Smoke coming from new brakes

[mclasser]

I spent the holiday today changing the front brakes and doing oil, ATF and PSF changes on my I35. I used Akebono pads & AAP rotors. The pedal feels great now and the car stops without the steering wheel shimmying from the old warped rotors.

I bedded in the pads by doing several 25-5, 35-5 and 55-5 mph stops with a cooling time in-between and noticed some smoke coming from the brakes. The wheels were also hot to the touch. I used brake cleaner to get the cosmoline and any residual grime off the new rotors during installation. I also re-lubed the slide pins using Sil-Glyde and they moved freely. I also used a wire brush to get the corrosion off the the shims and used the grease that came with the pads on the ears.

Like I said, the brakes feel great and the car stops in a straight line without vibrations. Is some smoke normal in the beginning with some brakes? I only drove 2-3 miles to bed them in so maybe more time is needed. I also jacked up the car and the wheels spun freely without any binding so it appears the brakes aren't sticking.

 

[demarpaint]

I had the exact same thing happen to me when I did the front brakes on my 00 Century. It lasted for about 50 miles IIRC. I didn't aggressively try to bed them.

 

[Falken]

Normal for a semi-aggressive bed-in.

I just drive normally to bed brakes.

I did a very aggressive bed-in when I was in automechanics with a classmate.

He was driving an gave an aggressive bed it and when I was walking by the wheels the heat radiated off the brakes, you could feel it.

But they didn't smoke from what I could tell.

Drive normally, then pull over and if they seem smoking hot something is dragging.

 

[Garak]

I've seen smoke from bed ins as well. But, be cautious. One never knows what is on the friction material or rotors that can cause a bit of harmless smoke, versus something dragging and problematic, as Falken mentioned.

 

[BigD1]

From what I have read and been told, it's best to clean new rotors with soap and water.

 

[Jimmy9190]

I had that happen to me some years ago when I only used brake cleaner on my new rotors. On my test drive I had other people honking their horns at me and pointing to my left front wheel. The smoke and hot smell did eventually go away. After reading about it here on BITOG I learned you need to wash new rotors thoroughly with warm soapy water. On my next set of rotors I filled the kitchen sink with hot water and a liberal amount of Dawn dish soap, scrubbed each rotor with an old sponge for a good long time, dried each one and then hit them several times with brake cleaner. There was no smoke or abnormal heat on that test drive, none since then either.

 

[MolaKule]

Maybe a bit of caliper grease got on the pads and or rotor?

 

[gofastman]

Did you use Pro-ACT pads? In my experience they smoke a lot when new if driven hard. I think it's because of a certain type of phenolic resin binder they use. I think they are great pads, they just have that quirk.
And like others have said, soap (degreaser) and water is best to clean new or resurfaced rotors. I like KrudKutter because it has mild corrosion inhibitors that reduces flash rusting, it's also cheap and easy to find.

 

[gofastman]

Another thing I forgot, a lot of times rotors are coated with corrosion inhibitor wax/oil. Most people clean the friction surface but there is still some gunk remaining on the hat and cooling fins

 

[dishdude]

i think this is normal, the last time I saw this was after my Dad got new brakes on his '91 Acclaim and I took it out that night. It probably had more to do with a 16 year old driver than the brakes. There were no issues with them after.

 

[Run]

Some brake pads are more prone to smoke than others. Asbestos laden pads don't smoke. I know those are still widespread. The trouble with asbestos is its great fireproofing but terrible for your lungs.

 

[hansj3]

Getting into the hash marks is difficult for a pure chemical. I usually follow my chem with a rag to wipe the oils out.
Don't forget that there is oil in the fins of the rotor and it will smoke or sling somewhere hot.
The ASE now recomends you to drive normally when seating pads
I have a dedicated 2 mile test loop and its a mix of city and highway. If it does not smoke at the end they are good to go

 

[Kool1]

A few years ago I purchased Akebono pads and their website stated that their pads didn't need to be broken in. As soon as I put the pads in I drove down a few hills and my eyes opened up really wide as I had some major brake fade and the pads really smelled. This lasted for about 100 miles but the smell and fade went away after the first 100 miles. I now have about 35,000 miles on the pads and they are less than 1/2 worn.

 

[Rolla07]

Im using Akebono's also..I never bedded them in, just drove normally. Never noticed smoke but again I drove gently after install. Never a problem. Drive normally and I think what you are noticing will go away.

 

[mclasser]

Thanks for the quick and helpful replies everyone! Yes, they're the Pro-ACT pads. We'll see how things are in the morning after the pads cooled down overnight. Will keep an eye on it but seems like nothing to worry about.

 

[gofastman]

Originally Posted By: mclasser
Thanks for the quick and helpful replies everyone! Yes, they're the Pro-ACT pads. We'll see how things are in the morning after the pads cooled down overnight. Will keep an eye on it but seems like nothing to worry about.

They may actually take a 2 or 3 heat cycles to completely stop smoking. Most people, even spirited drivers only notice visual smoke on the first cycle through.

 

[Lubener]

I never had smoke but as long as the wheel turns freely it should stop smoking. If it doesn't, take a look at the hydraulic hoses. Could be breaking down inside and momentarily might be causing a caliper not to release quickly or a caliper piston not retracting quickly.

 

[Silverado12]

Originally Posted By: Lubener
I never had smoke but as long as the wheel turns freely it should stop smoking. If it doesn't, take a look at the hydraulic hoses. Could be breaking down inside and momentarily might be causing a caliper not to release quickly or a caliper piston not retracting quickly.


That's the biggest cause of dragging pads (hoses). FWIW I just drive normally (but more cautiously) for the first few times after a brake job. Been doing it that way for over 35 years.

 

[mclasser]

Update: Put about 150 miles on the new brakes and no smoking. So far, I'm liking these Akebonos. Pedal is firm and the brakes have a nice bite to them. There's a bit of brake dust that I hope will lessen/go away as the pads settle in.

 

[Rand]

I did a brake job and a semi-aggressive bed in on the 2010 accent.

The fronts were smoking badly but the rotor temps were even and brakes worked great. It was 1am out when I was test driving it and being backlit on the offramp at a light by some guy's highbeams was pretty crazy looking(fog/smoke).

Since I had to Retap the caliper bracket for a bigger bolt. And had the pads on and off about 6x.. I figured just got some grease on them.