brake problems

I drive a 1991 Honda Accord LX and i have had to have the rotors
replaced or turned almost every year since I’ve owned the car (5
years). Is this normal or is something else causing this? It is hard
to believe that my rotors are warped this much. The vibrating now is
usually while driving and then worsens when i brake.

 

whose rotors are you using?
If you’re using offshore stuff, it’s really cheap, but costs in the
long run

 

Have you had the calipers replaced?

Eric

 

See this excellent and comprehensive writeup:
http://www.babcox.com/editorial/bf/bf100326.htm

 

I put cheap rotors on my Accord a year ago ...and they are causing
pedal pulsation.Warped..
But I’ll wait for a bit, because it’s a real pain to change them.

 

==========================

There was a very good discussion last fall (with links to various sites)
that dispelled the 'warped' theory (for me). Crap from the pads sticks
to the rotor making it glazed, which makes it grabby. Cure wasn't easy,
but possible.

Best explanation I've seen yet.

Anybody have that link ? ? ??

'Curly'

 

that can happen, but it's not the sole cause.

 

Oh, thanks! now I don’t have to feel guilty about cheaping out and
installing "value" rotors!
Perhaps cheap rotors and ceramic pads would be a good compromise!
--Pau

 

It also would not explain physically measuring the warp with a run-out
gauge. I've measured rotors that had 0.003" - 0.005" or more of warp.

Eric

 

That's my take on pedal pulsations: there are probably multiple defects that
have the same symptoms... or at least close enough to the same that we don't
notice. My brakes worked a lot better after I started using a torque wrench
on the lug nuts.

Mike

 

See this excellent and comprehensive writeup:
http://www.babcox.com/editorial/bf/bf100326.htm

 

and that's the #1 solution for a honda! but the antiseize thing
definitely helps too. i've proven this to myself several times now - i
had tires rebalanced on my civic and aside from crossing threads on the
lug nuts, the monkeys that put the wheels back on with an impact driver
created instantly "warped" disks. and i mean instantly. driving in,
they were perfect, driving out, you thought the car was going to fall
apart when you hit the brakes at speed. unfortunately, i didn't have
time to attend to it right away, so when i did get the chance to
re-torque, despite a couple of attempts with the torque wrench, it was
much better, but not perfect. i wondered if the usage in that condition
had permanently ruined them. finally, i scraped everything off and
smeared a little antiseize on the hub face where the wheel goes, and
suddenly, those "warped" disks were perfectly smooth again.

i think some people are skeptical about how much torque affects
"warping" on hondas [tegger], but if you come from the frozen north and
habitually use antiseize anyway, i think you won't notice it as much.
likewise when you fit new disks, they're coated in a thin layer of
anti-rust which is also a lubricant, and they seat properly. it's only
when the hub faces lose the lubricant and corrode a little that the
problem is so bad. here in california, while it's great our cars don't
rust like they do up north, we consequently don't use antiseize very
often and this brake thing seems to be a real problem. from now on,
it's /always/ going to be on my hubs - and i use a torque wrench.

 

Rear brakes that are not working properly will cause the front rotors to
warp in a hurry. Had the rotors replaced/resurfaced 4 times, problem
kept coming back every 1500 miles. The cause was the rear brakes were not
working at all.

 

whoever told you that was blowing smoke. rear brakes hardly work at all
under hard braking - that's what the proportioning valve is for.
potting around town won't warp your disks.

 

Fact remains, 0 rear brakes means the front do 100%. that additional
25-40% extra heat on the front rotors caused massive overheating. Btdt got
the tea shirt.

Might not be common, but in my case it was the cause.

Wheel bolt torque has nothing to do with brake warping either, Drove a car
for almost 2 years with 3 out of 4 lug nuts installed (didnt know it was
missing) never had a brake problem on that car. Rust underneath the
rotor/hub flange is a different story however, very frequent problem in the
NW.

 

that may be what you believe, but that belief is not based on sufficient
information.

with respect, the temperature reached by disks, even in extreme use, is
nowhere /near/ that necessary to actually warp. you can race an integra
on standard 10.25" disks no problem, and those things get HOT.

not true. the hub on hondas is very lightweight - it elastically
distorts if torque is not even.

2 years without inspection??? that's truly bizarre.

 

It could be that Im describing Warped incorrectly. What I should be saying
is that the uneven brake pedal pulsing went away when the rear brakes were
repaired. IE the adjusters for the rear drums were r&r such that the rear
shoes starting to work. It may have been "warping" the rotors in the front
or there was uneven pad material transfer to the rotors.
BTW the article from http://www.babcox.com/editorial/bf/bf100326.htm
helped me change my terminology a bit.