Brake rotor issues

[hitnrun74]

Had a vibration in the back end on braking. Pulled a wheel and whoa...brake rotor is just disintegrating. Pads aren't even half worn. Replaced both rear rotors and put ceramic pads on. Checked front and same thing is starting to happen up there. Anybody know of any defects, or have a similar situation? I'm kind of baffled as to what could have caused the rotors to break down, as the pads were actually in pretty darn good shape aside from the grooves cut in them from the rotors. I only have 28k miles. Along related lines, anybody replaced the front rotors yet? They look a little screwy and a walkthrough on removing them would be helpful. Thanks in advance----

[Andrey]

same stuff here... was told that rears can not be saved... fronts were re-surfaced.. pads were 60-70 % good.. rotors -junk... mine were like that from day one - Isuzu just put in there rotten steel

[hitnrun74]

At least the replacements aren't that expensive. Thanks for the reply. Did you replace them yourself or did you have them done?

[Andrey]

I had it done by a shop nearby (not Isuzu dealer - no way !) I ve decided to change the pads also got OEM Isuzu (if I was doing breaks at 30K anyway) rears were replaced with $36 a pop aftermarket rotors. They do just fine. NOw I am thinking if I should've replaced fronts too at this price ???? OEM rotors are made of different material I think as after re-surface you can see the difference in metal. They are very expencive from the dealer.

[VX4EJR]

Originally posted by hitnrun74
Had a vibration in the back end on braking. Pulled a wheel and whoa...brake rotor is just disintegrating. Pads aren't even half worn. Replaced both rear rotors and put ceramic pads on. Checked front and same thing is starting to happen up there. Anybody know of any defects, or have a similar situation? I'm kind of baffled as to what could have caused the rotors to break down, as the pads were actually in pretty darn good shape aside from the grooves cut in them from the rotors. I only have 28k miles. ----

Just curious, but what visible signs or what did you see that was this bad with your rear rotors? As in details.....with them disintegrating?

Once they get dirty or old, it's hard to tell what you should and shouldn't see.
Just wondering because my brakes all together have not been working too well for stopping power and always squeak so dam loud in the morning.

[shoota77]

same thing happened on mine...pads are fine. ordered new rotors all around...pain in the ***, mine went at 16k miles

[hitnrun74]

I put front rotors (89$ each from advanced auto parts) on and new pads this weekend. Went with the ceramic pads (35.00 for the set, came with new anti-rattle pads and slide lube), what a difference. My old rotors looked kind of rusty on the brake surface which is never a good sign. They had some horrible grooves cut in them. You could actually pick apart the face of the rotor with your fingernail. I would advise anyone who has sqeaks, squeals or vibration to inspect them. I did the serpentine belt and oil change this weekend too. Also got rid of my stock head unit and cd changer that was broke a couple weeks ago. I put in an Alpine mp3 head and added an 8 inch bazooka. What a difference! Anybody still running the stock head should really think about retiring it. Never really realized how badly this car needed some bass. Circuit City did the install for me, took less than 2 hours and the only thing they didn't have was a ground loop isolator (the guy didn't know what it was). I picked one up at Rat Shack. Anyways, thanks for the replies and go check your brakes!!!

[MachineVX]

I had the same problems with my rear rotors @ 30,000 miles. I've replaced the rotors all around with power slot rotors. Also replaced the pads with EBC ones. I'm very happy with the change.

[CrzyFool]

The Isuzu Rotors are crap and will rust and disintegrate to *shame on you* somewhere between 25k-50k Miles. I replaced all of mine with custom Drilled/Slotted performance rotors and also Akebono HP ceramic brake pads, I couldnt be happier . . .and you gotta love those slots and holes in the rotors for a high performance look . . .Now if I could only find me some Big Red Calipers :rolleyes:

[Tone]

Gee Crazy Fool, mine and others have lasted over 100K and have driven in rally,race, and high speed driver's ed situations - where do you get your info (disintegrate? Never seen that) and how about the part numbers for the great ones you've added and the new stopping distances you have achieved. How about dust? I;ve tired over a dozen pads and they all dust so bad and offer little if any better performance. Bet you still have your stock rubber lines....

[Maugan_VX]

Gotta go with Tone on this one.

After 3 separate isuzu's, I've tried all manner of Rotors and the OEM ones work the best. The old 89 trooper would go through rotors in 3 months flat if I didn't use OEM.

I've been told that the best (and only one needed really) upgrade for the brake system is the steel braided lines. No more mushy pedal.

