why are my brakes scorched up? picture inside

[demarpaint]

I got side tracked when I posted above, and would also recommend changing the pads, rotors and gravity bleeding the old brake fluid out. As long as there is no air in the system a gravity bleed, keeping the master cylinder topped up should be good. I'd run about a pint of fluid through each caliper. I'd do the rear brakes as well, I wouldn't be surprised if they're glazed too. Get a good set of rotors and pads, not the cheap made in China junk. As I already mentioned use a lower gear going downhill and pump the brakes to allow them to cool.

 

[bigjl]

As many have said you have overheated your brakes.

When I learned to drive it was something we were taught not to do.

You don't need to rev the engine that high, just chose a lower gear.

I can also see the crack on the disc.

Not good after so few miles.

If you have to use your brakes all the time to keep a safe distance and constant speed you are likely a little to close and in too high a gear.

 

[oldhp]

The rotor brake hats are cracked where the lug bolts are, overtightening? Overtighting + overheating=cracked rotor hats.
You can't hold pedal and not overheat brakes. Even laying your foot gently on brake pedal will overheat brakes.

 

[bigjl]

Originally Posted By: salv
yes. this is what i was saying. oem...always. i won't back pads on any vehicle i put them on unless they are oem. if a customer comes back because they have a little squeak when coming to a stop due to hard pads,or hard pads wipe out the rotors in 5k, i don't go good for them. i tell the customer they opted for aftermarket to save money, and now they have to live with the consequences or pay me to do it all over again with oem pads.

OEM pads are a compromise to fit all types of use and kind of owner.

They are as quiet as possible whilst producing the least dust and lasting as well as they can whilst still working as well as possible.

If you want higher braking performance, fade resistance then there will be different compromises, such as extra noise and shorter service life.

I think you are confusing aftermarket with cheap knock offs made to poor standards and sold to the unwary.

Tarox and EBC both make good brake parts.

Better in many circumstances than OEM.

Why?

Because they are less constrained by the compromised needed to be fitted as OEM parts.

 

[another Todd]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: spasm3
Couldn't help but notice, man are those wheels pitted or what? Almost looks like small cracks there too. And are those cracks on the rotor hub near the wheel? if so get new ones pronto!


Good eye! The rotor hub indeed looks cracked, and right behind the lugs/studs!


I saw that too. Also, if your brakes felt spongy at the bottom, moisture in the brake fluid probably boiled into steam to give you an "air in the lines" feeling. After it cools it usually will return to normal. Flush you brake fluid with fresh fluid.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: salv
ceramic pads are known to wipe out rotors. switch them back to oem semi-metallics. oem is always the best choice for a balance of performance and longevity.



That is not true! It is actual fact that ceramic is EASIER on rotors than semi-metallics.

Also there are many choices that are BETTER than OEM since the OEM pads are a compromise to achieve performance, wear and noise. I've never replaced any of my vehicles with OEM brake pads - always went better and saves $$ doing it.

 

[steve20]

Now--I ALWAYS replace my pads with OEM-over several decades I've gone the ceramic upgrades, tried the correct Hawk pads, tried the correct NAPA and other store brans pads*, etc enough trial and error-the OEMs although more expensive, never disappoint


*exception-the AZ semi metallics I have on the Honda are pretty darn good---unfortunately I know they can evoke front tire squeel at 85 mph when requested

 

[garlicbreadman]

i did not hold the brakes the entire way down, i held it for 2-3 secs at a time when i needed to brake. i notice the lines too on the rotor..i always torque my wheels to 80ft pds.

 

[The Critic]

Plain and simple, the pads were overheated. Also, it appears that the overheating was more confined to one section of the rotor, which makes me question if the hardware was allowing the pads to slide freely. When you install new pads and rotors, be sure to clean the caliper bracket and both sides of the clips.

