I don't have warped rotors but something odd is going on. (1 Viewer)

[bloc]

Truck drives great, plenty of pad left, no pulsing pedal or wobbling steering wheel.. no detectable uneven pad deposits (aka "warped rotors). I do drive it pretty hard but am religious about not stopping and holding the brakes on hot rotors.

Anyone know what's going on here? Same on both sides. Rear rotors look normal.

Thanks for any info

Edit for anyone that won’t bother to read the whole thread: the original pads can’t handle my mountain driving and started coming apart, leading to the strange pattern.

 

[Chocolate]

I can't help regarding the rotors, but in regards to the corrosion around the studs, I like to use a thin coat of anti seize compound on the wheel mounting face. This will prevent any binding or corrosion from the dissimilar metals being in contact and the wheel mounts still look almost new on my Rock Warriors that I bought new, as well as no corrosion around the hub. In any case, I have found it helps stop further corrosion. A thin coat might be worth a try.

 

[TeCKis300]

That's an interesting wear pattern! I've not seen that before and having a hard time coming up with a plausible reason. It's got a really strange non-concentric, almost organic, pattern.

Both sides you said? Are these OEM rotors? How many miles?

Curious if the backside of the rotors show a similar pattern?

 

[Chocolate]

^ What he said.

How many miles are on the rotors? I'm at 56,000 miles and fronts have been resurfaced and I replaced the rears (along with rear pads) a few thousand miles ago.

 

[Markuson]

Very strange.
You mentioned both sides.
Is it also front and back?
What brake pads do you use?
Do you routinely drive through weird mud or some sort of mineral dust?

Just as weird as the wear marks is the odd yellow color in some sections. Is that just some weird reflection?

 

[Cruisin911]

Are you the original owner? Are those the original brakes? Ive seen those kind of marks when people wear the pads completely down and then just change the pads and not replace or resurface the rotor.

 

[bloc]

Are you the original owner? Are those the original brakes? Ive seen those kind of marks when people wear the pads completely down and then just change the pads and not replace or resurface the rotor.

That's the really odd thing, to me. This is new. Until recently they looked like any other normal disk brake, if a little dark and less silver than usual. I chalked that up to me driving it hard.

I'll take a better look at the other side and rears and get other posts answered. Also look at service history. I bought this truck from someone that did their maintenance at a dealer so while I don't know if they've been turned, I'm assuming factory rotors and pads.

 

[bloc]

Just checked out the service history.. that dealer absolutely abused the previous owner on front brake maintenance.

It got front rotors machined and pads replaced at 15 & 35k miles. New rotors at 60k. Pads and machined at 76, 87 & 103k. Original rear pads and rotors when I got it, though they were due, so I don't think the PO was abusing the truck. ~130k now. I'm assuming they wouldn't machine the rotors below minimum thickness, but it appears these rotors have had metal removed a few times. Maybe they are thinner than I need for the way I drive...

I also realized the dealer put in "power steering conditioner" at 60k. And I was about to flush the PS system but am now nervous about causing leaks.

This is why I detest dealer service departments.

More info on the other corners later today.

 

[Mogwai]

Has it rained recently? Maybe yours rusted, and has yet to fully rub off. Doesn't explain the wear pattern which could be something different all together.

 

[bloc]

Has it rained recently? Maybe yours rusted, and has yet to fully rub off. Doesn't explain the wear pattern which could be something different all together.

It did sit for a couple weeks while I did the starter R&R. And it has been raining consistently. There was a bit of surface rust but nothing out of the ordinary. Also no road salt here, FWIW.

Would going out and getting them good and hot take off any other rust if that's the case?

 

[tirewater]

It's not going to hurt to simply buy new rotors and not worry about the odd wear patterns on these rotors.

MY11, acceptable rotor thickness is 29-32mm. Not sure if the same applies for MY13.

 

[bloc]

Other side of the truck:

And how much pad is left:

That's an interesting wear pattern! I've not seen that before and having a hard time coming up with a plausible reason. It's got a really strange non-concentric, almost organic, pattern.

Both sides you said? Are these OEM rotors? How many miles?

