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How long before turning brake rotors?

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How long should our brake rotors last before requiring turning given normal use with no towing (98 2500 QC SB)? I had mine turned under warranty at 11,000 miles for a shudder which turned out to be the back drums out of round. Now, at 40,000 the dealer is telling me I need new pads (OK, I'll buy that) and to have my rotors turned again to the tune of $350. Is 30,000 miles a reasonable interval to have to turn my rotors?

OK, now, since I'd rather do it myself, any recommendations on brake pads? I'm thinking the Raybestos Semi-metallics. Thanks.
 
Well, after calling around for prices and stuff, I called the dealer back and told them to skip it, I'd have to do it myself for that price (I can get the rotors turned for $6 each at the hobby shop on base, but I have to remove them myself). She had already checked with her manager and said they would absorb ALL the labor - including turning the rotors - if I bought the Mopar pads ($129 - a lot, I know, but warrantied by them). I figured I'd have spent a couple three hours at the auto hobby shop doing it myself, so that sounded pretty fair.

So far after 2 years, I'm still happy with my dealer (Frontier Chrysler Dodge VW in Burlington, WA) - now one of those dreaded 5 star ones, no less.
 
I and many others on here use the Performance friction pads from Autozone. Here is my personal opinion (so take it for what it's worth) on turning rotors. I used to roadrace motorcycles and never once turned a rotor on any of my race bikes (or road bikes for that matter)! My opinion is that if the disc is not out of shape (ie warped) then there is no need to turn them. All I am doing with my truck is replacing the pads early and often which also allows you to lube the calipers too. I replaced my stock pads at about half their wear. What I did was used brake cleaner and cleaned the rotors and then used emery cloth to rough up the surface of the rotors. Then I just installed everything by the instruction in the SM and away I went - my brakes are running great 25,000 miles later, now that I have an exhaust brake it looks like the pads are hardly wearing at all now so I plan on lubing the calipers yearly.


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-Steve St. Laurent - President of the Great Lakes TDR, Chapter Forums Moderator
'98 QC LB (CMNSPWR), 4x4, ISB, 5sp, 4. 10 LSD, Prime-loc, SW fuel pressure gauge, boost & pyro gauges, TST Powermax, muffler eliminator, polished valve cover, BD exhaust brake, Isspro turbo temp monitor, Mag Hy-tec rear diff cover, Permatech liner, Grizzly SS nerf bars, Stull SS grill & bumper inserts, front Draw-Tite receiver, rear Draw-Tite class V receiver, BFG 285/75R16 AT KO's
 
FYI - Oh yeah the only way to turn the rotors on our trucks (assuming you have a 4x4 - I don't know about the 2x) is to turn them ON the truck - very few places seem to have the equipment to do this!

-Steve
 
Joel, in my experience w/ brakes, any time you are putting on new pads you get your rotors turned, regardless of mileage. The proper surface is required for seating and bedding of your new pads. Think of it this way, you're spending a fair chunk on pads and labor and you want your new pads to perform and last... turning your rotors will help increase the likelihood of that happening.

JMHO

Mad Max

[This message has been edited by Mad Max (edited 08-21-2000). ]
 
Hey. . unless the rotors/drums are warped or glazed... DON'T TURN THEM!!!!

Those things are expensive!!!!...
Just change the pads and clean and lube the calipers YEARLY... . (C-Mon. . for the price of a set of pads and shoes... ... . !!!)

Change the fluid also at the same time... .

I've seen shops cut rotors at the FIRST TURNING in such a way that the NEXT time ROTORS ARE MANDATORY!!!!

If you plan on doing it yourself... all bets are off... . just remember... . once the rotor is cut down you can't put the material back on!!!

Money in your pocket beats money in the brake shop's . . time and time again!!!

Larry
 
I'm with Steve. I replace my pads before they ruin the rotors and just clean and sand them. I've done this for years on many cars, trucks and motorcycles. I've never had a problem. Turning takes a lot of life off of a rotor if it's not grooved or damaged. Just my opinion but it's always worked for me.

