How to remove disc brake grime -- SUGGESTIONS??

V

Vincent231

New member
I tried applying CLR to the driver side disc brake on a 2000 civic hatch yesterday, but instead of getting a nice mirror shine I ended up with a white matt finish. By the next morning, it had turned green. Any thoughts on cleaning disc brakes?



(Click on the image for a larger version)



 
Would getting them turned down help at all? The only problem that I see is that any solution would only be temporary at best considering the abuse that brake disks go through.
 
I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "turned down." A temporary solution would be OK with me... I just want to get rid of the green rust-like film that has clouded over.



I bought some Gunk Brake Cleaner, but that didn't work at all. I've still got the green haze and those streaks you seee in the photo are still there. At this point, I'd be happy to get it back to the state that it was to begin with (see the patch in the upper right hand corner of the photo -- that's the area that was beneath the caliper and didn't get any CLR on it).



Maybe some sort of metal polisher is the way to go?



***UPDATE***

OK, I put the wheel back on and drove a bit, and the brake pad polished out most of the green-hazey-grime stuff. The disc is still far from being as clean as it is in the picture on the front of the Gunk Brake Cleaner can but, who knows, maybe after some more driving the brake pad will buff the disc to a brighter shine.



I keep noticing the ultra-clean super-reflective discs on some higher end cars (especially now that I've spent so much energy trying to clean my own) and wonder if there isn't some detailing trick to getting that clean disc look on 4 year old brakes.
 
With both wheels off, start the car, throw it in gear and hit it with a rotary sander as the rotors turn. Suggest starting with about 120-150 grit, go as fine as you like for the polish.
 
With both wheels off, start the car, throw it in gear and hit it with a rotary sander as the rotors turn. Suggest starting with about 120-150 grit, go as fine as you like for the polish.
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ummmmmmmmmmmmm, NO !

you tryin to kill the guy or what?
 
I've done it, I've seen it done in a shop. What's the problem? The car is on jackstands, this is a lot more basic than turning rotors on a car. At idle speed, it's slow (and actually, safe). If you don't feel confident/comfortable, certainly don't do it, but it's not a big deal if you're careful.
 
Is there a way to do this without a rotary sander? I don't own one, so could I mount a sanding disc on some sort of stationary would block (or buy some sort of inexpensive housing with a handle on it), or is it essential that the sanding disc rotate as it makes contact with the brake's disc?
 
Do a couple of high speed sudden stops. Your pads will do all the polishing your disks will need (or can take). And it's free.

Rotors will corrode on surfaces that the pads come in contact with. Cleaners accelerate this corrosion. Next time you use an off the shelf wheel cleaner, check your rotors afterwards. They'll have a layer of surface rust in a short amount of time. Then take the car around the block a few times, and check your rotors again. They'll be shiny again. Nothing practical you can do to prevent this.



Dave
 
Dave, that's exactly what happened to me -- I cleaned the wheels with EO All Wheel Cleaner, and then the rust showed up. I'll do some high speed stops and see how things look.



eecc, thanks for the link -- I'm in exactly the same situation as the author of the thread (silver car + silver wheels). I'm tempted to try painting the rotors, since I too have some rust on there. Painting the calipers would also look very sharp, I think. Red and silver look good together...



Any suggestions on the best kind of paint for this job? I would probably go for silver rotors and red calipers.



Thanks to all for the input.
 
When you say paint the rotors do you mean the whole thing? The paint would come off on your brake pads. I'm not sure what that would do to your stopping ability.
 
no, u dont paint the rotor contact surface....like dave H said all u have to do is use your brakes, doesnt even have to be at high speed, heck a couple stops at 10-15 mph will kill any rust on em....

if theyre grooved, get em turned at a brake shop @ 15 bux each....or get new rotors(NAPA is cheap for em)

i would advise against polishing the contact area, or using strong chemicals on them as it MAY change the metallurgical characteristics of the rotors.....an example being on motorcycles note how the battery vent tube exits low and on the other side of the chain.....any battery acid or long exposure to the batteries gases cause the chain to get "brittle"...no fun at all....
 
