ford taurus rotors warping quickly

miscar · 10-11-2008, 02:40 PM

my 200 for taurus has been notorious about warping the rotors , i get them turned and 3 to 4 days later i can feel a shake in the front end when i apply the brakes. Im not one to ride the brakes so it got me to wondering , i just ran to the store a few miles away and there was only 6 stops round trip. When i got home i touched the rotors and they are so hot they will burn you. Im wondering if the pads arent dragging or something , is there something that would cause them not to retract after breaking?

cjones · 10-14-2008, 12:23 AM

you may have sticking calipers (normally just one would stick causing a pull), sticking caliper hardware, bad master, misadjusted rod between the master and the brake pedal, contaminated brake fluid. those are the first things i would check.

theoldwizard · 10-14-2008, 06:01 AM

FYI, disc brake pads do "drag", just slightly, by design. It does not surprise me that the rotors are hot enough to burn even after a few miles.

Things that can make this condition worse are corrosion on the mounting bolts/pins or corrosion in the caliper mount holes. Rebuilt calipers are about $50/each. The mounting bolts are about $10. Don't foegt to lube them with the special grease they supply.

phantom_smack · 10-14-2008, 08:16 AM

Were the rotors turned with an on vehicle brake lathe ? what is the condition of the rear brakes ? Drum or disc ?

mark v · 10-14-2008, 08:33 AM

the more you turn/cut the rotors the faster they will warp.

And yes the rotors will be hot even after a few miles of driving even if you never touch the brakes. The pads naturally drag.

You may have bad rotors and calipers or everything where the calipers ride on is not lubricated.

Question....... Do you buy the cheap rotors or the ones that are more expensive with a longer warranty?

Question....... Do you feel the brake pad shake or just the front end shaking? You can have bad struts or other front end parts that give the same symptoms.

theoldwizard · 10-14-2008, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark v

... Do you buy the cheap rotors or the ones that are more expensive with a longer warranty?...

I had an interesting discussion with a "pro" on this topic (He owns a brake shop and does 3 - 5 jobs/day and has for the past 10-15 years)

Somewhere between 75-90% of all replacement rotors and drums now come from China. It does not matter what "brand" is on the box. Life expectancy is 2-4 years (at least in SE MI). If you can find any that are "Made in the U.S.A." they don't last any longer.

The best warranty you can get on rotors is typically 1 year.

mark v · 10-14-2008, 10:32 AM

I have had real good luck with Aimco rotors and that is what I usually buy.

I am guessing he has some wore out suspension parts.

miscar · 10-18-2008, 07:59 PM

ive been away for a few days but heres the update the rotors are factory ( i havent owned the car very long )
they are turned on a brake lathe , trust me i tried to turn rotors on my lathe once and never again . as for suspension problems that may also be a factor im not sure but about six months ago both rear springs broke in the same place on the same day!!! first the drivers side then the passenger side within minutes of each other as i was pulling out of a parking lot. ive never seen or heard of that before, one spring broke and the broken part acted like a lathe tool cutting into the tire perfectly. at first i thought i had run over something then when i changed the tire i saw the perfectly round cut and discovered the spring then i checked the other spring and the same thing. Weird thing is if i get th rotors turned they are great for a few days and i notice no shimmy at any speed , then a few days later i get the shake on braking and a few weeks later i get the shake at speed around 60 to 70.