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Ron

'96 Club Cab 2500 4x4, 4:10LS, Auto, BD Pressure Loc, Mystery Switch,TST 230/605, Cummins Chrome, Mag-Hytec rear and trans covers, Boost, Pyro and trans gauges, Optima Red Tops, All black. Tow 14k HitchHiker triple glide 5th Whl. Also use 9. 5' Lance. NRA Life Member.
 
i have never turned my rotors on my 94 with 174,000 miles on them,,i used organic pads for a long time but cant find them anymore,,i now buy the cheapest semi-metalic pads i can find ,,i tried the life brands but they screech and liked to lock up ,,,i usually change pads at 20 couple thousand miles,,45 min job

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94 2500 4x4 SLT,auto,174,000 miles,3:54,brilliant blue/silver,tst 250/635,pump turned up 20%,k&n,gauges,cat gutted,
2001 3500 4x4 q-cab slt,auto,300miles,3:55lsd,brite silver,stock (for now)both have 12k hitches&15k's in the beds,30ft fourwinds 5er
 
After seven sets of pads on my two rigs I've yet to turn the rotors. I was told by a Dodge mechcanic(for what it's worth)that the reason the pads wear so rapidly is that the rotors are made of extremely hard steel,which should only need turning if the pads are allowed to wear down too far. The hard steel also makes them very hard to turn,they need to be done by an expert or they become trash.

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95' 25004X4,AT,Driftwood,Banks,Warn fender flairs and running boards(Play truck)95 3500,5 speed,driftwood,Banks&phscotty,34,000 GVW apple and tractor hauler(work truck)
 
But...

If your rotors are not warped in the first place, then the lathe will not be removing all that much material any way, just "resurfacing".
 
Here's what Dodge has to say about turning the rotors in the service manual (page 5-13 in the 98 manual):

The rotor braking surfaces should not be refinished unless necessary.

Light surface rust and scale can be removed with a lathe equipped with dual sanding discs. The rotor surfaces can be restored by machining in a disc brake lathe if surface scoring and wear are light.

Replace the rotor under the following conditions:
  • severely scored
  • tapered
  • hard spots
  • cracked
  • below minimum thickness

I can't seem to find the info where I saw that Dodge said to turn the rotors on the vehicle only on 4x4 trucks. I thought it was in the service manual or TSB's but I can't seem to find it - anyone else remember seeing that?

-Steve
 
Originally posted by Steve St. Laurent:
I can't seem to find the info where I saw that Dodge said to turn the rotors on the vehicle only on 4x4 trucks. I thought it was in the service manual or TSB's but I can't seem to find it - anyone else remember seeing that?

-Steve

<font color=blue>TDR Issue #29 page 38 and 39 it mentions the Dodge "approved" method for turning the rotors.

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  • 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 HD 4x4 SLT Auto Reg cab Cummins Turbo Diesel 4. 10 gear ratio LT265/75R/16 tires
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[This message has been edited by KatDiesel (edited 08-22-2000). ]
 
OK then, let's assume that the rotors ARE out of round - for the second time - I've had pretty good luck and relations with this dealer so even though I didn't go look, I believe them - what could be causing both my rotors and drums to go out of round twice each now with 40K on the truck. I rarely tow, use the engine to slow before hitting the binders and dont' mash them on unless it's an emergency. Generally they slow straight, with a very occasional pull to the right. Any thoughts??
 
Joel,

A good tool to have is a dial indicator. Use it to check the run out. If that's in spec DON'T turn the rotors. Just cut the glase with some emory papar. The more iron you have the better the brakes handle the heat. I have 142K+ miles on mine and the rotors have never been turned. No vibration and it still stops straight. Make sure the pins are clean and greased with the proper stuff. Working on brakes is not rocket science but you do have to pay attention to the details.

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Joe George
Eureka, CA

'95 2500 CC auto 4X4,Combo EGT/boost guage,custom switch panel,PacBrake,TST #5,BD valve body,Automatic motorhome steps on both sides,Foldacover hard bed cover,Cummins chrome kit,Black steel grill guard,Front hitch receiver
 
I'd call and ask them why they need turning first - they may be of the opinion that you always have to turn the rotors, different people have different opinions. They may not be warped at all. I'd be surprised if you warped the rotors twice in 40k. On the drums at one time there were quite a few postings talking about the wheel hop problem and some of them replaced drums and got brand new drums that were out of round. On the occasional pull ask the dealer if the turned the rotors on or off of the truck? If they turned them off that could be one reason according to that article that Kat talked about in issue 29 (thanks kat - I've seen it elsewhere too, I thought it was a TSB or in the service manual).

