rusty rotors?
#1
03-16-2011, 09:41 AM
rusty rotors?
Hey all,
WOndering if anyone else notices this on their rotors. I have a 2009 Outie V6 with 36,000KM on it.
Does anyone notice that even after driving for a while that their rotors are NOT a nice shiny silver, but a dullish brown?? Now I know surface rust can happen in rain etc and that will go away after you use the brakes a few times. BUt this doesn't seem to go away. My old car (Mazda) had shiny rotors and any rust that accumulated on them overnight or anything was gone pretty quick.
Also, when using the brakes after a snow storm or rain first thing in the morning, the whole car shudders when applying a pretty good amount of force. You can tell it is the brakes - almost like they aren't biting (and no, it's not the ABS).
I find myself looking at the rotors of other cars in parking lots LOL and they are all shiny......
Anyone else notice this?
WOndering if anyone else notices this on their rotors. I have a 2009 Outie V6 with 36,000KM on it.
Does anyone notice that even after driving for a while that their rotors are NOT a nice shiny silver, but a dullish brown?? Now I know surface rust can happen in rain etc and that will go away after you use the brakes a few times. BUt this doesn't seem to go away. My old car (Mazda) had shiny rotors and any rust that accumulated on them overnight or anything was gone pretty quick.
Also, when using the brakes after a snow storm or rain first thing in the morning, the whole car shudders when applying a pretty good amount of force. You can tell it is the brakes - almost like they aren't biting (and no, it's not the ABS).
I find myself looking at the rotors of other cars in parking lots LOL and they are all shiny......
Anyone else notice this?
#2
03-16-2011, 10:35 AM
My rotors have a shine to them, but they are more like a medium grey color rather than shiny silver.
What I've noticed the few times we get overnight rains in Phoenix is the brakes seem to grab more and the pedal is actually more sensitive, and yes, there is a noise you hear when pressing on the pedal. This goes away after a few miles of driving and applying the brakes.
What I've noticed the few times we get overnight rains in Phoenix is the brakes seem to grab more and the pedal is actually more sensitive, and yes, there is a noise you hear when pressing on the pedal. This goes away after a few miles of driving and applying the brakes.
#3
03-16-2011, 04:44 PM
I think our cars were built around the same time newoutlanderfan. I've noticed everything you've mentioned on my vehicle too.
I might use a wire wheel on the rotor veins (outer lip, the hat is the part the wheel bolts onto) when I switch over to my summer wheels - will give the rotors pad mating surface a quick rub down with some fine grit sand paper if I see anything glazed or discoloured.
The bad news is that the rust is just going to come back. Better rotors with a better paint job on the veins/hats is the only solution for rusting. You'll need high temperature paint and if you want to paint over the rust/without primer you'll need rust paint too. Don't paint the pad/rotor mating surface!
While working on the rotors I'd pull the caliper sliders to clean and lube them up since I'm working in the area. Do this AFTER the dust flies - you can cover the caliper with a cloth. The caliper sees brake dust but not huge chunks of rust during normal operation but don't worry about it too much it should be fine.
As for the early morning break noise. It's normal. Just the pads warming up and mating with the rotors after a nights rest/rust. Sometimes it can get really loud though and shake the car. I assume it is a really hard/cold pad - softer pads wear faster and have more brake dust. It's a trade off between pad life and feel.
I notice it when I'm leaving the driveway with a passenger. I have a fence line on my passenger side that even skinny people can't get into the vehicle where it is parked. I have to pull forward about 8 feet to the sidewalk to let a passenger in.
I find putting the vehicle in neutral before braking helps. I think having the engine driving the wheels while it is rev'ing at 1600rpms trying to warm up the block as you are braking is what causes the shudder. It's kind of like braking while having your foot slightly on the gas.
I might use a wire wheel on the rotor veins (outer lip, the hat is the part the wheel bolts onto) when I switch over to my summer wheels - will give the rotors pad mating surface a quick rub down with some fine grit sand paper if I see anything glazed or discoloured.
The bad news is that the rust is just going to come back. Better rotors with a better paint job on the veins/hats is the only solution for rusting. You'll need high temperature paint and if you want to paint over the rust/without primer you'll need rust paint too. Don't paint the pad/rotor mating surface!
While working on the rotors I'd pull the caliper sliders to clean and lube them up since I'm working in the area. Do this AFTER the dust flies - you can cover the caliper with a cloth. The caliper sees brake dust but not huge chunks of rust during normal operation but don't worry about it too much it should be fine.