[Reg Hinnant]

94,000 miles with the original brake pads & rotors.
:cool:

[psychos2]

Tone , just because yours are in good shape does not mean everyones should be.you are to quick to rip into people because you know everything about everything.
Must be some of us got good ones and some of use got the bad ones. mine are junk. and have been for the past 10,000 miles . i have 68,000 miles on my vx.also when i bought it the fronts were sopposedly replaced due to warping. that was at 15,000 miles. i have also switched to ceramic pads and have very little dust. shawn

[driver3]

Mine lasted 78k, the rotors were still good, but pads were done. I replaced the rotors and the pads though as I wanted the contact to be perfect. I got mine from Napa for around $50 I think. I've definitely heard more praise about the factory brakes than problems, maybe a couple were bad, who knows.

Also... follow the searches on doing the front wheel bearings, they go throught all the detail needed to remove the hub, which the rotor is attached to. Be careful taking the hub off of the rotor, as I stripped one of the hex bolts and had to drill the head off the old bolt and get some new ones.. M6 is the size for the thread btw, but I don't know the length at the moment... hopefully you don't need to do that.. putting the pads on is the same as any car. Have fun, it's a great thing to know how to do... saves you lot's of $$$ and you get the bearings repacked at the same time.

[drdavidr4u]

Same here, had to replace my rear rotors under 30,000 miles!!!, they were real crap from Isuzu!

I realized there was a problem when I was traveling 60MPH down hill towards a light and before I knew it , it changed red and I slamed on the brakes but the truck didnt stop and I slid right through the intersection and red light. Lucky I didnt get hit. Thats when I brought it in for a brake job!

I didnt put on fancy replacements, maybe I should have. The braking/stopping power is much better but still not great.

[WyrreJ]

I am detecting a pattern - 3 for 3 bad rotors in NY. Maybe it is road salt or something that does them in.

[V-Twin hiCROSS]

My rear rotors "dissolved" as well, at aorund 50K miles. We do get road salt laid here in Missouri. I replaced them with Napa rotors, so far so good. I am considering doing the braided metal brake lines to stiffen up the pedal feel. How much work is it?

[driver3]

Mine were all Ohio miles.. there's enough salt there to eat any car after a while.

I'd like to know about the brake lines as well

[Ldub]

The s/s braid lines aren't too bad of a project, I just did mine last weekend.
Kinda messy,have lots of paper towels/ shop rags on hand. Also, do yourself a favor & get a flare nut wrench (10 or 11mm, can't remember which),a qt. of DOT3 brake fluid, a drain pan & away you go.
Also, I remember seeing a write up here about the same topic, maybe try searching brakeline.
Rotsa Ruck, Ldub

[psychos2]

yes but the salt did not eat the rotors off any other car i have had in ny. i would say garbage rotors and salt = dissolved rotors. shawn

[MarkChai]

I replaced all my front brake components on the 85 Cruiser FJ60, but the damn rotors were seized to the freewheel hub housing.

I took them to Brake masters because I couldn't get them apart, no matter how much I banged and pried. Took them 45 minutes to get 'em apart, too.

Anyway, as the tech put the new rotors on the hub for me, we chatted for a while, and his opinion was the ceramic pads are only necessary on the 3 cars in the US market that come with them. They were all high end $80-$90K+++ luxury cars.

Ceramic pads are harder than the steel rotors they are contacting. Therefore, the ceramic pads will last LONGER than the rotor in most cases. He was not trying to sell me pads or rotors-- I had already bought my own.

So, keep that in mind for any car... This makes sense when you look at it. The auto parts stores are pushing ceramic pads left and right-- Because you get to buy new rotors sooner than later, which cost more than new pads...

:sigho2:

[psychos2]

Anyway, as the tech put the new rotors on the hub for me, we chatted for a while, and his opinion was the ceramic pads are only necessary on the 3 cars in the US market that come with them. They were all high end $80-$90K+++ luxury cars.

Ceramic pads are harder than the steel rotors they are contacting. Therefore, the ceramic pads will last LONGER than the rotor in most cases. He was not trying to sell me pads or rotors-- I had already bought my own.

So, keep that in mind for any car... This makes sense when you look at it. The auto parts stores are pushing ceramic pads left and right-- Because you get to buy new rotors sooner than later, which cost more than new pads...

:sigho2:

like you said thats his opinion.and if you talk to others they will say you don't need stainless steel brake lines .there are 3 cars that come with them blah blah blah.the auto parts store did not push them (ceramic pads)on me i decided i wanted them.i did not like the stock pads.the same thing can be said for other stuff to, like tires .they chose those tires for a reason blah blah blah. and are the pads really harder? i don't know. are the stock steel rotors garbage? mine are. shawn ;) ;) :confused: :confused:

[Maugan_VX]

and are the pads really harder? i don't know.

The ceramic pads are harder than the material that the rotor is made out of.