 

[Texan4Life]

I agree, probably overheated. I was gonna say not to worry until others pointed out that the rotor hat looks like it has cracks forming. If those are indeed cracks I would start saving up for some new rotors.

If you happen to remember the brand of rotors, that would be good to know. I would probably get a different brand if you go for slotted again. I would be really disappointed if my high performance rotors started to crack just because of a little heat.

personally I would have gone with semi-metallic pads also.

 

[Shannow]

When I was teaching my better half to drive, one of our arguments was the great big hill running down into town.

I maintained that pulling the lever down to "2" (3 available with a 253c.i. v-8, that ran about 3,100 at 65MPH in top), and heavy braking to wipe speed was the way to go.

She maintained that her way (constant brake on, but light) was the way to go.

Anyway, we agreed on a challenge.

She'd do the hill my way, then at the very point that we hit the town speed sign, brake hard like a kid stepped out. Stopped, marked the point on the kerb, then went up and did the hill her way, while I maintained an entirely **** status for the descent (and that was hard).

Hit town speed limit sign, and she jammed the anchors on...and complained that the brakes weren't working (they were, I could feel them, but they weren't doing what she wanted).

End result was stoppage, but 30-40 feet down the road...and a "funny smell" when the rock marker was placed on the kerb.

Last 20 years she has always saved the brakes for when she might need them. And we don't wear brake stuff out.

 

[Fleetmon]

yep...what they said....you cooked your brakes. Brake pads (and linings) start to "smell" around 600'F and begin to smoke about 100'F higher. The smell is the resin being cooked out of the compound....in other words, ruined.

They will probably work at stopping for a while longer but you really should heed the advice of downshifting. A 2-3 second brake hold is a LONG time and will cause extreme heat....use a temperature gun on your brakes to see how hot they're really getting and adjust your driving style to minimize brake damage. Working them very hard should result in approx 400'F.....anymore than that needs adjustment.

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: garlicbreadman
... i dont engine brake because i dont like the engine in high rpms because of the short gearing but this isnt the topic.

my brakes smelled so burnt too, but no smoke


Unless you use pulse brake application, like others suggested, downshifting is the only other way to help in braking downhill. Besides, what high RPM are you talking about? Shifting one gear down usually means going from 2k RPM to around 3k RPM, which should be sufficient in helping the brakes out. These are not high RPMs.

 

[Vikas]

what is an Integra owner complaining about high rpm engine?

 

[Nick R]

Add another one for overheated brakes. In the future, engine brake, it will help save the brakes. Also as said, pulse on long donwhills, don't ride them or this will happen.

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Plain and simple, the pads were overheated. Also, it appears that the overheating was more confined to one section of the rotor, which makes me question if the hardware was allowing the pads to slide freely. When you install new pads and rotors, be sure to clean the caliper bracket and both sides of the clips.


The local discoloring made me think of improper bed-in too.

 

[Kestas]

I see nothing unusual about the discoloration. It's just a random pattern. I wouldn't expect a uniiform color all the way across. I dare you to show me an overheated rotor where the coloring is perfect across the face. The extra bluing at the outer edge is where the metal heat sink ends, and is to be expected.

 

[garlicbreadman]

i checked the brakes this morning and those 'cracks' are actually brake dust marks.

also some of the blue discoloration wore off after some light driving yesterday and the brakes feel fine with no pulsation. im going to drive 200 miles home today with about 70 miles of hills, so ill see how the brakes work in heavier duty driving

 

[DBMaster]

What model year is your Integra? A lot of cars from the late 90's on came with ceramic pads as standard equipment. I can't comment on what they might do to a rotor, but I used them on my 89 Accord which came with semi metallic OEM. They tended to be quieter and left less dark colored dust on the rims.

Much like the poster from Houston, there really aren't substantial hills around here, either.

 

[Astro14]

The blue discoloration is from the metal overheating. Wearing off the color doesn't change the fact those rotors were overheated and need to be replaced.