brake a lot (i.e., stop and go traffic), the wobble is accompanied by a low pitch scraping sound. I think that as they get hotter and hotter they get worst, and they may be scraping against the caliper bracket or the backing plate...
G.
Is the installation a simple job? Can I trust any shop to install them or do I need to go to the dealer for that? Also, what is a reasonable price for the installation? The car is a 2001 Maxima, by the way.
Thanks!