Therefore, its no wonder than you think the stock rotors are crap when the pads you bought for them are eating them away. The pads are supposed to be the sacrificial lamb in the braking process, not the much more expensive rotor.

Don't say that the isuzu rotor is crap when you were the one that destroyed it by putting the wrong pads on the brakes.

[psychos2]

The ceramic pads are harder than the material that the rotor is made out of.

Therefore, its no wonder than you think the stock rotors are crap when the pads you bought for them are eating them away. The pads are supposed to be the sacrificial lamb in the braking process, not the much more expensive rotor.

Don't say that the isuzu rotor is crap when you were the one that destroyed it by putting the wrong pads on the brakes.

maugan_vx, how do you know i put them on before the rotors turned to crap????? you don't do you?????? because the rotors were garbage BEFORE i put on the ceramic pads!!!! YA BEFORE !!!!! maybe i should say it one more time so you can understand it BEFORE !!!! the stock rotors on MY vx are GARBAGE. maybe they are made out of different metal than yours because mine are junk!!!!! both front and rear from the stock pads , not the ceramic pads!!!!putting on ceramic pads may wear them faster but does not turn them to crap. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: shawn

[Maugan_VX]

After reading that post....

I can definitely say that it was owner error.


putting on ceramic pads may wear them faster but does not turn them to crap.

I want you to go in your backyard and conduct a little experiment Einstein.

go take a piece of wood and start rubbing a rock up against it.

See which lasts longer, the piece of wood, or the rock. I know where I've got my money.


because the rotors were garbage BEFORE i put on the ceramic pads!!!! YA BEFORE !!!!! maybe i should say it one more time so you can understand it BEFORE !!!! the stock rotors on MY vx are GARBAGE.

So you made them worse by putting hard pads on them.

BRILLIANT!

Oh and,

like you said thats his opinion.and if you talk to others they will say you don't need stainless steel brake lines

I don't think you'll find a single person out there that will refute the worthiness of upgrading to braided lines unless its their personal preference for mushy stop pedal.

drdavid:

Same here, had to replace my rear rotors under 30,000 miles!!!, they were real crap from Isuzu!

I realized there was a problem when I was traveling 60MPH down hill towards a light and before I knew it , it changed red and I slamed on the brakes but the truck didnt stop and I slid right through the intersection and red light. Lucky I didnt get hit. Thats when I brought it in for a brake job!


More than likely this was caused by air in the brake line or "boiled" brake fluid thats done gone kicked the bucket. Same thing happened to me in the ole troop except I had a boat on the hitch pushing me through that intersection !!!! After I replaced the MC and still had the problem, a simple fluid change finally solved my problems.

[psychos2]

maugan_ vx, you have no clue . i will end the discussion before i say something that gets me banned from the sight. shawn

[Moncha]

I guess we could say some of us agree to disagree on this subject. I take it to be like the window and 1st cyl problem, some of us have the problem and some don't. It doesn't mean all are "crap" just some. It's not worth getting undies all bunched up, it's a matter of discussion, not argument.

[VXtreme]

I have got 71,200 miles on my rotors. All are OEM that came on my '99 VX. I have not even had to change the pads yet, let alone the rotors. When you factor in that I have a Supercharger, drive it hard and do alot of hard stopping, I don't quite understand what is happening to your rotors. By-the-way, we use lot's of salt on our roads (Great Salt Lake and all) I have never had a problem with the orginal rotors.

[Maugan_VX]

Well isuzu probably outsourced the production of OEM rotors to several different vendors over the years. Probably the reason for the disparity.

[Hotsauce]

I have tried in total 6 different brands of brake pads on our truck, so far, none are up to the stock pad in terms of ease of modulation at the threshold point, or resistance to fade on repeted high speed stops.

Most of the aftermarket rotors are made in China. All rotors from there are the worst quallity porous cast iron. I just ordered new rotors/bearings etc for the fronts, I wouldn't even consider non-stock for these parts.

John C.

[Eckstream]

I just replaced all rotors and pads.... Got the power slot rotors and Hawk ceramic pads. Was told by the shop that front rotors are rather difficult to change since the hubs had to be removed to get the rotors off.

[Jonnie]

I just replaced all rotors and pads.... Got the power slot rotors and Hawk ceramic pads. Was told by the shop that front rotors are rather difficult to change since the hubs had to be removed to get the rotors off.


Not true.

Jonnie

[Chopper]

Just to throw some gas on this. My calipers bear a Mitsubishi Tri-Star...I don't know who made the rotors. Realize I've just 21000 miles on this car... this is Florida (no road salt) and I may drive 4 or 5 different cars almost every day. These brakes are one of the shining points of this vehicle. Hauls all 2 tons down very reassuringly... don't really know if they fade away under hard use "cause mine don't get used hard. Changed to the steel lines but only cause I like a hard pedal, don't think the stopping distance was affected at all ( can really feel where the ABS comes in though) Maybe you are all mistaking Honda grabbiness for good braking. Alot of Jap iron is crap, that may explain the" disentegrating rotor up north" thing. The rotor swap is a snap, don't let anyone tell you different a Chimpanzee with a wrench... Love the stockers even if I do end up changing them out every 300000.

