front brake pad question

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pbm

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My wife's 01' Accord needs new front brake pads (at only 34K).One side is worn down nearly all the way. I have 3 choices 1) new pads and rotors
2)new pads and cut the old rotors 3) new pads and original rotors uncut (I would hand sand them a little). My experience with cutting modern rotors is that they pulse because they are so thin. My question is what are the negatives of option #3 installing new pads w/o cutting the old rotors. Thanks.
 
If your rotors aren't warped normally I'd say leave them alone. If one side's pads are worn a lot more... hmm... the rotor might be too. Break out the mic and see. I'd be busy trying to figure out what's with the side that's not doing as much braking, like a sticky caliper, and work on that.

If the rotors are worn unevenly I'd probably buy 2 new ones, unless they're insanely expensive. If you ever have someone else work on the car you risk them checking the thickness on the good side when the bad side is below spec. If it's just you working on the car you could probably let it slide, if that's your thing. Are you still under a bumper to bumper warranty? Might cover this, as a sticky caliper isn't a "wear part". But then you'd probably have to pay dealer prices for pad and rotor installation when they do the job, negating your savings.
 
It seems you have the problem in hand and the options defined; sans the technical data. I would pop in with some, but I only have the shop manual for the 2004 Honda Civic.

It seems to me, you have to define/trouble shoot why only one side is wearing and why that only is giving you 34k. (my guess is something else is going on) (Nest question is what is your projection for the other front side?) Theoretically they should be pretty similar.

The next thing is: what is the techincal specifications for wear on both the rotors and the pads. So in the worst case, (getting 34k from the next set of pads) you actually have enough wear limits left in the rotor to let your new pads RUN 34k.
 
the rotors shouldn't warp unless they are turned too much. I have had mine turned several times. Only when they cannot be turned and still remain above the minimum thickness stamped on the rotor do they need to be replaced.

The abnormal wear sounds like a binding caliper. Make sure it is well lubed and freely moves.

I usually don't turn the rotors unless I notice pulsing, on average they wind up getting turned about every other pad replacement.
 
Look around for cheap, new rotors.
It makes the job simple and fast, they aren't warped, they will seat well with the new pads, and have substantial metal left to resist heat and warping.
 
quote:
Originally posted by mechtech:
Look around for cheap, new rotors.
It makes the job simple and fast, they aren't warped, they will seat well with the new pads, and have substantial metal left to resist heat and warping.
Click to expand...
-

I wouldn't. They will likely have hard and soft spots quickly wearing to give pulsing, and will quickly do the same thing each time they are turned. Keep the good ones you have as long as you can.
 
Make sure the caliper slides are lubed up good, turn the rotors, install Honda pads and make sure you torque the wheel nuts. You should be fine with all that. If you have anymore ??S email me. I do about 15 brake jobs a week with work, I'm sure I can help you.
 
pbm,

One of the downsides of your Option 3 is that unresurfaced rotors with new pads will have a higher potential for squealing than new pads with resurfaced or new rotors.

Good luck, and stay safe.
 
quote:
Originally posted by BeltwayBandit:
pbm,

One of the downsides of your Option 3 is that unresurfaced rotors with new pads will have a higher potential for squealing than new pads with resurfaced or new rotors.

....
Click to expand...
an easy fix for that is to take some 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper to both surfaces of the rotor to remove the glaze.
 
replace the pads and hand sand the rotors.

nothing wrong with it.

change your brake fluid too.
 
quote:
Originally posted by toyo:
Make sure the caliper slides are lubed up good, turn the rotors, install Honda pads and make sure you torque the wheel nuts. You should be fine with all that. If you have anymore ??S email me. I do about 15 brake jobs a week with work, I'm sure I can help you.
Click to expand...
Well I did my brake job yesterday and I went with option #3. The problem was a caliper slide(bolt).
The lower one on the drivers side was all gummed up with lots of rusty looking crud making it stick. I cleaned it up and lubed it good so I hope my problem is solved. The other 3 were fine. I assume water got in thru the rubber cover. Thanks for all your answers.
 
Cool, I am glad my assistance was helpful. The caliper slides are a very important item to maintain while doing a brake job. Alot of people overlook that part.
 
If you are going to "sand" your rotors, make sure you use garnet paper, and NOT aluminum oxide. The aluminum in the sandpaper can cause adverse reactions to the metals in the pad and the metal to that of the rotor. I remember reading this in one of Stoptech's tech write-ups.

Oh, and washing the rotors in warm soapy water is supposedly better than using just brake cleaner. ALlows you to get more stuff off, such as the anti-rust coating rotors come with when new. You can use the brake cleaner as a final "rinse" if you wish.
 
"If you are going to "sand" your rotors, make sure you use garnet paper, and NOT aluminum oxide. The aluminum in the sandpaper can cause adverse reactions to the metals in the pad and the metal to that of the rotor. I remember reading this in one of Stoptech's tech write-ups."

one more reason not to believe everything on the web.....

what they are referring to must be galvanic corrosion of aluminum and iron. Which in itself is real. However, the real world is that any residual ALOx is 1) in too small a quantity to matter, and 2) is soon removed by the first application of the brakes.

there are bigger things to worry over.

I often do a mineral spirits wipedown afterwards just to clean things up a bit anyway.
 
quote:
Originally posted by kenw:
an easy fix for that is to take some 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper to both surfaces of the rotor to remove the glaze.
Click to expand...
An even easier fix for that, if the brakes started squealing long after they were installed (probably because the normal driver of the car never brakes hard) is to get on a highway without much traffic and do several hard applications of the brake pedal until you can smell the brakes. Then drive at normal speeds without braking for a few minutes to allow the rotors to cool down.
 
quote:
Originally posted by BeltwayBandit:
pbm,

One of the downsides of your Option 3 is that unresurfaced rotors with new pads will have a higher potential for squealing than new pads with resurfaced or new rotors.

Good luck, and stay safe.
Click to expand...
There is another viewpoint that new pads bed in more quickly on smooth, unresurfaced rotors. I have found that most squealing is from rusty, unlubricated slides hanging up an vibrating.
 
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