Brake & Rotor Replacement Parts

[Kenpachi]

Are there any small parts I should replace as I upgrade my NonPP's brakes and rotors? Anything that might be rusty and should be replaced after 60,000 miles in the Midwest winters? Thanks for your time everyone.

 

[RonPorter]

If you didn't totally wear out the pads, and the rotors aren't scored, they could be reused. Personally I would have a brake shop just do a cleanup pass on the rotors, to have a fresh surface for new pads.

Then pick the pads of your choice.

You didn't state the year of your car, but I'll assume at least 4-5 years old, if not more, with 60k on it. That being the case, flush the brake fluid!

The moisture and grunge will gravitate down to the calipers over time, and that's what kills calipers. Plus a fresh flush should firm up the pedal.

Also, clean and regrease the slider pins with dielectric grease. Sticking slider pins are a large source of brake problems.

 

[Kenpachi]

Thanks for your help! It is a 2015. There seems to be a fair amount of rust on the entire rotors, not just on the surface where there's contact with the brakes so I wasn't sure if it was time for them to go either. The calipers have some rust but I haven't had any issues with them. I can provide some pictures later.

 

[RonPorter]

Thanks for your help! It is a 2015. There seems to be a fair amount of rust on the entire rotors, not just on the surface where there's contact with the brakes so I wasn't sure if it was time for them to go either. The calipers have some rust but I haven't had any issues with them. I can provide some pictures later.

Rust on the non-contact surfaces is no big deal. On a damp day, you'll get rust on the contact surfaces within an hour! But that's also normal.

As long as there's no cracks or grooves on the rotor contact surfaces, they're good to go!

 

[Kevin81]

I second bleeding the brakes. Lots of ways to do it, with the easiest being, take it to mineike.

 

[RonPorter]

Or do it yourself with a Motive pressure bleeder. True one man operation, and gives a good pedal.

 

[Kenpachi]

I second bleeding the brakes. Lots of ways to do it, with the easiest being, take it to mineike.

Yep its going to the shop for a lot of basic maintenance when the EBC yellowstuff brakes are going on in August. I will for sure flush and bleed the brakes.

 

[Shadow351]

If you are concerned about the appearance of the non friction surfaces of your rotors, you should look into coated rotors. I've had mine for 3 years in Ohio, and the rotors are still clean.

Also, I've used the motive products bleeder on several vehicles, works great.

 

[skyshadow07]

If/when you bleed your brakes, I had a hard time getting my bleeder to pull fluid on the rear calipers. I had to go old school with a friend pumping the brake pedal. The rear calipers are weird, you have to twist the piston while pushing it in to get it to collapse. Maybe this is why the bleeder doesn't work either.

 

[RonPorter]

If/when you bleed your brakes, I had a hard time getting my bleeder to pull fluid on the rear calipers. I had to go old school with a friend pumping the brake pedal. The rear calipers are weird, you have to twist the piston while pushing it in to get it to collapse. Maybe this is why the bleeder doesn't work either.

Nope, all SHOs (and Fords), use the rear caliper as the ebrake, and have to be screwed in when installing new pads. The best way is to rent the tool, or just buy it from Harbor Freight.

The primary reason for the inability to get flow to the rear bleeders (besides a clogged/defective bleeder), is the degradation of the rubber brake lines, particularly where they go through the metal bracket. Starts being a problem generally with cars 10+ years old, but can start sooner. If the Motive pressure bleeder can't push through with 10+ psi, you have problems.

Oh, when screwing in the rear caliper pistons, crack open the bleeder screw, makes the job a LOT easier!

 

[RonPorter]

Here's the kit I finally bought from HF on sale (there's always sales at HF!). For years I used a big pair of needlenose pliers I picked up in a $5 tool bin. Tried that stupid Lisle "cube", but that's crap. This tool, like the Motive unit, is the best tool for the job!