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Car Forum / Chrysler Cars / January 2005Brake rotor rust opinions
04' Pacifica that's used mainly for trips and sits for long periods in between. (and it's been very rainy for the last week or two) This afternoon, I headed out in the car and at the end of the block applied the brakes for the stop sign. Felt like all four rotors had warped half an inch. Got back up to speed and applied the brakes a bit more aggressively a couple of times. Still had bad vibrations. Drove about 15 minutes at highway speed to my first stop. At speed, it felt like tire(s) out of balance. Still had braking vibration. Checked the rotors and they were badly rusted, as expected. By my next stop, another 15 minutes at speed both the tire imbalance feeling and braking vibrations had gone. So: recommendations / opinions about how best to resolve this rust on rotors issue? Just drive normally? Drive fast with quick stops until clear? Drive slow with slow / low pressure stops until clear? Reverse of either of the above two? Doesn't matter, no harm is done either way? Doesn't matter the same harm is done no matter what? Other opinions? Crackpot opinions? Thanks, BF > 04' Pacifica that's used mainly for trips and sits for long periods in > between. (and it's been very rainy for the last week or two) This [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > 15 minutes at speed both the tire imbalance feeling and braking > vibrations had gone. I doubt they were "badly" rusted. Surface rust appears on rotors almost instantly in humid locations, and it can build up to coat the entire surface of the rotor (except where the pad physically prevents water access) quickly. This is why it felt like the rotors had warped; there was a non-rusty patch on each of the four rotors. The proliferation of open-frame alloy wheel designs that let you (and every raindrop) see the pretty brakes has greatly aggravated the condition in recent times, though it can occur with any kind of wheel. It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the car or the brakes. It does mean you need to get in the habit of dragging your brakes the first few hundred feet when the car's been sitting long enough for the condition to occur. Don't drive especially slowly or quickly, just drag the brakes until they clean up, then use them normally after that. DS Didn't mean to imply that I was worried about the rotors. But was wondering if people had concerns about pads or other components and how they would best to try protect them. The rotors are just great chunks of cast mild steel, so it would take decades for corrosion to do any real damage to them. But I don't know if there are other considerations to worry about. BF > > 04' Pacifica that's used mainly for trips and sits for long periods in > > between. (and it's been very rainy for the last week or two) This [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > DS > Didn't mean to imply that I was worried about the rotors. But was > wondering if people had concerns about pads or other components and how > they would best to try protect them. The rotors are just great chunks of > cast mild steel, so it would take decades for corrosion to do any real > damage to them. But I don't know if there are other considerations to > worry about. Nope. You may not need this info, but you mentioned tire balance. You should expect your tires to thump also if you don't drive for a long time. It might take several miles to take the flat spot out of them, but eventually they should get round again. > Didn't mean to imply that I was worried about the rotors. But was > wondering [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] >> >> DS Thanks Joe, Could be part of it but I suspect most was the rust intermittently hitting the calipers. BF > You may not need this info, but you mentioned tire balance. You should > expect your tires to thump also if you don't drive for a long time. It might [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > >> > >> DS There are 2 (two) things to consider in the makeup of the brake rotors and drum's material. Beyond basic metalurgy and wear, the chemical makeup of the material and the location of use create the circumstance. However the metal fails to remain inert for more than the two reasons as I implied earlier. Chemical and Biological reasons. Look it up. The Titanic is rotting away faster than so-called experts (or had previously) explained. Ask any MicroBiologist. Rust can happen due to many reasons but there is a third that is often overlooked. Iron eating bacteria. It exists in more situations than discussed. Many times I wondered why a so-called dry block rotted away after only a few months while only a few feet away another block looked pristeen. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=iron+eating+bacteria&meta= So don't discount the obvious but don't dismiss the remote until you know all the reasons... > Didn't mean to imply that I was worried about the rotors. But was wondering > if people had concerns about pads or other components and how they would [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > > > DS I have no idea what Chrysler did to the Pacifica front and rear rotors, they are really junk metal, they will pit really bad if sat for awhile. I had a set already machined at work on my bench and threw them away because the humidity in the shop ruined them, normally driving the vehicle will clean em up but in some cases we have been replacing them. There are no TSBs for this problem Glenn beasley Chrysler Tech Do not replace the rotors for an appearance concern...Unless a customer is experiencing brake noise or brake related roughness / vibration issues DO NOT REPLACE a rotor(s) based on appearance only. The lining material selected for this vehicle may pick up iron which becomes embedded in the friction material resulting in scoring of the rotor surface. Rotor scoring does not necessarily contribute to roughness, vibration, noise or any other type of degraded brake performance. > 04' Pacifica that's used mainly for trips and sits for long periods in > between. (and it's been very rainy for the last week or two) [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > Thanks, > BF Some of the shops I deal with use a zinc rich weld through primer that body shops use to spray into the vented slots of the rotors and thus provide a sacrificial anode that will prevent surface rust. > 04' Pacifica that's used mainly for trips and sits for long periods in > between. (and it's been very rainy for the last week or two) [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > Thanks, > BF > Some of the shops I deal with use a zinc rich weld through primer that body > shops use to spray into the vented slots of the rotors and thus provide a > sacrificial anode that will prevent surface rust. That's a pretty cool idea.. Going to have to remember that one when the wheels come off in the spring, to put on the summer tires.  SignaturePaul '91 XL1200 '77 GL1000 (W.I.P.) "I feel more like I do now than when I got here" Chrysler ought to visit Honda or Yamaha to see how the motorcycle guys make their disks. They never rust. At one time, discs were chrome plated but I think they are stainless alloy now. Sure stainless costs more than cast iron, but cost was an excuse when cars sold new for $3600. What's their excuse now that they cost 10 x as much? Either build a car right, or let the competition take the market. Chrysler says rust can be ignored as it is an "appearance" issue. Bullshit. Rust is corrosion. Corrosion is weakness. Check it out in any engineering book. Ask any mechanical engineer. Ask any aircraft mechanic. Ask anyone except Chrysler and you hear the sickening truth. Rust is never on the surface. It has "roots" and worms its way through iron. Deep pits promulgate cracks. Cracks result in catastrophic separation, structual damage to suspension components and loss of braking power. All this because Chrysler doesn't want to spend a few dollars more per pound for the disks. If it doesn't show or hold coffee cups, Chrysler doesn't seem to care much one way or another, even though they USED to brag about their engineering excellence. |
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