wteebo

Ok, so the front rotors on my '91 accord ex have warped twice now. I have tried two different brands of rotor. My driving/commute is extreme hills but what is the solution? some say its a honda thing... why would it be if I changed brands, not enough cooling still? And I hate to change them again without solving the problem since it's such a pain in the rear of having to take of the hub just to change a rotor... not one of Honda's brightest ideas.

MAD_MIKE

Rotors don't warp, what happens is non linear transfer of pad material to the rotor, causing uneven deposits. Cementite may then begin to form, which is not simply machined away, it actually changes the makeup of the cast iron. Causing rough patches that do not dissipate heat, and it becomes a downward spiral if not caught early.
http://www.stoptech.com/technical-su...nd-other-myths
It's an uneven deposit/overheating thing.
Now what you may want to look into, is if this has occurred before, is to verify that your rear brakes are actually working properly. If your rears are not doing any work then this can exacerbate the above mentioned problem. However if you are experiencing this same issue after verifying the brakes are working properly and have been broken in properly, it could be an issue with how you brake.
Coming down a long hill riding the brakes, inducing heat and then coming to a stop for a few moments can cause the above mentioned cemetite formation. Or if you have a tendancy to tap the brakes a lot while driving you may be creating hot spots or uneven transfer of brake material to the friction surfaces.

If you feel pulsing in the pedal, that is from the changes in the friction surface hardness, a cementite issue. If the steering wheel begins to shake but the pedal feels fine, more likely an uneven transfer of braking material.

If you plan on keep the car for another few years you may be interetested in the rotor over hub conversion using 1998 Acura CL 2.3 rotors and hubs.
1998 Acura 2.3CL Front Hubs OEM part # - 44600-YS8-A00
1998 Acura 2.3CL Front Rotors OEM Part # - 45251-S84-A01
1990-1998 Accord Front wheel bearing OEM Part # - 44200-SM1-008
1990-1998 Accord Front brake pads OEM Part # - 45022-SY8-A01

motegicivic

I had a warping issue with honda rotors, my current set is Raybestos, so far pretty good.

ByonSho

Just have them turned. I know it's a bandaid, but you can take the car to pepboys and they will do it on the car. Save time and money.

wteebo

Thanks Mad_Mike, great article from StopTech and the conversion is amazing news! Although I found it hard to locate the CL hubs - found a couple of places so far but looking for the best price. Thanks everyone for the input!!

holmesnmanny

Like Mike said, make sure the rear are working. If you have drum it's important that they be adjusted when ur front brakes are done or the fronts will be doing all the work and your brakes will take longer to stop and the front will get so hot they will warp. Also, make sure u have clean fluid if not have it flushed. It's easy to do with another person. Small bubbles build up in old fluid over time.

One trick I use is when u do the last pump and open, make sure to close the bleeder before the pedal hits the floor, just a quick open and close, that way there is no chance for trace air to get in from a tiny fluid fall when the pedal hits the floor.