Rear pads not contacting the rotor

SmsDetroit

Goblin Guru
So my right rear outer pad only contact the upper half of the rotor. I’ve don’t brake thousands of times and can’t figure this one out. I’ve taken everything apart and check to make sure everything is sitting flush yet it keeps only contacting the upper half of the rotor. Any ideas
 

Rauq

Goblin Guru
I'm pretty sure the spring-loaded pad goes on the inside of the caliper, is that the way you have it set up? And do you have the external caliper spring installed? Have you run the car at all? I got some funny pad wear as well and was told it was because my rear brakes were hardly used, so I'm adding a proportioning valve.
 

SmsDetroit

Goblin Guru
I'm pretty sure the spring-loaded pad goes on the inside of the caliper, is that the way you have it set up? And do you have the external caliper spring installed? Have you run the car at all? I got some funny pad wear as well and was told it was because my rear brakes were hardly used, so I'm adding a proportioning valve.
Dove it all last summer. Worked on them this winter. Same problem. I’ll double check the pads but I think they can only go in one position. I do have the external caliper spring installed as well
 

Rauq

Goblin Guru
Not that this means you got it wrong but I just installed them backwards which was real fun after fighting that external spring lol. Fortunately I realized it before I put the wheels back on.
 

Rttoys

Goblin Guru
It should be equal, but to be honest I’m surprised the dr side one is touching all of the rotor. Most only ouch a little bit of the rotor because there’s not much brake pressure back there and the pads are tapered, until seated in fully.

I highly recommend brake proportioning. There’s several ways to do it, but the way I did it is quick and inexpensive, plus adjustable.

 

Scott #321

Well-Known Member
It should be equal, but to be honest I’m surprised the dr side one is touching all of the rotor. Most only ouch a little bit of the rotor because there’s not much brake pressure back there and the pads are tapered, until seated in fully.

I highly recommend brake proportioning. There’s several ways to do it, but the way I did it is quick and inexpensive, plus adjustable.

I highly recommend this as I had next to no wear on the rear prior to installing. I was able to source short lines with the proper ends so I did not have to flare any lines at all.
Tip: Use a metal coat hanger or similar wire to get test fit for brake lines then Ben your lines to match the wire, brake lines bend pretty easy once but are a pain if bent wrong.
 

Jr Green

Member
I've been test fitting my parking brake rotors/calipers/pads all weekend and I cannot get the outer pads to contact the rotor flat. With everything mounted and the spring clips in place, the pads are bound up and have no ability to slide inboard/outboard or settle flat against the rotors. I thought I had a solution by rounding off some sharp caliper corners that were digging into the pads. It seemed to help some but they still bind on a tab at the top of the pad. The previous setup had clips that allowed good lateral movement. I see some folks advising brake proportioning but I don't see how that ensures flat contact. Should there be some kind of lubricant applied to the channels the pads rest in? Put it together, send it and wait for the pads to wear themselves into shape? Probably overthinking but it doesn't give me that warm fuzzy feeling.

caliper2.jpegcaliper4.jpegcaliper5.jpeg
 

Gtstorey

Goblin Guru
How much are they out? Mine has about 4000 miles on it now, and the rear pads are just now making full contact across the pad face. But mine wasn’t really noticeably crooked. I could just see the wear track.
 

Jr Green

Member
It kinda varies based on when I put the clips on. That’s when the pads bind up in whatever position they settled in, usually slightly angled compared to the rotor. Maybe things will square up once they’ve been bled and the full force of the brake system has been put on them.
 

Robinjo

Goblin Guru
It kinda varies based on when I put the clips on. That’s when the pads bind up in whatever position they settled in, usually slightly angled compared to the rotor. Maybe things will square up once they’ve been bled and the full force of the brake system has been put on them.
Mine were a little wonky until I bled them. One side was really tight and the other side was really loose. They bolted together easily though, is this not the case for you? When you get ready to bleed them and the clutch is to use this kit. It was sooooo easy to use. I'll never bleed brakes the old way again.

Motive Power Bleeder

Don't forget the GM specific adapter like I did or you'll be waiting another 2-3 days for Besos to send you one.
 
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Robinjo

Goblin Guru
I highly recommend this as I had next to no wear on the rear prior to installing. I was able to source short lines with the proper ends so I did not have to flare any lines at all.
Tip: Use a metal coat hanger or similar wire to get test fit for brake lines then Ben your lines to match the wire, brake lines bend pretty easy once but are a pain if bent wrong.
That or just order the kit from DF. I did the same method as Scott #321 but the DF kit wasn't yet available. If it was, I would have done that. The downside to the method Scott, I and many others did is the hood has to come off to adjust it unless you are a contortionist. The upside is that no one can just crank it over on you unknowingly and it cost less than $50 to make. The big upside to the DF kit puts it under the steering wheel so you can make on-the-go adjustments easily.

 

Jr Green

Member
Everything bolts together fine, just the way the pads are contacting the rotor was bugging me. I’m gonna go with it, should be good enough to get me down to the state inspection. The brake proportioning is getting great reviews so I’ll probably get to that soon. Appreciate the input.
 

Robinjo

Goblin Guru
Everything bolts together fine, just the way the pads are contacting the rotor was bugging me. I’m gonna go with it, should be good enough to get me down to the state inspection. The brake proportioning is getting great reviews so I’ll probably get to that soon. Appreciate the input.
Oh, then wait until you bleed the system. Mine did not sit 'ideal' until I did it. I remember thinking that the brakes were mounted funny at first.

I would strongly consider a proportioning valve from the jump. I'm glad I installed mine before bleeding as I wouldn't have to evacuate the system to do it later. It needed it immediately. I locked up the front brakes on the first drive with the valve set to the no bias (open). It was very easy to lock up the front end.
 

Rauq

Goblin Guru
This was my wear pattern after a thousand miles of driving:
36861


Installed the proportioning valve and it cleared right up, and stops significantly better than it did before (which was already very well).
 
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