-Steve
 
Joel,
The most common cause for warped rotors is HEAT. This can come in many forms, some of which you described in your comments. ( towing, excesive brake use, etc. ) If you are warping rotors and not getting normal life from the pads, you may have calipers that are hanging up and keeping pressure on the rotors. This will keep the brakes hot and prematurely wear brake pads. Clean those caliper slides with emery cloth and lubricate with a product designed for that purpose. ( General purpose grease will not hold up under the heat produced by brakes ). I will throw in with the guys who are not turning rotors with every brake pad replacement. I have been to every brake school put on by every mfg. I have heard all their reasoning, but after hearing all of it I have made the decision not to turn the rotors unless circumstances occure such as described in this forum.
Regards,
RK
 
I'll throw in my 2 cents worth. Part of my daily fun at the parts store is turning rotors. When you turn them, you're not taking much off, we're talking thousandths here. On that scale, 99% of rotors show some degree of warpage. If you opt to not have them turned, you need to do what these other fellas are talking about as far as at least sanding the face of the rotor off with emory cloth. If you don't what will happen is the face of the brake pad will crystalize or "glaze" and become extremly hard. Imagine pressing two very smooth surfaces together and trying to create enough friction to stop. You can wind up with appearantly all this brake pad, yet when you mash on the whoa peddal, you have to mash real hard to get any reaction.

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95 2500 SLT Laramie 3. 54, automatic,Herculiner bed liner, JVC cd out of factory infinity system, southwest grill gaurd (a favorite amongst the deer population), K&N, AFC adjusted, dual straight exhaust out of "gutless" cat, Geno's dual EGT/boost gauge, TST #6 plate slid all the way forward, AFC housing slid all the way forward, silencer ring removed
"Layin' the 'SMOKEDOWN' on their ROOdy Poo CANDY GASSERS!"
 
Steve,

How do you lube the calipers?

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1996 Dodge 2500 4X4 SC, SLT, Cummins 12V, 5-spd. , JRE 4" exhaust (my kitty ran off into the woods and the muffler fell off!), TST 280 HP/685 Ft-Lb Uprate Kit, AFC Spring Kit, Horton Fan Clutch, Jacobs/Ram Exhaust Brake, MagHytec Differential Cover, Prime-Loc, Rancho RS9000 Shocks, Combo Gauge, K&N Filter, Brite-Box, Geno's finger-touch oil pan drain plug, no turbo silencer ring, full-time fog lights.
 
I just go by the directions in the service manual - they are on page 5-23 in my 98 manual (the section on disc brake shoe replacement). You have to remove the caliper, then clean the sliding surfaces of the caliper and steering knuckle (at the front and rear of the caliper) and then apply disc brake grease to those spots. Then using silicone grease lube the interior of the bushing and the outside of the mounting pins and reassemble.

-Steve
 
Originally posted by danandme:
I'll throw in my 2 cents worth. Part of my daily fun at the parts store is turning rotors. When you turn them, you're not taking much off, we're talking thousandths here.

I guess youv'e never gone in a shop or parts house and heard the brake lathe making a 1/2" cut because the 16 year old kid or "its not in the comptuer so they don't make that part" counter know nothings dont know any better.
I have never cut a drum or rotor in 10 years on my trucks and have never got less than 250k (usually when I trade but they were Fords) out of them. Just allways break the glaze when re-lining.

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BROKEN ISB 2K,2500,Laramie +,Quad,4x,"slushbox 250 RPM drop WOT shifts",everything cept leather and clearance lites, reese 15k 5th slider, LAVERNGE BULL BAR,WESTIN NERFS,

pullee #1 26' Arctic Fox 5th
#2 22' car hauler w/ 76 Pinto 392cid or 68 Cyclone GT Cobra Jet FB
NRA,VFW,SASS

[This message has been edited by JNutter (edited 08-23-2000). ]
 
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