Help from Brake Expert

[VinhPham]

A few background info about my car/brake:

MY2000
I have 145K miles on my car
I don't think the brake fluids have ever been flush before


I change my brakes to drill slotted rottors about 3 years ago when I bought the car and have been pretty happy with the purchase.

I know for a fact that I need to replace my pads soon as I just inspected them not too long ago when i did my wheel bearing.

My question is everytime I brake hard, it pulls the car to the right. Is this associated with warping in the rotors or is this from calipers sticking?

I plan to flush the brake fluid and replace or turn the rotors when I do the brakes but if the calipers are sticking, do I have to replace/rebuild the calipers? They are not learking fuild my all mean.

I'm sure someone have got to experience something similar to my problem. What did the problem turn out to be for you?

Thanks in advance,

VP

[repiv]

I'm no brake expert, but I can make some general comments.

With 145K miles and never a brake fluid change, all I can say is, "YIKES"! Change it soon.

As for the pulling to one side, I strongly suggest you carefully check the air pressure of each one of your tires. The S2000 is extremely susceptible to a couple of psi pressure difference in the tires. At the very least, eliminate this as the cause of the pull. Then check each tire for any deformities or odd wear patterns as this is the second most common source of problems when the car pulls to one side on braking and when just rolling down the road.

You won't know if the rotors need turning until you do a run-out check, nor will you know if turning them is possible till you see if there is enough material to allow turning (based on if or how badly they are warped). A warped rotor will generally show up as a rhythmic pulsation in the brake pedal.
If the calipers are sticking, you will see this in an odd wear of the pads from one side to the other and from one end of the pad to the other. If the pads are worn fairly evenly, then chances are they aren't sticking. Whether or not they are sticking, at that kind of mileage without a fluid change, there is a good chance that rust has begun in the caliper cylinder area. You won't know this till you disassemble the calipers. Hardtopguy sells a rebuild kit that you can buy and each kit doesn't cost too much. It might be wise to do a rebuild at this time anyway just to be on the safe side and to prevent a problem showing up after you've done the rest of the work.

[Slalom44]

I'd like to add some comments:

I agree that you should check your tire pressure. But if you're certain it's not uneven tire pressure, a stuck caliper may be the culprit. You should consider unbolting the front calipers (I doubt it's your rears) from the hub and check the freeplay of the pins. If they're sticking, you can try lubing them with Sil-Glyde. If they're rusted or bent, they may need to be replaced. It's possible that the piston is sticking, and when you remove them there should be signs of corrosion, a blown seal, or something suggesting a problem. As Dave says, a rebuild kit would be your best option if it's a piston.

Brake rotors don't warp. That old wive's tale has been floating around the internet for years. http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml

And by all means, bleed your brakes.

Good luck!

[hecash]

I would not let a set of calipers go 50K miles, nontheless 145K miles. With all due respect to the suggestions made here, mine is to dig into your pocket and replace all four calipers. But then again, it's your butt. Do with it what you will.

[VinhPham]

I do plan on turning them if I can but I had cross drill slotted rotors turn on my GF's previous vehicle and they didn't put the counter sink back into the holes. I'm not sure how this will affect anything down the road because we ended up selling the car not too long after that brake job. Your thoughts?

I would not let a set of calipers go 50K miles, nontheless 145K miles. With all due respect to the suggestions made here, mine is to dig into your pocket and replace all four calipers. But then again, it's your butt. Do with it what you will.

Why wouldn't you let a set of calipers go past 50K miles?:think: they're not "wear-able" parts. If anything....a rebuild in call for if they leak or as Repiv stated...rust from the inside of the piston or the caliper housing.

[tomauto]

I do plan on turning them if I can but I had cross drill slotted rotors turn on my GF's previous vehicle and they didn't put the counter sink back into the holes. I'm not sure how this will affect anything down the road because we ended up selling the car not too long after that brake job. Your thoughts?



Why wouldn't you let a set of calipers go past 50K miles?:think: they're not "wear-able" parts. If anything....a rebuild in call for if they leak or as Repiv stated...rust from the inside of the piston or the caliper housing.

I really think he meant pads or rotors maybe.

[fltsfshr]

He's just old and grumpy....

:p :p

fltsfshr

[VinhPham]

He's just old and grumpy....

:p :p

fltsfshr

That's not what I meant at all. I'm sure he's only giving his honest input and trying to help, which I really appretiate.

I looked at brakes last night and it seems that the cross drilled hole where never counter sunk before. But that leads to another question...what about the slots. What happens if they get too shallow?

[hecash]

I really think he meant pads or rotors maybe.

I really do mean calipers. I did all of the calipers on my Integra a little less than two years ago and they will be replaced this spring. The calipers on my S2000 will probably be replaced in summer 2010.

Of the three things a car must do well to be a proper car, I'm not terribly worried if the car does not accelerate well, nor am I terribly worried if I need to manage turns, but, having another break issue when the cost of keeping them new is so relatively modest, it will never happen to me again.

[hecash]

He's just old and grumpy....

:p :p

fltsfshr

PITA :p

[hecash]

What happens if they get too shallow?

Trash them then buy a fabulous set of new OEM front rotors and properly mount them. Your braking response and capacity will improve.

[jun11]

Bleed the brakes. Sounds like old fluid let moisture build up around the piston. Rebuilding calipers is pretty easy and inexpensive.

[RPMZzzz]

Hello,

It's time to change my rotors and I wanted to see if anyone had any feedback on replacement rotors?
I would like to keep my stock calipers and change my rotors to slotted, drilled or dimpled? Any suggestions on what type are the best and which brand I should buy that will provide good performance at a reasonable price?:confused:

[repiv]

I just put on Stoptech rotors (slotted/cross drilled) from an ebay seller, using stock calipers and pads. The performance is no better and no worse. They're just for bling. For most kinds of driving, even track driving, it's been said that the stock brakes work quite well.