Serious brake issue going on

[renaldo0613]

hey fellas, I have a 97 Q45 with 207,000 running strong. back with another issue. Okay yesterday i took it upon myself to change brake pads all the way around. This WaS the easiest brake job that ive ever done i must say. Now here lies the problem..... i started with the driver side and i encountered problems from the beginning... i took the wheel off, took the caliber off, and took the pads out, put the new pads in, compressed the pistons, then i went to put the caliber back on, now i had to put some force on it to get the caliber back on, and it was lining up crooked for some reason... but i managed to get it all back on eventually. i went ahead and did the other 3 wheels with a breeze with no problem at all.. i went to test drive and before i could pull out the driveway i hear grinding on the driver side wheel. I jack it back up take it apart again and i notice the rotor has alot of play in it and then a s*** load of rust falls from behind the rotor... now everytime i put the caliber back on it wont let the tire spin freely..... i take the caliber off and push the rotor flush up against the hub and the rotor spins freely, put the caliber back on and it does not spin freely, im at a lost. I cant get the caliber bracket off, the 2 caliber bracket bolts are nearly impossible to get off unless im doing something wrong... How else can i take the rotor off to see if i a bearing may have rusted out?? What could possibly be going on?? i cant go 5mph without feeling like the tire is going to fly off.

[maxnix]

First, go to http://www.dictionary.com and look up the definition of the word paragraph.

Without pictures, I can only note you make no mention of trueing the rotors, measuring hub run out, nor of high temperature lubrication for the caliper pins.

[renaldo0613]

Why the smart remark??

[qship96]

Thats Brians way of telling you he likes you.

[maxnix]

Why the smart remark??

Because your post is not very readable nor intelligible.

Why not make it so?

[renaldo0613]

Well please forgive me for the lack of properly structuring a paragraph at the time. I would hope that one would understand the level if frustration at the time. Could we get back to the subject on hand? Bailsically there is a grinding noise that was not there prior to me changing the pads. The rotor will not spin freely once the caliber is put on. How do you remove the rotor?
I would like to see what's going on behind the rotor. I thought we were here to hel each other, not criticize.

[SanCarlosQ45]

Do the caliper pins slide freely? It sounds like one side is pushed in or out more than the other. I remember it was a pain to get one of mine, (G50) which is basically the same setup, to have enough space between the pads to get them over the rotor. Grease the pins then pull and push the caliper on the bracket to check free function. Look down from the top in the wheel well and see if the caliper is parallel with the rotor, if not then in is something with the pistons or the pads not seating correctly.

Another issue could be one piston somehow got seized, so you should be able to see one piston is out further than the other. More likely its a slide pin issue.

The mounting bracket has to come off to get the rotors off. Use some pb-blaster and a wrench, not a box end, and whack the end of the wrench; this was the only way I could get mine off. It lefty loosey so turn clockwise when looking at the rotor.

[renaldo0613]

Yes the Lower caliper pin seems to be stuck. Any solution?? I've sprayed it, and greased and she is not budging at all!!!!

[SanCarlosQ45]

The only thing I can think of is taking a flathead screw driver and a hammer and tap each side near the pin gator. At this point it will take some brute force within reason to get that to move, just remember to alternate top and bottom.

Otherwise try a C-clamp but go easy on it, pb-blaster is a must along with the caliper grease.

Sorry I can be of any other help but that's the best I got.

[renaldo0613]

Thanks San Carlos, you've been a great deal of help thus far. I managed to get it on there straight with a little bang here, and a tap here. I guess it will due until I just go buy another caliber bracket, and pins all together.

[RustyBucket]

As long as you clean the guide pins and the slots in the mounting brackets thoroughly and grease them well, then there is no need to go to the expense of replacing the mounting bracket and pins. If the guide pins are torn, you would need to replace them, however.

What I mean by a thorough cleaning is to remove the guide pins and spray them down with brake cleaner and wipe off any traces of the old grease. If there is any rust on the guide pins, make sure to remove it with a wire brush. Get them nice and bright silver again.

I've had problems with my caliper guide pins sticking because of improper greasing, but with a good cleaning and re-greasing they work fine.

[renaldo0613]

Ok thanks rusty. The biggest task at hand is to get the bottom guide pin out so I can give it a threal cleaning.

[maxnix]

Yes the Lower caliper pin seems to be stuck. Any solution?? I've sprayed it, and greased and she is not budging at all!!!!

Exactly what I noted in my first reply, no mention of high temperature lubrication on the caliper pins.

