I just had a local mechanic install pads all around and front rotors. I was still getting vibrations through the pedal after a couple of hard stops, so I called the mechanic back and asked him what he thought.

He suggested that I take it in to Merchant's and have them inspect the car for $20 to see what might be causing the vibration. I did this and they said all was well accept my rear rotors were in need of replacement as well. So, I bought a set of Wearever's from Advance Auto parts (same brand as the front) and scheduled to have the repair done yesterday.

I hung out while the mechanic worked on the car, but he was not able to do it for me. Once he got the wheel off, he noticed that the rear setup is a bit different than the front. The front does not have a hub while the rear does. also, more problematic, the rotor currently on the car has a pronounced lip in the center (sleeve actually) that seems to be part of the rotor and then the hub somehow, while the replacement rotor is sleeveless with just a hole in the middle to slide on the shaft. Other than the sleeve element, the AA Parts rotor looks identical to the OEM rotor.

I wish I could post a pic of the AA Parts rotor but the site does not display one. Here is the link to the part though:

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...S_989522403___

Additionally, my mechanic tried banging on the rotor to loosen it up so it would slide of the spindle but it did not work (he had removed the caliper and pads already). He said he was fearful of breaking something and decided to beg of the job - and the fact that my replacement part did not look exactly like what was currently on the car.

Can anyone here shed some light on what might be going on here? Thanks!

 

No offense, but it sounds like you have the wrong rear replacement rotors and the wrong mechanic. It will be interesting to learn what eventually fixes the problem, but it's very rare for pedal pulsation to come from the rear brakes, IME. You mentioned that you were getting vibration (pulsation?) after a couple of hard stops. Did the car stop smoothly when the front pads/rotors were brand new -- before the hard stops? If so, I'm guessing you may have some pad deposits on the front rotors or something. Did you bed them in at all after the install before doing the hard stops?

 

Well, the guy's at Merchant's who inspected the car after my mechanic did the work, said my only problem was with the rear rotors. Since I posted this morning, I've looked at pics of other replacement rotors on the web. All look like the rotors I purchased and do not look like what is on the car.

I bought the car about a month ago and knew I had to the job soon. So really do not know what it felt like without the pulsation.

 

Are you saying that the pedal pulsation remained the same before and after the initial brake job that your mechanic did? If so, it sounds like you may have to bite the bullet and buy OE rotors for the rear -- could be a rare case of rears causing the pulsation...

 

Actually, the rear rotors were not replaced by my guy, just the pads all around and the front rotors. I mistakenly assumed that rears would be fine, but after the job was done and the resulting pulsation, I brought it to Merchant's for a check. They checked the suspension and the brakes and only found problems with the rear rotors.

So I bought the aftermarket rotors - same brand as the front, but my guy was not able to get the old ones off and he thought the rotors themselves looked different than the OEM ones, and I agreed with him.

 

Yes, that's what I meant. If it has had the same pulsation from the time prior to the front rotors/all pads being replaced to now that all except the rear rotors have been replaced, it does sound like rear rotors are the problem. And if the aftermarket rotors won't work, looks like you're getting new OE rotors (and a mechanic who can remove the current rears).

 

Gotcha, sorry about my density. The weird thing is, all the images I see on the web for replacement rotors look like the ones I bought. They do not have the lip surround the circular cutout in the middle like the OEM rotor does.

 

gstern1994,

The "sleeve" you talk about is most probably part of the hub and not the rotor. It is the hub ring and used with hubcentric wheels ( OEM ). The rear rotors have drum parking brakes built in. You may have a "lip" on drum part of the rotor. Have your mechanic manually back off (loosen ) the drum parking brake pads.

From your description however, it sounds like he is a back-yard mechanic ????

 

He is a backyard mechanic, so I'm thinking I may break down and go to a shop. Thanks for assessment of the rotor/hub assembly. Makes sense to me.

 

Do not set the parking brake. Remove the rear caliper. Behind the rear backing plate near where the caliper mounts should have a hole where you can insert a screwdriver and turn a " star wheel " which will loosen tension on the drum shoes. There should be two holes on the front face of the rotor (where the wheel mounts). I don't remember the exact size of the bolt that fits those holes 10mm x 1.5 ? buy two bolts that fit the holes, screw down the bolts and the rotor will come off.


Good Luck

P.S. If you are in Northern VA, I know techs at Bill Page Honda and Jack Taylor Toyota that will do it for you as a side job for a very reasonable price.

 

Thanks so much! Another buddy of mine would like to take a look at it, but I may take you up on your offer he does not want to do it. Thanks again for all of your time and interest on this.

 

NickT - your instructions were superb, I was able to get the rotors installed yesterday. thanks so much for all the detail.

 

Excellent, good to hear !