Uneven Pad Wear?

Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
18,873
Location
Los Gatos, CA
I just did a pad slap on my 1998 Accord LX 4 banger.
Car was purchases new by my folks and did not get used much; I have always serviced it and it has always been garaged.
A year ago I gave the car to a friend who is a single Mom; it had 80K and now has 112K.
I think I used Thermoquad pads last time; many moons ago...

On both sides, the inner pad was worn nearly to the noise indicator; the outer pad was perhaps half worn.
The caliper slider pins were not stuck and still had grease; rust is not an issue in the SF Bay Area.

So I replaced the pads and hardware with Raybestos new hybrid pads.
I did a quick file clean up of the brackets where the hardware sits (didn't take much) and applied a littlle brake grease.
Cleaned and greased the slider pins. Calipers slide fine.

Any other pointers? I see this problem all too often on Hondas and Acuras. Recently did a 2007 TSX that was professionally maintained; same thing.
Thanks for your help.
 
Do those have 'hardware', ie: stainless steel plates, that affix to the caliper mounting bracket? The pads should also slide relatively smoothly within such brackets. Often what happens is that rust forms underneath those stainless steel plates, and essentially makes it difficult for the pads to slide properly on them.
 
Inner pads wear a a bit faster than outer pads but what you describe sounds like a big difference. I'd suspect a sticky caliper piston. Maybe the piston seal is worn. If the outside pads wear faster than the inner pads then the caliper sliders are probably not moving freely. Too much grease could be a problem if the grease creates an airtight seal and thus suction when the piston tries to retract.. I use only the thinnest film of lube on the caliper slider pins.
 
Originally Posted by pitzel
Do those have 'hardware', ie: stainless steel plates, that affix to the caliper mounting bracket? The pads should also slide relatively smoothly within such brackets. Often what happens is that rust forms underneath those stainless steel plates, and essentially makes it difficult for the pads to slide properly on them.



+1. Ubiquitous problem on my vehicles in the salt belt.
 
Jeff, I have exactly the same experience as yours in my 1998 Honda CRV. Front inner pads were worn down to 2 mm, outer pads had much much more meat at about 75,000 miles. Calipers were free to move, pins still had factory grease on 'em. Pistons retracted with ease, no leaks detected. So I changed only the worn inner pads. Maybe it's really a Honda thing. Or maybe Trav's suspicion about brake hoses should be investigated. I'm not a mechanic so it might be easier and cheaper to just change the hoses.
 
As I consider your responses and check out some Youtube videos, I think the answer has to be the pads are not free enough to move.
I have never filed the pad ears, in fact I expect parts to fit; perhaps I am wrong.
You are never too old to learn...

Regarding hardware, I always replace it.
I appreciate your help.
 
Just throwing this out there........
Do your Caliper pins have a little rubber gasket on their ends?
These have been known to "swell" if the wrong Grease has been used.
In turn, causing the pin to drag and hang up.

Just saying......
laugh.gif
 
Its either the pins or the general area where the ear slide. The pads can have poor machining of the ears and/or paint blobs in that area. The SS hardware should be replaced when the pads are replaced. The area under the SS hardware needs to be cleaned up and never seize applied.
 
The slots in the calibers rusted so much that they pinched the ears on the pads so they would only ratchet inward. Lots of flaking rust. First time on a 08 Nissan Xterra and I've been living in the rust belt and owning cars since the 70s. This is a new one on me. I have had to touch up the ears on new pads in the years past as they were so poorly machined that they wouldn't slide freely in the caliber slots.
 
Originally Posted by whatnext
The slots in the calibers rusted so much that they pinched the ears on the pads so they would only ratchet inward. Lots of flaking rust. First time on a 08 Nissan Xterra and I've been living in the rust belt and owning cars since the 70s. This is a new one on me. I have had to touch up the ears on new pads in the years past as they were so poorly machined that they wouldn't slide freely in the caliber slots.

I think this is a big part of the problem.
Rust is not an issue in sunny CA, but I never wanted to file the pad ears. The paint protects against rust.
Additionally, the new hardware needs to be tweaked to get it to fit perfectly flat.
From now on, I will always remove the bracket and dress it on the bench vise.
This way I can ensure pad fitment.

Thanks to all who posted.
 
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I took apart the front brakes on our TSX this morning; I was dying to double check my work.
Pads move freely. I will report back in about 50K miles.

This 2006 TSX has 198K and is perfect.



20190630_141946.jpg
 
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You can also have too much grease in the sliders. I've been guilty of this myself thinking more is better, but its really not and can impede the movement of the slider.
 
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