Late last fall, I installed a set of Porterfield R4S brake pads on my S2000. I used the shims that the old pads were on, but I did not have any grease to apply to the back of the shims. I'm pretty sure my problems started right after that, but I stored my car for the winter right after that. Yesterday, I got my car out of storage.

I think my pads are sticking, causing friction between the rotors and pads all of the time. After driving with not much braking (mostly highway) the rotors were hot to the touch. Driving this morning with the top down, I noticed a brake pad smell. Do you think the pads are sticking? Did I inadvertently warp the rotors? How do I troubleshoot? Do I swallow my pride and bring it to a brake shop?

Thanks for the advise, don't beat me too much!

Bob

 

Did you ever break the pads in? That may be all you need to do. Check out this site:

http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/warped...rotors_myth.htm

Rotors are typically hot to the touch after driving. If the car isn't pulling or slowing down excessively when coasting, I don't think you have a problem. But if you didn't put any anti-squeal compound to the shims, you may get some squeaks. No biggie - just take them off and apply the compound.

 

The presence of unlubricated shims should not be causing any problems with the pads hanging. However, check their installation since improperly installed shims or bent shims that are jammed between the caliper frame and the pad that can cause issues.

Another possiblility is improper machining of the pad backing plate. Make sure that the squared off "ears" on either end of the pad slide smoothly in the slots in the caliper frame. I had two sets of R4S pads that were not machined properly and I had to remove quite a bit of metal from the ears to get them to correctly slide. Another item to check is the small metal clip that fits between the pad ear and the frame slot. If they are not installed properly or are bent, that could cause the pads to hang and not release correctly.

Here's another possibility, especially if you have tracked the car: I once had a problem with little pieces of overheated rubber boot jamming in the piston bore. That caused the piston to not extend or retract properly and resulted in very uneven wear on that caliper. The problem was fixed by rebuilding the caliper.

Let us know what you discover.

 

Thanks for the info. I found that whitepaper before I originally posted. It may be that they are not worn in enough. Can I get that compound at any autoparts place? I just wanted to make sure I was not causing any damage or creating a safety hazard for myself...

Is brake fluid on a "mileage basis" OR "mileage or time basis"? The car will be 4 years old next month, but I've only put 25,000 miles on it and the majority of that was in the first 2 years... I've done a 2-day class at Pocono and did 2 days on the dragon, but no other hard driving exept on the occasional s2k ride...

 

CoralDoc,

Thanks for the info, will definitely check that out, don't remember if the backside of pad was smooth. Got the pads in a group buy in Sept 00 on the predecessor to s2ki.com community... I think that was the start of one of the sponsor's companies...