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In Memoriam: Phil Reinhardt 1951-2012 |
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#1
05-06-2011, 08:17 AM
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Why and When Do Brake Rotors Warp?
Just lookin' for some basic education....did a few searches and didn't find anything.
Why and when do brake rotors warp? If rotors going to warp, does it usually happen early in their life? Does warping indicate a manufacturing defect? Or not necessarily? If not, then what are the external factors that cause rotors to warp? Thanks!
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 Barrington, Rhode Island1991 300D 2.5T "Otis", Smoke Silver, 107k miles (daily driver) 1992 300D 2.5T "Milo", Midnight Blue, 244k miles (teenage son driving) 1995 E300D, Black, 304k miles (other daily driver  )Seven other MB's owned and sold 2002 Honda Odyssey 163k miles (want to name it "Homer," but wife won't let me) 1961 Very Tolerant Wife (OK, I admit I ripped this off from another board member...but my wife was born in 1961 and she is very tolerant.) 
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#2
05-06-2011, 08:28 AM
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They warp from heat. When new they are thicker making it better at dissipating the heat. Now from where the heat comes is a whole other thing. For example a stuck caliper can drag and overheat a rotor.
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#3
05-06-2011, 09:31 AM
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I did a Google search "warped brake rotors" hours of reading enjoyment.
Here is one: Root cause of warped rotors? Charlie
__________________
Remember the couple that broke into the White house? http://www.ourlighterside.com/stuff/couple-sneaked-wh/ there were three HP ratings on the OM616... 1) Not much power 2) Even less power 3) Not nearly enough power!! (this engine was installed only in 240D w/automatic transmissions) Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.  85 300D 360K 84 300SD 270k 82 Datsun Kingcab Diesel 474k 80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 3:58 Diff. 150mph spedo 352k 78 240D
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#4
05-06-2011, 10:00 AM
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on my Taurus
Brake rotors warped on my Taurus because king kong at the emission/safety check station overtightened the lug nuts. After they ruined one set of rotors, I always insist on torquing lug nuts myself with my torque wrench following the inspection. They laugh at me, but I don't care. Filthy animals.
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1995 E300D 280,400 1996 Ford Taurus LX 118,000 1985 300TD Still 225,000
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#5
05-06-2011, 11:52 AM
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I am guessing that Made in China or India Brake Rotors are more likely to warp due to the lack luster quality control that seems to come from those areas or the Mcparts sellers that buy them do not care to insure quality control.
When speaking of heat driving habits make a difference. If you are a person that accelerates fast between Traffic Lights and stops hard when the Traffic Light turns Red you are a candidate for warped Brake Rotors. I also suppose if your Wheel Bearings play is not adjusted properly that also puts more stress on the Rotor.
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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel
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#6
05-06-2011, 12:02 PM
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I put new (I think Ate or Brembo, cannot remember) last year on two cars. The 123 car also received new calipers and is fine -my 126 car has a warped rotor which no doubt came from a sticky caliper overheating the rotor. I did a flush and thought that I could get caliper to respond positively -nope! Now I will need to pull and machine if possible after replacing two new rebuilt caliper units . . .
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#7
05-06-2011, 12:11 PM
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They laughed at you because they are incompetant idiots. If they were good mechanics or educated that every fastener on a vehicle has a torque setting.
Maybe that is why they work at a State inspection station. right up there with Jiffy lube  Charlie
__________________
Remember the couple that broke into the White house? http://www.ourlighterside.com/stuff/couple-sneaked-wh/ there were three HP ratings on the OM616... 1) Not much power 2) Even less power 3) Not nearly enough power!! (this engine was installed only in 240D w/automatic transmissions) Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast. 85 300D 360K 84 300SD 270k 82 Datsun Kingcab Diesel 474k 80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 3:58 Diff. 150mph spedo 352k 78 240D
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#8
05-06-2011, 12:14 PM
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I wonder if rotors are likely to have problems at lower mileage if the car is not driven much (rust building up, uneven wear). My rear pads and rotors have only 25,000 miles on them, BUT for the first 8,000 of those miles it was owned by the proverbial little old lady who RARELY drove the car.
