Car guys: Uneven brake pad wear. Why?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Car guys: Uneven brake pad wear. Why?

Posted: 1/20/2013 5:49:09 PM EDT

I was changing the brake pads on my '08 civic today because they were rubbing. When I finally got all 4 of them off, I noticed that only one was rubbing. The other three have pad material left on them, anywhere from 1/8" to 3/8"of ceramic. What is causing this? When I changed them the first time, the wear was even (if I remember correctly). Most likely a stuck caliper I guess? Is this something I can fix on my own, if it's fixable? Any help is appreciated.

Posted: 1/20/2013 5:49:42 PM EDT

[#1]

Is it on a treadmill?

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Posted: 1/20/2013 5:51:21 PM EDT

[#2]

the car is an '08 and you've already had to change the pads twice?

Posted: 1/20/2013 5:53:10 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:
the car is an '08 and you've already had to change the pads twice?

102,000 on it. First time at 50k and they were squeeling. This time one was rubbing metal on metal, so yea. Roughly every 50k it seems.

Posted: 1/20/2013 5:53:27 PM EDT

[#4]

Bad muffler bearings

Posted: 1/20/2013 5:54:39 PM EDT

[#5]

Probably worn calipers don't cheap out. Going to need a vacuum bleeder and some dot 3 fluid. Unless you have a friend to help hard bleed

Posted: 1/20/2013 5:55:04 PM EDT

[#6]

Bad brake calipers!

Posted: 1/20/2013 5:55:05 PM EDT

[#7]

The sliders probably need to be cleaned and greased. Otherwise caliper rebuild is the next most common culprit.

Posted: 1/20/2013 5:55:11 PM EDT

[#8]

Or its possible the pads were never properly bedded.

Posted: 1/20/2013 5:55:14 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
Bad muffler bearings

I knew it! I'll add that to the shopping list the head light grease!

Posted: 1/20/2013 5:55:34 PM EDT

[#10]

Badly grooved rotors?

Posted: 1/20/2013 5:55:54 PM EDT

[#11]

Wear on outside pad is generally slides sticking on caliper, wear on inside pad is usually hydraulic issue ( bad caliper or hose)

Posted: 1/20/2013 5:56:10 PM EDT

[#12]

Had a similar issue on a Ford Explorer. Brake tech told me the pistons in the caliper were made of nylon and would absorb the fluid, causing them to expand and was a faulty design. I would not say this is your issue but did cause the same issue with my truck. This was in '98

Posted: 1/20/2013 5:56:29 PM EDT

[#13]

Cheap brake pads

Posted: 1/20/2013 5:56:31 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
The sliders probably need to be cleaned and greased. Otherwise caliper rebuild is the next most common culprit.

Chicken dinner.

Posted: 1/20/2013 5:59:28 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
I was changing the brake pads on my '08 civic today because they were rubbing. When I finally got all 4 of them off, I noticed that only one was rubbing. The other three have pad material left on them, anywhere from 1/8" to 3/8"of ceramic. What is causing this? When I changed them the first time, the wear was even (if I remember correctly). Most likely a stuck caliper I guess? Is this something I can fix on my own, if it's fixable? Any help is appreciated.

Which pad was worn? If it was an inside pad, then you are looking at a sticking caliper piston, or seized slide pins. If the outter is worn, you're likely looking at sticking slide pins. If they are wearing in a wedge fashion, one slide pin may be sticking, or worn wheel bearings

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:01:05 PM EDT

[#16]

Seized caliper guide pin, or what ever it is called.

I buy all my brake pads from Auto Zone, when they wear out I return them for free ones. The last time I changed the brake pads on my Wife's Murano I had the same problem, one was worn out, the other three up front were fine. One of the slide pins was seized in the caliper bracket. I couldn't get new hardware the same day so I used an impact gun to free it up and then sanded it a bit. Used some grease and reinstalled it, so far so good.

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:01:20 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I was changing the brake pads on my '08 civic today because they were rubbing. When I finally got all 4 of them off, I noticed that only one was rubbing. The other three have pad material left on them, anywhere from 1/8" to 3/8"of ceramic. What is causing this? When I changed them the first time, the wear was even (if I remember correctly). Most likely a stuck caliper I guess? Is this something I can fix on my own, if it's fixable? Any help is appreciated.

