Brake question.

[tmorales509]

So for the past couple weeks i been noticing like a grinding noise from the driver side wheel area. Finally got around to taking the wheel off and notice this..

I thought maybe just a rock or something got stuck between the pad and rotor so took the rotor to get resurfaced and they sanded down the pad. I put everything back together to drive it and it still makes the same noise and looks as if that same line/scratch is starting to reappear so i haven't driven it since. The next thing i did was take the guide pins out and they were real rusty and one was really hard to get out so i just bought new ones, greased them and put them back in but still the same problem.

Not sure what to try next..I'm guessing maybe the caliper is bad? The boot on the piston seems good and when i pushed it back in with a c-clamp it went it easily and normally as it should. Any ideas? Thanks. By the way the pads and rotors are farely new, bought brand new maybe 6 months ago.

[OwnerCS]

What type of pads did you use? If the caliper was dragging you would be able to tell the wheel is getting hotter than the passenger side and will not rotate as freely. That is an item to check though.

It almost like like there is some imperfection in the pad or rotor that is breaking down. Can you return the pad and rotor for a replacement?

[tmorales509]

Thanks the pads are most likely just the $20 duralast pads from autozone. Never had any problem with using cheaper pads before but ill definitely look into replacing them.

[OwnerCS]

I've been running Akebono ProAct Ultra-Premium Ceramics on my 91 Q45 for close to 40,000 miles. They are a good way from 1/2 life at this point. I like them because they don't make a mess of my wheels with a lot of brake dust. The Q is now 25 years old and approaching 160,000 miles. The original rotors have never been turned.

On my truck, I've been running Wagner Thermo Quiet ceramics for years. Those have 50,000 miles already. I'll most likely get 90,000+ miles or more from the front brakes. Those are also a clean pad. It still has the original rotors that have never been turned.

I'm running Hawk HPS on one of my Maximas. My son put those on thinking it would make a big improvement. Those make a lot of dust and I can see the rotors will need to be turned when its time for for pad replacement. Based on my past experience, a good quality pad helps to keep rotors intact for the long haul.

[NutriaforBreakfast]

Not sure but is the brake caliper cover on backwards? Check your other wheel.

Otherwise:

The grease in my caliper pin boots was not holding up to the the heat and the caliper pins were sticking.

For the pins and retainer clips, I use the stuff in the little purple packs called Permatex "Ceramic Extreme Brake Lubricant".
It is rated to, yes, 3000 degrees. (I tried using anti-sieze and it was dried to a powder! I couldn't believe it). It is expensive but well worth it. It can be tricky to know how much pin grease you need so add or remove as needed-move the pins in the hole to find the proper amount of grease to apply

For the back of the brake pads I use Permatex "Ultra Disc Brake Caliper Lube", Item#24110 (green label). It is cheaper
but holds up well.

When I change brake parts it like a hospital operation and things should be very clean. That is because your brake job should keep YOU out of the hospital (lol). Use rubber gloves-chemicals go in your skin. I like to use rubbing alcohol as it get off brake grease really well on the rubber parts and brake cleaner on the calipers and rotors. Be sure to get a little round brush (like for a 38 pistol) to clean inside the caliper pin holes and spray brake cleaner in there to flush out old grease. Let the cleaners soak in. Actually your pads and rotors look pretty good (except for the line).

BTW you might try taking about 1/2 your brake fluid out of the reservoir and replacing it with fresh brake fluid two or three times over a driving period of time. Maybe it is loaded with water.

Also you need to use a torque wrench on your wheel lug nuts. I torque my wheel lug nuts to 80 ft pounds.

I am also running Wagner Thermos Ceramic. They are better than Oem pads. Stay away from Metallic pads.

You need to check the temperature of your wheels to set if the caliper is sticking. If you can barely touch the wheel your pads are sticking and it might be the calipers fault. I left my e brake on one time and I smelled brake fluid and
the wheel was REAL hot.