Rear Brakes Dragging After Installing New Rotors and Pads

[Jeff10]

Hey,

I could sure use some help.

My wife drives a 2009 Malibu. She drives a fair distance to work. At present there are about 120,000 miles on the car.

The brakes have been an ongoing problem... our main complaint is rotor warping.

I replaced rotors and pads about 60,000 miles ago. I used one step down from top-of-the-line NAPA.

The dealer has also replaced rotors... three times I believe.

The problem has reappeared and my wife is not happy. She also didn't want me messing with her car. I just hate to pay the same dealer to fix it again with more parts that I know nothing about.

I purchased PowerStop rotors and ceramic pads. I installed them this evening. I am slower than hell anyway; but, with something I haven't done in a while, I am really slow.

Everything was going along pretty well (besides the slow part) until I finished the driver's side rear and re-installed the wheel. The car was still on the jack and the wheel wouldn't budge by me trying to rotate it with my hand. (I did the two front wheels first.)

I figured I would just go to the other rear and see if there was any difference. That wheel drags too. If I loosen the caliper bolts, there is some improvement; but, not much.

I took a test drive around the neighborhood. Nothing over 25 mph. I couldn't feel drag to the extent that I felt like I needed to apply more power. When I got back home, though, I did a quick feel of the rotors with my hand. The front rotors were cool. The rear rotors were both more than a little warm.

PowerStop has a short write-up that's included in their instructions regarding break-in. It involves so fast stops from 40 mph to about 5 mph... five times in succession with no cooling in between, and then five times allowing the rotors to cool. This procedure is intended to stave off warping over time.

My wife leaves about 7:00 in the morning for work, so I thought I would post here for some advice. My intention at the moment is to go out around 5:30 and do the break-in... hoping that it will help with the drag on the rear brakes. Maybe that isn't the smart thing to do, though... I just don't have the experience.

I removed the calipers on the passenger side rear and checked and re-installed. Same results every time.

Anyone else ever experience something similar?

I know she'll want to drive her car to work.. I just don't want to do anything unsafe, or that will lead to even bigger problem down the road.

Thanks

Jeff

 

[rastiss]

Did you screw in the piston for the e-brake?

 

[Apogee]

As stated above, that applications uses an integral parking brake caliper, not internal drum-in-hat style, so what procedure did you follow to fully retract the piston for the new, full thickness pads? Are you sure the rotors are "warping" or are you just experiencing brake judder and/or pedal pulsation? You may actually be getting DTV (disc thickness variation), something commonly referred to as warping even though that's not what's happening.

As for the bedding process with the pads and rotors, that should help create a thin deposit layer of friction material on the rotors which should allow you to get the most our of both the pads and the rotors during their lifespan. The dragging issue should be addressed first though since that could lead to an overheating situation where you can potentially damage other parts (wheel bearings), seize calipers, etc.

 

[Jeff10]

Hey rastis and Apogee,

Thanks for the replies.

I did screw in the piston on the rear with a tool from AutoZone.

I got up at first light and took the Malibu for a break-in spin. From a seat-of-the-pants perspective there was nothing that I could feel. I did the stop sequences indicated in the PowerStop literature. There was nothing that I observed during the break-in that concerned me. (My wife even called from work to thank me, and to tell me how much better the brakes felt. Like I said in the original message.... she really didn't want me messing with her brakes.)

Although it wasn't really scientific, I did use a heat gun to measure temperatures on the rotors. Initially the driver's side rear was the hottest after one of the runs I made with moderate braking... it was running about 260. The other rotors were around 130, with the exception of the passenger rear which was around 100.

The last run showed temperatures on the rotors of both fronts and the rear driver's side at mid-130s. The passenger rear was 105.

I'm going to shoot the temps again after my wife's drive home from work.

I am tempted to pull all the brakes again to replace the slide inserts for the disk tabs. They didn't come with the kit, and I wasn't smart enough to ask if they did. Sitting in the driveway at 8:00 in the evening left me with few options. That could be part of the problem... although I did use a liberal amount of brake system grease. (With all the brake work done by the dealer, I am disappointed that the slide inserts were in the condition they were.)

The pads I installed were full thickness.

We have been told that the warping is what is occurring. One of the fixes provided by the dealer is turning of the rotors on several occasions.

I will repost when I record temperatures this evening.

(I know this isn't a Bronco issue; but, I respect the advice I'm given here.)

Take Care

Jeff

 

[Jdgephar]

Make sure the caliper sliders are free and well greased...maybe referred to as "floats". Not to say you don't know what you are doing...just something sometimes overlooked.

 

[Jeff10]

Hey,

Make sure the caliper sliders are free and well greased...maybe referred to as "floats". Not to say you don't know what you are doing...just something sometimes overlooked.

I chuckled a little when I read your post. I'll be first to admit that I don't always know what I'm doing. In this case I'm glad that I purchased an AutoZone DVD the first time I did the brake work on her car... it really helped, as did their loaner tool for the job.)

The sliders were in pretty good shape. On the front they were in good shape. I did lube (with brake system grease) the sliders on the driver's side rear. They seemed to operate better, although I will replace them if there's another tear-down.

Thanks again.

Jeff

 

[broncogt]

How old are the calipers? I would try new everything with warping problems.

 

[jckkys]

A friend had similar problem with a Ford van with one rotor always over heating, and it turned out to be a rubber hose that had the lining separate and function as a one way valve. I'd try a new hose on the offending wheel cylinder.

 

[Jeff10]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the input.

I hate tearing into the is again... but, I bought the hardware kits and I'll install them tomorrow. The calipers are the same age as the vehicle... I don't know how much longer we'll own the car... I know the hardware is in bad shape, so I will try it first.

The hose idea is interesting. After I try the hardware I will come back to the calipers and the hose should there still be a problem that I can detect.

Thanks again.

Jeff