As for the early morning break noise. It's normal. Just the pads warming up and mating with the rotors after a nights rest/rust. Sometimes it can get really loud though and shake the car. I assume it is a really hard/cold pad - softer pads wear faster and have more brake dust. It's a trade off between pad life and feel.
I notice it when I'm leaving the driveway with a passenger. I have a fence line on my passenger side that even skinny people can't get into the vehicle where it is parked. I have to pull forward about 8 feet to the sidewalk to let a passenger in.
I find putting the vehicle in neutral before braking helps. I think having the engine driving the wheels while it is rev'ing at 1600rpms trying to warm up the block as you are braking is what causes the shudder. It's kind of like braking while having your foot slightly on the gas.
#5
03-16-2011, 07:09 PM
I think our cars were built around the same time newoutlanderfan. I've noticed everything you've mentioned on my vehicle too.
I might use a wire wheel on the rotor veins (outer lip, the hat is the part the wheel bolts onto) when I switch over to my summer wheels - will give the rotors pad mating surface a quick rub down with some fine grit sand paper if I see anything glazed or discoloured.
The bad news is that the rust is just going to come back. Better rotors with a better paint job on the veins/hats is the only solution for rusting. You'll need high temperature paint and if you want to paint over the rust/without primer you'll need rust paint too. Don't paint the pad/rotor mating surface!
While working on the rotors I'd pull the caliper sliders to clean and lube them up since I'm working in the area. Do this AFTER the dust flies - you can cover the caliper with a cloth. The caliper sees brake dust but not huge chunks of rust during normal operation but don't worry about it too much it should be fine.
As for the early morning break noise. It's normal. Just the pads warming up and mating with the rotors after a nights rest/rust. Sometimes it can get really loud though and shake the car. I assume it is a really hard/cold pad - softer pads wear faster and have more brake dust. It's a trade off between pad life and feel.
I notice it when I'm leaving the driveway with a passenger. I have a fence line on my passenger side that even skinny people can't get into the vehicle where it is parked. I have to pull forward about 8 feet to the sidewalk to let a passenger in.
I find putting the vehicle in neutral before braking helps. I think having the engine driving the wheels while it is rev'ing at 1600rpms trying to warm up the block as you are braking is what causes the shudder. It's kind of like braking while having your foot slightly on the gas.
I might use a wire wheel on the rotor veins (outer lip, the hat is the part the wheel bolts onto) when I switch over to my summer wheels - will give the rotors pad mating surface a quick rub down with some fine grit sand paper if I see anything glazed or discoloured.
The bad news is that the rust is just going to come back. Better rotors with a better paint job on the veins/hats is the only solution for rusting. You'll need high temperature paint and if you want to paint over the rust/without primer you'll need rust paint too. Don't paint the pad/rotor mating surface!
While working on the rotors I'd pull the caliper sliders to clean and lube them up since I'm working in the area. Do this AFTER the dust flies - you can cover the caliper with a cloth. The caliper sees brake dust but not huge chunks of rust during normal operation but don't worry about it too much it should be fine.
As for the early morning break noise. It's normal. Just the pads warming up and mating with the rotors after a nights rest/rust. Sometimes it can get really loud though and shake the car. I assume it is a really hard/cold pad - softer pads wear faster and have more brake dust. It's a trade off between pad life and feel.
I notice it when I'm leaving the driveway with a passenger. I have a fence line on my passenger side that even skinny people can't get into the vehicle where it is parked. I have to pull forward about 8 feet to the sidewalk to let a passenger in.
I find putting the vehicle in neutral before braking helps. I think having the engine driving the wheels while it is rev'ing at 1600rpms trying to warm up the block as you are braking is what causes the shudder. It's kind of like braking while having your foot slightly on the gas.
I'm also concerned with the amount of low groaning noise when turning. Of course, this may be the tires, but it does it on the OEM (Geolander) as well as my winter tires. It may be the bearings, but WTF - the car only has 36,000K on it. It does it when I turn right and left, so hoepfully it is the tires or else both bearings are shot.....ugh.
#6
03-16-2011, 11:16 PM
I wouldn't be too worried about the rust. All rotors will rust where the pads do not make contact. That's just a fact of the material...it is steel. I don't think you'll be too successful painting them...you'll have to paint all non-contact surfaces. If you miss a spot, the rust will get behind the paint and flake off.
