96 accord sedan. Rotors and pads are almost 2 years old. They are Autozone brands and been working fine until about November or December 2011. I am noticing that a variable speeds that the steering wheel vibrates when braking. I noticed there are flat areas on the front passenger rotor. Specifically the outer and inner edges. I don't want to just buy parts and find out that there's still a problem. Is it possible that a bad axle could be a culprit? Thanks.

 

If you got duralast gold pads from Autozone, lifetime replacement. If it's the duralast rotors, 2 year warranty. Swap out.

 

like stated above by djkurios you rotors are warped and misshapen and need to be replaced which is what is causing the vibration. they warp from stopping too hard especially on hills. 2 year old brake pads definitely need to be changed. go to autozone and see if you are still in warranty to save ya some money. you will need a shop to change the rotors for you. a regular at home mechanic cannot perform the job unless you have experience with removing the hubs/bearings

 

That's what I was afraid of.

 

How do you know the capabilities of a home mechanic?, you make it sound as if he has to rebuild a transmission.

Op, other culprits of vibrations when braking can be bad lower ball joints. From my experience bad axles don't vibrate when you brake. What an axle will do is make a loud rumbling noise and believe me it will be noticeable.

 

removing the hubs and bearings correctly and reinstalling them is not a simple task for most. its easy to damage the bearings if they do not come off straight. i was simply letting him know that unless he has removed the hubs/bearings before to not try and tackle it. i made this mistake before already and i was trying to help a fellow honda techian make the right choice so it can be done quickly.

bad ball joints will cause vibrations and noise while turning also. not just braking

 

What an axle will do is make a loud rumbling noise and believe me it will be noticeable.[/QUOTE]

so this would cause a vibration from a stop or during a stop? buddys car has a rough vibration on the passenger front side only from a stop or under acceleration (94 sunfire)

 

Aside from the vibration, is there a noticeable noise when the wheels turn?.

 

I know that the driver side axle is bad. The bad rotor is on the passenger side. There is rumbling, but it feels like its dragging. It happens at various speeds and during warm and cold conditions. It started happening in November or December. The other rotors do not have flat spots.

 

if your axels click when you turn corners, then you have bad cv joints in your front axels which will need to be replaced.

i dont believe thats your issue id just swing the car by a goodyear and have them look at your rotors and pads if youre not down to do it yourself. but yea if you feel ridges when u go up and down the rotors with your finger or they dont seem to be smooth then thats most likely the culprit. that or old burntass pads which will in turn warp the rotors if not replaced.

 

Just throwing this diagnosis on the table, could be part of your issue.

You could have a locked/dragging caliper, which could be the culprit for the rough spots on your rotor. The best way to tell is to inspect the brake pads, and compare them with your driver pads. Another test is to suspend the front end of your car and see if the driver wheel turns freely.

 

Suggest removing, inspecting, and lubricating the caliper guide pins; replace the pin boots if they are damaged.

 

This is how you find out "why" the rotors got that way.....IMO, something is/has caused the rotor to get too hot.

 

Like Lost alluded to, you need to make sure that you fix the problem, not just the cause.

You should have the brake fluid flushed as well as for adjusting rear drums if you have them. Also, make sure you torque the lug nuts to only 80 ft lbs.

 

I had purchased a set in 2009, now that they're worn down & just performed this job saturday... the partscounter person said that we're only allowed to exchange the pads 1 time only

looking through that little window on the brake caliper is not that good to determine if you'll need new pads... remove the lower bolt/ loosen the upper; swing it up and hold the caliper with a coat hanger to the upper control arm...

agree, remove the long sliding caliper pins and clean/ re-lube them with high temp grease...

(i hate this hub over rotor design) thank goodness I caught the brake pads after 3 years of mixed city/highway driving... almost metal-to-metal, but the rotors were saved from gouges .
I just used some sandpaper to "resurface" the rotors, spray them down with some brakecleaner, compress the caliper piston back in, install new pads, re-torque the sliding caliper pins to ~54 ft.lbs, and re-install the wheels.

here's one way to do it if you have a vise in the garage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UirzXEmnxVc

 

Thanks for the info. I will get the front end up and see where the problem lies. This may sound like a rookie question, can I jack up the passenger side and turn the wheel freely? I don't have a set of jack stands at the moment. My car has 4 wheel discs with abs. The fluid is due for change but I suspect that the caliper is failing a bit. The problems started in November or December. When it's cold, it doesn't vibrate hard. When it is warm, it tends to vibrate harder. Hopefully these tricks will really help narrow down the list to get to a source or two. As I have said before, money is an issue and I can't afford to pay for parts I don't need.

 

Yes...I think I follow your question.......

 

Just don't get underneath the car whilst supported by a jack.

 

Here's a picture of the passenger side rotor to give you more insight.

 

that's after 2 years? blech...

did you pull the wheel and check your pads? re-lube the sliding caliper pins?

you don't want to go metal-to-metal, but from the looks of it, you'll either need to resurface/ replace that rotor after you found out the cause...

 

I will get to it this weekend. That's the only rotor that looks that way. I mostly use my car around town and maybe once a month on the freeway. I don't ride the brakes either. I'll post the results.

 

That doesn't look too bad.....When you are checking it out this weekend, be sure to check the tie rods and ball joints-----the old 3 and 9 grab/push/pull of the tire and then the 12 and 6 grab/push/pull.

 

You are gonna need Jack Stands to do work on your brakes.