Curious if the backside of the rotors show a similar pattern?

I believe they are OE, and I'm not sure but roughly 60k if they didn't get changed and the toyota service info not updated. Turned a few times though. They have a very slight lip so I couldn't get a thickness measurement. Also I couldn't clearly see the back.. I just ordered new rotors and TRD pads so I'll snap some pics of the backs when I change them soon.

Very strange.
You mentioned both sides.
Is it also front and back?
What brake pads do you use?
Do you routinely drive through weird mud or some sort of mineral dust?

Just as weird as the wear marks is the odd yellow color in some sections. Is that just some weird reflection?

I think the yellow is reflection. The light parts are silver in person. Rear rotors are unremarkable. I think they are OEM toyota pads. And no, this truck sees sadly little off-road use. My most likely theory at this point is what Mogwai said about rust, though I can't figure out why it would wear off in such an odd pattern.

Either way.. turns out new OE rotors are quite cheap, so I have a pair of those and TRD pads on order. When I remove these I'll get pics of the back and of the pad surface and edges.. and call this just an odd situation.

Oh, and the corrosion on the face of the rotor hat isn't bad, certainly not enough to put the herpes of auto repair (antiseize.. only because it can't be removed and transfers to anything that touches it. It is a lot more useful than human herpes) on the wheel face. As it is the only reason that corrosion is there is because I forgot to tell discount tire NOT to wire-wheel the rotor hat.

 

[Markuson]

About anti-seize-
Main reason to consider anti-seize isn’t damage, but it’s that with Rock warriors...the metal reaction can really make them STICK...like...badly enough to need a huge pry-bar to get them off even with all lugs removed.

Not sure about other wheels...

 

[bloc]

About anti-seize-
Main reason to consider anti-seize isn’t damage, but it’s that with Rock warriors...the metal reaction can really make them STICK...like...badly enough to need a huge pry-bar to get them off even with all lugs removed.

Not sure about other wheels...

That is a pretty good reason. I'm planning on eventually getting a set too. Zero issues with the stock 13 wheels so far though.

 

[TeCKis300]

As it is the only reason that corrosion is there is because I forgot to tell discount tire NOT to wire-wheel the rotor hat.

Hah, interesting you mention that.

The odd pattern almost does seem like someone took a hand held wire wheel to the rotor surface. And passed it off as "machining" or "turning" the rotor. I wouldn't put this past techs as I've seen some ridiculous things in my time.

 

[bloc]

Hah, interesting you mention that.

The odd pattern almost does seem like someone took a hand held wire wheel to the rotor surface. And passed it off as "machining" or "turning" the rotor. I wouldn't put this past techs as I've seen some ridiculous things in my time.

It does look like that but no one would have had the chance. At least not in the last 25k miles, and the rotors have definitely appeared normal for most of that.

I'll post with what the other side of each rotor looks like when I get them off. And maybe email a pic to stoptech to see if they have seen this before.

 

[M1911]

About anti-seize-
Main reason to consider anti-seize isn’t damage, but it’s that with Rock warriors...the metal reaction can really make them STICK...like...badly enough to need a huge pry-bar to get them off even with all lugs removed.

Not sure about other wheels...

I’ve been using anti-seize on hubs for more than a decade. It makes it a lot easier to get the wheel off.

 

[SnoViking]

I would pull the pads out and check the rivets or material used to bind/connect the pad material to the backing of the pad.

Any wheel or tire cleaner use?

 

[TeCKis300]

I was wrenching with a buddy last week. Doing spark plugs and a few suspension things on his car.

Funny thing as he's a recent transplant from the snow belt. Common strategy was to slather anti-sieze on everything that had threads. My experience and research tells me it's to be used much more pointedly. Not taking a side, but I can certainly understand why for a vehicle used in corrosive vs arid environments.

 

[bloc]

I would pull the pads out and check the rivets or material used to bind/connect the pad material to the backing of the pad.

Any wheel or tire cleaner use?

No tire/wheel cleaner/shine recently. 25k ago when I got the car I used tire cleaner to remove the shine the dealer put on.

I don’t think these use rivets but I’ll give the pads a look when I change everything