[ISCE]

Hate to dig this thread up, but add another VX to the trashed/rotted out rotors. I've not had any brake problems at all, braking seemed fine. Two days ago while braking felt a slight grinding feeling. By yesterday coming home from work a definitely grinding feel and sound when braking.

When I took a quick look visually they looked completely rusted out. The right rear was the worse with only a very small strip that was more polished. All 4 looked horrible. The shop just called and all 4 rotors are trashed, rusted/rotted beyond repair.

I am right at 30K. This is MD and we don't get a lot of snow, but when it does they do put a lot of salt on the road. My guess is bad steel and the salt maybe? Seems quite a few discussions all around the same 30K with trashed rotors.

[kpaske]

So it seems to me that most of the Veteran members agree that the stock rotors and pads are the best combination available for the VX. I am getting ready to replace all four at just over 100k. Had the fronts turned once, but I've used several different types of pads. In retrospect I think the stock pads lasted the longest so I'm convinced that the conventional wisdom here is correct. I was hoping for the modern look of some painted/slotted rotors, but if they are all garbage I'll just stick with stock. Is there anyone else who has a positive experience with aftermarket rotors?

[Ldub]

I believe Mbeach has had a couple of posts where he's indicated positive experiences with aftermarket rotors...unfortunately, I can't remember which brand.
Personally, I like the OEM pads because they work well & have NO brake dust that I've ever seen.

[Doug]

Obviously there is a range of experience with the OEM rotors. I just replaced mine about two weeks ago and took pictures to post, assuming I was just doing a brake job. I was surprised to see the inside face of both rotors were, for lack of a better term, delaminating. Hopefully these pictures will help some in this thread.

Knowing the VX is over 4K lbs I bought a well machined, OEM spec thickness rotor. They are by Raybestos at $110 each. If you purchase aftermarket rotors check to see that the three smaller holes for the ABS ring are present.

I plan to post all the pictures from the front break replacement, including where to get those three tiny screws that are sure to strip...

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/rotorsurface02.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/rotorsurface02.jpg)
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/rotorsurface01.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/rotorsurface01.jpg)

[ISCE]

...speaking of ABS ring. The shop just called and said mine were seized onto the rotor and both front rings broke when trying to take them off... How much should these cost? And, how long to put on? I am starting to feel like I am getting ripped off.

He said his thought is that since the vehicle doesn't get driven that much, I am at 30K for a 2001, that the corrosion and moisture wasn't kept off the rotors causing the damage. This is my daily driver, but I only have a 12 mi commute ea way, so we are only talking approx 120 miles/week, but they have been daily. All until recently here when I bought another motorcycle to save gas money. Now, with the brake job due to not driving it anything I saved is gone.

[psychos2]

here are pics of what mune looked like. shawn

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/P10100072.JPG (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/P10100072.JPG)http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/P10100083.JPG (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/P10100083.JPG)

[Doug]

I can't image the ABS rings ceasing to the rotor. Almost certainly, they gave them a beating(s). I would humbly insist they replace them at no cost. They were not broken when you came in. They butt against the rotor an are held in w3 bolts at about 24ft-lbs. A few drops of penetrating fluid...

[kpaske]

I can tell you this much - I've got a 1999 with over 105k miles on it. My fronts have been turned once, and both front and rear are about due for replacement due to normal wear (except for the one rear rotor which I've trashed, but we won't get into that!). Even today they don't look anything like those last couple of pictures. There is rusting on the edges, but the surfaces where the pads make contact are reflective and shiny. There was either a BIG difference between manufacturers, or some set of conditions allowed your rotors to deteriorate unusually fast. Did your VX sit for a long period of time? Perhaps at the dealership before it was sold? I know some brand new 2001 models sat well into 2003. Perhaps allowing the rust to build up weakened them and allowed them to break down?

[ISCE]

...yes: I purchased my 2001 brand new in late 2002. I think they said they had it on the lot for almost 2 years. It had under 22 miles when purchased so it literally did sit for all that time. I just never looked at the rotors all that close, but did notice they were rusted up for a while. Just didn't pay much attention to it at the time of purchase.

Got the VX back yesterday and the new rotors look great. I am just hoping for longer lasting this time. Maybe it was the nearly 2 years of sitting that really started the problem.

How about the others who had their trashed early too, did you guys purchase it after sitting for a long time?