A friend was helping me with my front disc brakes when he accidently
dropped one of the pads on the ground (short fall onto dirt driveway).
Unfortunately, he quickly picked it up without being very careful about
where he put his fingers. As a result, there's one-third to one-half
of a greasy fingerprint on the outer edge of the pad.
Is the pad ruined, or can I clean it off? There's probably not much
grease on the pad, but it's easy to see where it is because the pad
color is darker there. Initially I thought I'd just spray the pad with
some brake cleaner to wash off the grease, but then it occurred to me
that the grease might dissolve and end up being absorbed by the pad.
An alternative method, which seems like a better idea, is to wet a
clean rag or paper towel with brake cleaner and then use it to
carefully wipe off the grease. Then, after wiping off the vast
majority of the grease with the rag, I'll spray the pad with a little
brake cleaner to finish up the job.
Will that work, or is there a better way to clean the grease off?
Phil
MasterBlaster - 31 Jul 2005 10:07 GMT
> Unfortunately, he quickly picked it up without being very careful about
> where he put his fingers. As a result, there's one-third to one-half
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> some brake cleaner to wash off the grease, but then it occurred to me
> that the grease might dissolve and end up being absorbed by the pad.
We're not dealing with sterile hospital operating rooms here.
Just give it a good blast, wipe it off if you want, and install.
Professor - 31 Jul 2005 14:21 GMT
Wipe with a solvent such as lacquer thinner.
Professor
www.telstar-electronics.com
NapalmHeart - 31 Jul 2005 14:58 GMT
> Wipe with a solvent such as lacquer thinner.
>
> Professor
> www.telstar-electronics.com
Why not use a chlorinated hydrocarbon based brake-kleen type spray?
Ken
Professor - 31 Jul 2005 15:00 GMT
That's certainly fine also. Many solvents will work in this case...
Professor
www.telstar-electronics.com
JazzMan - 31 Jul 2005 16:38 GMT
> A friend was helping me with my front disc brakes when he accidently
> dropped one of the pads on the ground (short fall onto dirt driveway).
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>
> Phil
Wipe it off with a clean towel, throw it on, you'll be fine.
Considering all the crap that exposed pads are exposed to
in day to day driving, one slightly greasy smudge won't make
a difference at all.
JazzMan

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Limey Lurker - 31 Jul 2005 19:00 GMT
JazzMan's right!
pcalvert@rocketmail.com - 31 Jul 2005 19:21 GMT
Thanks for all the replies and advice. I figured that I was probably
being too picky/careful, but wanted to get some other opinions.
Phil