Birf Job next Sunday???

[smittycrusher]

I think I am going to have to replace my rotors on my LX . I am getting a sick grinding coming from the Front driver side wheel . It just started yesterday and is very loud. I am also getting a ton of steering wheel vibration when breaking . From what I have read it sounds as if my rotors may be shot. The brake pads have about 6,000 miles on them so they should not be the issue. I also need a birf job done and it sounds as if removing the rotors is a big part of a birf job. I obviously can't handle this type of repair alone with my lack of skillz (1/2 ). Anyone need a birf job done and want some company. I am going to pull the wheel in the morning to check the damage. If I do need new rotors, how will I know? I will be going 100 series pads with new rotors if needed. anyone game?

Smit

 

[Slomo]

Sorry to hear. I would start by pulling the drivers front tire and take a look and see how bad it is. The grinding you describe sounds like metal on metal brake issues. You will immediately notice the difference when looking at the rotor if that is the cause. It will be rough, chewed and will probably have metal powder accumulated on the hub area. If your pads are only 6k miles old you have another problem. On one side only is most assuredly a frozen caliper that caused a premature death of your pads and rotor. If so you will have to replace the rotor, pads and possibly the caliper. If you are lucky you might be able to rebuild the caliper. Either way it sounds like it is time to feed Cdans dogs. If your pass side rotor looks ok measure it and check for warpage to see if you have to replace it as it may still have plenty of material left before it gets to minimum thickness. If you do get a rebuild kit for the caliper I would do both if it were me. Just make sure you take a look first to know what you are dealing with so you can get all the parts you need in one shot. If you want you can take some pics and post them for some advice. Depending on your money/time situation you may be better off just tackling the brakes now and do the birf job later as the knuckle rebuild kit, bearings, races, seals can add up quickly and would add significant time and money to the project for a 1/2 guy. Post up or give me a call if you need any more help.

Good luck,

Mo

 

[smittycrusher]

here are some pics of what I have found....they mean nothing to me
Driver Side (where the noise is coming from)

 

[smittycrusher]

passenger side

 

[smittycrusher]

birfs

 

[smittycrusher]

ds side shots of pads

 

[clownmidget]

Well, you got your money's worth out of those pads

Looks like you've got a bit of cash to drop into that front end unfortunately but on the bright side you'll feel so much better once it's all buttoned back up properly. Just read through the infinite number of threads (don't forget the Tech section of this site) on doing the birfs and you'll be golden. Might want to consider going to an "upgrade" rotor like the DBA's or similar and the 100-series pads. And when you do the birfields check the spindles closely where the bearings seat and the brass bushing inside.

Good luck

 

[Slomo]

Agree with clownmidget, forgot to mention yesterday. It would be a good idea to go with an upgraded rotor like the DBA's. IMHO the slotted rotors are better for off road use than the cross drilled and slotted rotors as I have seed small pebbles get lodged in the holes which can work over the pads a little and shorten their life. If you drive sanely on the highway the cross drilling is not neccesary but the slotting gets the gas that builds up between the pad and rotor out and thereby give better braking. The 80's need all the help they can get with that. My front rotors are warped right now and when the pads wear down that is probably the route I will go. Good luck and post up or call if you need any more help.

 

[Biff]

Have you gotten the birf dvd, helped me out when I did mine.

 

[smittycrusher]

Agree with clownmidget, forgot to mention yesterday. It would be a good idea to go with an upgraded rotor like the DBA's. IMHO the slotted rotors are better for off road use than the cross drilled and slotted rotors as I have seed small pebbles get lodged in the holes which can work over the pads a little and shorten their life.

Soo, I was just about to call CDan to order a whole bunch of stuff - I think I can hear his dogs getting excited all the way from SoCal. I am not going to do the birfs at this moment but realize that they need to be done ASAP in the future. I was going to get new OEM Rotors and 100 series pads. All this talk about slotted rotors has me debating now. I have heard people from both sides of the fence and I am still leaning towards OEM rotors purely b/c I have no idea about brands, costs, where to buy etc. for the other rotors. I saw slee has some on his site---anyone w/ experience with those? Those are the only other ones I even know about. I figure the discount on OEM is pretty darn tough to beat.

Smit

 

[Slomo]

I am still leaning towards OEM rotors purely b/c I have no idea about brands, costs, where to buy etc. for the other rotors. I saw slee has some on his site---anyone w/ experience with those? Those are the only other ones I even know about. I figure the discount on OEM is pretty darn tough to beat.

Smit

Cdans price would probably be pretty hard to beat but you might have the DBA's price handy when you call to order the pads and other stuff and decide then which way you want to go. I believe eduardo96fzj80 has a set of the slotted discs so you could ask him his thoughts on them. They are available at Man-a-fre in addition to Slee's. Worth a look but you can't go wrong with OEM quality and Cdans prices.

 

[Brentbba]

IIRC, Dan will put together an entire kit for you. He may ask if you want to replace or reuse some items. He typically replaces when he does his it that tells you anything. IIRC it's around $400, but don't think that includes rotors. I don't remember what my rear rotors ran either.

 

[clownmidget]

Smit, just be aware that by not doing the birfs now you will be purchasing some gaskets twice and also re-doing a lot of the labor to get in there. It's not a big deal if you have the time but something to keep in mind. If it were me I'd bite the bullet and just do it all on a Saturday or Sunday and it's done.

I have the DBA slotted rotors in front from Man-A-Fre. That's the only thing I got from them. I got all the gaskets, bearings, 100-series pads, etc from Dan. He will likely be able to source the OEM rotors for half of what MAF wants for those DBA's.

Have you changed out your front diff fluid recently? If it's clear then I think you are fine with just the brake job but if it's muddy or thick that would be one more reason to do the whole front end now.

 

[Slomo]

Smit, clownmidget has a good point and he knows the 80 series front axle better than me. How did your front diff fluid look when you switched to synthetics? If you do skip the front for now to focus on the rear make sure you keep and sharp eye on them and don't let them get to metal on metal also. Make sure to put the pads back exactly where they came out of since they are already worn to the deformity each respective rotor surface.

 

[smittycrusher]

Thanks guys for the help. The diff fluid looked great when I changed it 5 weeks ago. I am not going to do the birfs or front rotor at this time as I am not metal on metal (never have been actually=---but that story is just too embarassing to tell) Bad news is that I have two new rear rotors coming from Dan as we speak. The front rotors are $70 from Dan and I will probe get those instead of the more pricey DBAs--my repair list is killing the bank and I want to save money whereever I can. I do need to do the birfs/front end in the next 3 months -- that is my goal. I am going to need some help though. Thank God for this board.

Thanks again,
Smit