Which pad was worn? If it was an inside pad, then you are looking at a sticking caliper piston, or seized slide pins. If the outter is worn, you're likely looking at sticking slide pins. If they are wearing in a wedge fashion, one slide pin may be sticking, or worn wheel bearings

Outside and in a wedge. Thanks for the lead.

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:02:47 PM EDT

[#18]

Warped rotor?

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:03:09 PM EDT

[#19]

The calipers usually "float" on pins. I've seen a couple of cars (owned one, in fact) where that pin was dry, rusted, and the caliper was sticking. Cleaned them up, greased them, reassembled, problem solved.

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:04:36 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
Bad muffler bearings

reading fail.

OP clearly stated this was aHonda, not a Nissan

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:06:02 PM EDT

[#21]

Sounds like you are ragging a pad. First suspect is a piston that needs to be lubricated - or the caliper needs to be rebuilt. How does the boot look?

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:07:10 PM EDT

[#22]

stuck caliper or stuck slides. remove the caliper and slides, clean them up and grease the slides.

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:08:24 PM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
The sliders probably need to be cleaned and greased. Otherwise caliper rebuild is the next most common culprit.

+1 use some Silglide on the sliders, if that does not fix the problem then rebuild but an 08 shouldnt need to be rebuilt.

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:10:21 PM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I was changing the brake pads on my '08 civic today because they were rubbing. When I finally got all 4 of them off, I noticed that only one was rubbing. The other three have pad material left on them, anywhere from 1/8" to 3/8"of ceramic. What is causing this? When I changed them the first time, the wear was even (if I remember correctly). Most likely a stuck caliper I guess? Is this something I can fix on my own, if it's fixable? Any help is appreciated.

Which pad was worn? If it was an inside pad, then you are looking at a sticking caliper piston, or seized slide pins. If the outter is worn, you're likely looking at sticking slide pins. If they are wearing in a wedge fashion, one slide pin may be sticking, or worn wheel bearings

Outside and in a wedge. Thanks for the lead.

Sticking pins, or, the pads are bound up in the tracks.

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:10:54 PM EDT

[#25]

Central compliance rectifier needs adjusting.

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:13:05 PM EDT

[#26]

Just make sure you step on the middle of the peddle and apply even pressure.

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Posted: 1/20/2013 6:21:22 PM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:
The sliders probably need to be cleaned and greased. Otherwise caliper rebuild is the next most common culprit.

ayup. grease you caliper bolts each time you take em off

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:23:21 PM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:

Probably worn calipers don't cheap out. Going to need a vacuum bleeder and some dot 3 fluid. Unless you have a friend to help hard bleed

I always use a 2x4 to bleed on my own. Pump the pedal then jam the 2x4 in against the seat and bleed.

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:27:46 PM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
The sliders probably need to be cleaned and greased. Otherwise caliper rebuild is the next most common culprit.

This

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:28:31 PM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:
The sliders probably need to be cleaned and greased. Otherwise caliper rebuild is the next most common culprit.

This

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:28:52 PM EDT

[#31]

Guide pins probably need lube, also don't forget to lube the ends of the pad that sits in the bracket. I see cars all the time where the pad is seized in the bracket due to lack of lubricant. If one pad is seized or really hard to move, the other one gets pushed/pulled in the rotor much more then the other. I also get new pads that don't quite fit, that require grinding the ends down to ensure they slide freely in the bracket.

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:41:36 PM EDT

[#32]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Bad muffler bearings

I knew it! I'll add that to the shopping list the head light grease!

Your headlight grease is probably OK. Your blinker fluid is iffy.

I'm a certified professional expert BTW, so I know what I am talking about..

Posted: 1/20/2013 6:43:38 PM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I was changing the brake pads on my '08 civic today because they were rubbing. When I finally got all 4 of them off, I noticed that only one was rubbing. The other three have pad material left on them, anywhere from 1/8" to 3/8"of ceramic. What is causing this? When I changed them the first time, the wear was even (if I remember correctly). Most likely a stuck caliper I guess? Is this something I can fix on my own, if it's fixable? Any help is appreciated.

Which pad was worn? If it was an inside pad, then you are looking at a sticking caliper piston, or seized slide pins. If the outter is worn, you're likely looking at sticking slide pins. If they are wearing in a wedge fashion, one slide pin may be sticking, or worn wheel bearings

Outside and in a wedge. Thanks for the lead.

It's not the caliper. Clean and grease the slide pins and where the pads rest in the caliper bracket. There should be metal clips where the pads rest in the bracket, make sure to remove them and clean any rust from under them also.