How long do you think your "brake job" will last with unturned rotors? Good luck!

[renaldo0613]

See the problem is I just got the Q, so it's no telling when's the last time anything was lubricated properly. The rotors where not in bad condition at all!!! I'm fact there was about half o life left on the pads. Of course I didn't know that until I took the wheels off and looked at them, like I said I just bought the car.

[ucando]

Reynaldo06013, It's obvious from your post you don't have a lot of experience in this area and as such are articulating the best you can, admirably, I might add. This is obvious to most, but not all of those responding to your request for help. Kudos to you for holding your head up above the muck. Criticism does not reflect technical prowess (nor, as they say, does an impeccable grasp of the rules of grammar), the ability to assess a problem and affect a solution, does. Talk, as they say, is cheap.

But talk that is constructive, is valuable, I'll fill in what I can, as it sounds like Sancarlos and RustyBucket are providing some helpful suggestions. At this point, I'm not sure where you're at with the repair, but I'd like to touch on a couple areas you mentioned.

1.As to the rust, It sounds like it may be simply that which builds up over time on the unturned portion of the rotor. It may have gotten contacted either by the new pads you installed if they encroached on an unturned portion of the rotor, or, if the caliper was incorrectly reinstalled, as it sounds like it may have been, that may have caused some out of align contact with the rusted area of the rotor or some other portion of the assembly where rust occurred. Either way, and Maxnix (in his way) alluded to the fact that, as it's the integrity of the brake job, & I'll add--safety--that's at stake, doing brakes on the "short" is false economy. Have the rotors turned by a competent shop. Next, you mentioned there was binding after reassembly.

I understood from your post that you had taken off the caliper, then reinstalled it with the new pads, at which time the binding occurred, and you've been unable to remove the caliper pins since. Is that correct? I can think of no reason why you would have trouble taking them out after a fresh install of pads, regardless of any other conditions that might have occurred, UNLESS:
1. They were overtightened (snug and then a little torque is all that's needed when installing-they won't go anywhere) or,
2. They were cross threaded reinstalling which might account for a misaligned caliper.

As for loosening the caliper bolts, WD-40, and medium light strikes on the bolt mount with a ball peen, repeat this about 5-6 times 'til the silicon has worked it's magic. Apply steady and even pressure with a good socket (NO air impact tools, manual okay). Once the rotors are turned and the correct pads are installed and calipers retracted completely (watch the reservoir doesn't overflow onto painted (or any) surfaces,you should have even spinning, smooth sliding rotors and calipers. Finally, you mentioned play in the rotor.

Is the play "laterally", grabbing the rotor at 3 & 9 o'clock and wiggling does it move fore and aft as-towards opposite front wheel and back as if it's in the hub bearing, or again, as Maxnix indicated, "run out" where looking at the rotor from the thin edge, while rotating it it moves closer to the caliper mount at one point and farther away at the other? aka warped.

The first condition would require popping the grease cap and getting a visual of the rotor play. Perhaps it is, in fact under tightened. Take the rotor off the hub and inspect the bearings, regrease, and reinstall being careful not to over tighten the bearing nut. Ask for help on this, unless your confident you've got a good "feel" for snug but not over tight. It needs to be snug so no play fore and aft is present, but no tighter, only the slightest torque then secure with the cotter pin.

The second condition-Rotor run-out-- is cured by turning or, if under safe limits, replacing, and turning new ones.

Good luck.

[BadQ45t]

You might try PB Blaster too, that works more effectively on things that are stuck. I also have never seen anybody have good luck replacing pads without at minimum turning the rotors. If you don't have an issue right away, you will. i have a 97' with less than 1/2 the mileage than yours and I'm on my 3rd set of rotors (1st were installed by Infiniti when I bought it in 2000).

If all else fails, I have a good mechanic in San Bruno not too far away from you that can finish the job...Richard's Auto Repair.

[axm203]

Reynaldo06013, It's obvious from your post you don't have a lot of experience in this area and as such are articulating the best you can, admirably, I might add. This is obvious to most, but not all of those responding to your request for help. Kudos to you for holding your head up above the muck. Criticism does not reflect technical prowess (nor, as they say, does an impeccable grasp of the rules of grammar), the ability to assess a problem and affect a solution, does. Talk, as they say, is cheap.

Man I've been on this forum a few days and noticed the know-it-all's right away. "search button this" and "blah blah that", you my friend gave me a laugh and did it with class, kudos