__________________
Barrington, Rhode Island1991 300D 2.5T "Otis", Smoke Silver, 107k miles (daily driver) 1992 300D 2.5T "Milo", Midnight Blue, 244k miles (teenage son driving) 1995 E300D, Black, 304k miles (other daily driver )Seven other MB's owned and sold 2002 Honda Odyssey 163k miles (want to name it "Homer," but wife won't let me) 1961 Very Tolerant Wife (OK, I admit I ripped this off from another board member...but my wife was born in 1961 and she is very tolerant.)
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#9
05-06-2011, 12:27 PM
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Heating up the rotor, and then shock cooling part of the rotor can warp it quite nicely as well...
I was driving in the city, and some idiot cut me off and slammed the brakes for some reason... I had to really pile onto the brakes to stop in time. within about 40 seconds, I got stopped in a big puddle at a stop light. The next time I used the brakes, I could feel the chunk, chunk, chunk that warped rotors have... Kinda funny, I have driven the car for over a year like that (I have the parts, but the problem isn't really severe... It's not causing nosedives or anything), and at certain temps, they don't do the chunking... Between about -8C and +6C, they are perfectly smooth...
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All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to stand by and do nothing. Too many people tip toe through life, never attempting or doing anything great, hoping to make it safely to death... Bob Proctor '95 S320 LWB '87 300SDL
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#10
05-06-2011, 12:43 PM
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Don't mean to start or contribute to a brake holy war, but there is a school of thought which says that most "warps" are not in fact warping, but uneven deposits of pad material.
See this link: http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml I am only one anecdotal example, but I followed the basic break-in method described on this link for my last front disks and pads, and I have had excellent life without any shudder - I'm currently at double the miles of my previous set of disks with no sign of shudder/judder. Rgds, Chris W. '95 E300D
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Objects in closer are mirror than they appear.
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#12
05-06-2011, 02:04 PM
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I once heard a good car talk program where some guy was always complaining about warped discs (sorry you call 'em rotors)
It turned out he loved to wash his car after his weekly long road trip and he was using a power washer to clean his wheels whilst the brakes were hot. This caused the warping. So heat yes that's part of it - but the rate of cooling is also a problem...
__________________
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!
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#13
05-06-2011, 05:29 PM
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After a long braking or a very hard braking the the pads get very hot. Very hot.
You screech to a halt at a light and hold your foot on the brakes. The heat from the pads concentrate the heat in the disks at one spot, the disk expands at that point. Never to return to the exact original thickness. (you can feel 2 thou) When driving hard try to stop a little back from the line and let the car creep a head slowly. That will help to distribute pad heat around the disk.
__________________
1984 300SD turbo 126 "My true love" God made me an atheist and who am I to question His wisdom
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#14
05-06-2011, 06:13 PM
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Hose story..While swapping off my studded snows I felt a blister on the back side of the R/F brake hose, (where you cant see it) there was no sign it had been leaking until I TOUCHED it.
 I just barley touched it and it started leaking like crazy. I wonder how far I was from having a bad day
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Steve  1985 Euro 300TD 5 spd 218K 1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 120K 1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild 1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K 1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor 1964 VW bug Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. P.J. O'Rourke
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#15
05-07-2011, 08:07 AM
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Gotta wonder what percent of people actually repair their brakes to the level required. A perfect example of this is the brake hoses. Most people would glance at it and say "looks good"....and carry on with their 14 year old hoses.
__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-  '82 300SD 320k -mine Parting out this summer.  (OC-323,450)'89 420SEL 146k - mine (OC-147,500)'93 190D 2.2 - 208k - mine (OC-210,100) '13 VW GolfWagon TDI 6Speed - 0k - wifes '82 300SD 340k -dad's (OC-341,200) '87 420SEL - 305k - dad's - (OC-309,400) '83 300D 258k - brother's (OC-261,150) '12 VW Jetta - 7k - Sisters
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