02 XLE Warping brake rotors

[jsinton]

Update:

My Dad took it to the mechanic, the guy said he thought the REAR rotors were warped, and that was causing the fronts to warp. He turned the rear rotors cheaply, and it seems better. We'll see if that works, I let you know how it turns out.

[firelikeiya]

Originally Posted by jsinton

Update:

My Dad took it to the mechanic, the guy said he thought the REAR rotors were warped, and that was causing the fronts to warp. He turned the rear rotors cheaply, and it seems better. We'll see if that works, I let you know how it turns out.

What's the update? My 2002 was going through front rotors too but it is an LE with rear drums. I had the rotors turned and they quickly warped again. Made sure everything was lubed when I changed the pads and reinstalled the rotors. There was only one problem rotor. After having them turned I placed it on the driver side (it was originally on the passenger side). The same rotor warped again so I am guessing it was a defect but not positive. I replaced them with a set from Napa and installed quality Hawk ceramic pads. They seem to be holding up so far.... I have read this on other forums concerning the 2002 model.

[jsinton]

Well, it looks like the REAR rotors were the culprit! The theory is that because the REAR rotors were warped, they caused the FRONT rotors to wear bad. Ever since my Dad had the REAR rotors turned, the problem had disappeared.

[jdmccright]

If the rear drum brakes are not adjusted properly, then all of the braking force is provided by the front rotors, causing excessive heat buildup, thus warping. Not to say they could have been warped, too. It is a common problem with nearly every vehicle I've owned with rear drum brakes...the "Self-adjusting" mechanism rarely works even after I clean & lube it to death. They should be adjusted along with every oil change IMO.

[Brian R.]

Originally Posted by jdmccright

If the rear drum brakes are not adjusted properly, then all of the braking force is provided by the front rotors, causing excessive heat buildup, thus warping. Not to say they could have been warped, too. It is a common problem with nearly every vehicle I've owned with rear drum brakes...the "Self-adjusting" mechanism rarely works even after I clean & lube it to death. They should be adjusted along with every oil change IMO.

This is a good example of why everyone should first consider a vehicle with 4-wheel discs. They are way superior to rear drums.

[jsinton]

Yes, it took all this time, almost 3 years. Sorry for adding to the thread at such a late date, but I thought it was important to finally give some closure to this thread.


Turned out ONE of the slider bolts of the front right caliper was seized (rusted) in tight. This car always had this problem, ever since my Dad got the car second hand in 2004. My only explanation is that they forgot to grease it from the factory since it was frozen solid and very rusty. The other slider bolt was greased up and pristine, as it should be. I broke it off trying to get it out. It had been through four sets of rotors, and numerous turning. I figure the rotors had been off about eight times since we had the car.

It went through about four mechanics before I finally figured it out, nobody was looking for it. Everybody just replaced the rotors and shoved it out the door. Today I finally realized that the left wheel was not turning freely like it should, and that's when I discovered the frozen slider bolt.

Have a whole caliper assembly on order from NAPA for about $50

[jdmccright]

Not to toot our horns here, but Mike Gerber first suggested and I reiterated the slide pins at the start. Sorry you had to suffer through so much but that's what is great about this forum...the advantage of many different people familiar with this car and each with their own perspective.

I'll only add (if I haven't already mentioned) that the slide pins may have a little rubber sleeve on the end to help keep it centered in the bore. Over time those sleeves swell up and can cause the pin to seize in the bore. If the slide pin has a wide recess near the end, then there should be a sleeve. Make sure the new pins you get either have the sleeve or a smooth barrel. If it doesn't have a sleeve, don't reuse an old one. Buy new slide pins that include new sleeves from the dealer.

Also make sure you get all new rubber boots for those slide pins and double check they are well greased. Congrats on finding the problem and thanks for posting back the solution!

[Mike Gerber]

"If it doesn't have a sleeve, don't reuse an old one."

To add to what jdmccright has said, I refer to that as a little rubber bushing in a groove near the bottom of the pin. If the pin has the groove and they don't see the rubber bushing on the pin when it is removed, they better check inside the caliper mounting bracket hole for the old rubber bushing. A dental pick or a j-hook tool can fish out the old bushing. Incidently, I once asked a Toyota tech what the purpose of that rubber bushing is and was told it's there to reduce noise.

Mike

[jdmccright]

Point well made, and I'll add to your addition in that I've had to fish the pieces of said bushing/sleeve out of the slide pin bore. If you don't get all of it out it'll get stuck again or won't have the full range of motion.

[nohablaingles]

I'm a bit late to this thread, but nobody mentioned proper torquing of wheel nuts. If you're rotating tires and the local Gorilla Garage uses an impact wrench with the torque setting cranked up, that will cause rotor warping. A torque wrench or hand held lug wrench should always be used.