If your brakes grab in the morning or when it rains, you may have moisture in your fluid. Brake fluid will absorb moisture from the air...it isn't like motor oil or tranny fluid. When was the last time you flushed your lines??
If your brakes grab in the morning or when it rains, you may have moisture in your fluid. Brake fluid will absorb moisture from the air...it isn't like motor oil or tranny fluid. When was the last time you flushed your lines??
#7
03-17-2011, 05:14 AM
I wouldn't be too worried about the rust. All rotors will rust where the pads do not make contact. That's just a fact of the material...it is steel. I don't think you'll be too successful painting them...you'll have to paint all non-contact surfaces. If you miss a spot, the rust will get behind the paint and flake off.
If your brakes grab in the morning or when it rains, you may have moisture in your fluid. Brake fluid will absorb moisture from the air...it isn't like motor oil or tranny fluid. When was the last time you flushed your lines??
If your brakes grab in the morning or when it rains, you may have moisture in your fluid. Brake fluid will absorb moisture from the air...it isn't like motor oil or tranny fluid. When was the last time you flushed your lines??
I'm not talking about where the pads don't make contact, I am talking about where the pads DO make contact. It looks like a brownish rust color, not a shiny silver like all my other disc brakes in every other car I owned. I am not worried about the rust on the non-contact part....I am worried why they still look rusty brown where the pads DO make contact....
The car is only 1.5 years old...I would think the brake fluid would still be good - only 36000km on the truck...
Cheers
#8
03-17-2011, 09:49 AM
you could always take the rotors off, scuff off the glaze with some sandpaper. can you throw up a pic to see how bad they are?
I flush my brake lines about ever other year with a setup like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Mityvac-MV8000...0372915&sr=8-7
fluid is cheap and it really doesn't take too long.
The mightyvac also comes in handy if you have a vacuum leak and you need to take vacuum readings at various points.
I flush my brake lines about ever other year with a setup like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Mityvac-MV8000...0372915&sr=8-7
fluid is cheap and it really doesn't take too long.
The mightyvac also comes in handy if you have a vacuum leak and you need to take vacuum readings at various points.
#9
03-18-2011, 04:17 PM
I'm not talking about where the pads don't make contact, I am talking about where the pads DO make contact. It looks like a brownish rust color, not a shiny silver like all my other disc brakes in every other car I owned. I am not worried about the rust on the non-contact part....I am worried why they still look rusty brown where the pads DO make contact....
The car is only 1.5 years old...I would think the brake fluid would still be good - only 36000km on the truck
The car is only 1.5 years old...I would think the brake fluid would still be good - only 36000km on the truck
What did the shop say when you had your tires swapped?
Brown colours could be thicker than normal layers of friction material from your pads - there is always some but the thicker the layer the more brake fade you'll get. Check out the "bronze tint" photo in this link.
http://motorage.search-autoparts.com...ID=1&sk=&date=
I replaced the brake fluid @ 36,000km's - I'll do it every 2 years from now on. Just trying to spread the service around so it doesn't all hit during the big service @ 48,000km.
#10
04-10-2011, 12:39 PM
Photos
Rotated on my all season tires on Thursday night so I took some pictures.
The pictures aren't very good as it was getting dark and the flash whitewashed them out.
You can see some brake material on the rotors - shows up as streaks and the hats/veins are rusted. Overall it's not "new" looking but I don't think it's abnormal wear in the salt belt I live in.
The silver looking material around the threaded studs is the anti-sieze I apply when my aluminium wheels go on. This reduces bonding of the dissimilar metals over the summer - not needed for painted steel wheels but it doesn't hurt either.
I snapped off one of my wife's wheel studs on her pontiac vibe changing out her tires that night - it was quite a production. I need to start keeping some spare wheel studs and lugs around.
The pictures aren't very good as it was getting dark and the flash whitewashed them out.
You can see some brake material on the rotors - shows up as streaks and the hats/veins are rusted. Overall it's not "new" looking but I don't think it's abnormal wear in the salt belt I live in.
The silver looking material around the threaded studs is the anti-sieze I apply when my aluminium wheels go on. This reduces bonding of the dissimilar metals over the summer - not needed for painted steel wheels but it doesn't hurt either.
I snapped off one of my wife's wheel studs on her pontiac vibe changing out her tires that night - it was quite a production. I need to start keeping some spare wheel studs and lugs around.
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