~One man’s opinion / observations ~



Callipers:

A way to spice up the look and at the same time protect the callipers from corrosion. The Calliper Paint System (G2 Manufacturing Inc. Colorado Springs) it features aircraft quality paint, available in six different high gloss colours, Red, Yellow, Blue, Silver, Black, & Purple. The paint is heat resistant up to 925oF; this paint won't start running into your brake pads, it also seals and protects against corrosion.



Brake dust and dirt will not adhere to the calliper surface since adding the paint. The kit includes everything you'll need to get the job done, besides paint you'll also get reactor (special bonding agent), high tech calliper cleaner, mixing sticks, and a brush. Do not attempt to paint the rotor contact surface





~Hope this helps~



Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/ Jon

justadumbarchitect *so I question everything*
 
Vincent231 said:
Is there a way to do this without a rotary sander? I don't own one, so could I mount a sanding disc on some sort of stationary would block (or buy some sort of inexpensive housing with a handle on it), or is it essential that the sanding disc rotate as it makes contact with the brake's disc?
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Actually, I suggested the rotary sander for safety purposes - it moves you away from the rotating hub and rotor and keeps your hands away as well. Also, even using a rotary sander, you MUST work the side opposite the caliper, and I'd only suggest doing the outside. I WOULD NOT suggest using a sanding block and getting your hands that close to the spinning bolts. You can try taking a 12-18" long 1"x3" and wrapping/stapling the sandpaper at one end. That would also keep your hands a safe distance from the spinning rotor. Again, this is no more dangerous than running a lathe, just follow prudent safety procedures (no loose clothing, jewelry, hair; keep hands away from spinning parts; don't work when tired; etc.). I used the rotary sander to cross-hatch the rotors for a brake job; this is the same operation, only finer grades of sandpaper/emery paper for appearance purposes. The stick should work, it will just take longer.
 
Vincent231 said:
I tried applying CLR to the driver side disc brake on a 2000 civic hatch yesterday, but instead of getting a nice mirror shine I ended up with a white matt finish. By the next morning, it had turned green. Any thoughts on cleaning disc brakes?
Click to expand...



If my rotors looked like that, I'd take them off and get them bead blasted! No way I'd want all of that crap embedded in my brake pads...
 
For calipers, you can blow a lot of money - as TOGWT suggested with the G2 approach, but I went low tech with great results, and BTW saved a bunch of $$ Bought some Brake Cleaner, sprayed it on and used an old tooth brush on any hard to clean spots. Spend you time wisely here, as the brake cleaner does an excellent job if given half a chance. Of course, put something down to catch excess cleaner/crud to make sure you don't stain up your garage floor. I bought a can of Ford Red engine paint. Sprayed it in a paper cup through a small hole cut in aluminum foil to keep the excess spray down. Spray paint is used as oppposed to a can of the stuff because spray paint dries quickly. Apply with a small brush - no overspray and such to mess up the look. I painted one caliper, took the other wheel off and painted the other, then went back for a second coat. Has lasted almost three years now with NO sign of it chipping, etc. Cleanup is simplified as painting seals the surface, and does not allow the dust a good foothold to stick to.



Pick your choice of colors. Many engine paint colors available. Great detail touch. Picture (not a great one) here:http://www.autopia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=166&papass=&sort=1

Good luck

Jeff
 
OK, thanks. Gixxer, I'm not convinced clearing the corosion with the brake pads is really a concern -- as you may have read in the thread referenced by eecc, some people go so far as to bake high temperature paint right onto the brake discs while they colour their rotors; they let the brake pads scrape off the excess paint with no adverse affects, so I'm comfortable letting the pads brush off a bit of oxidation.
 
Jeff, did you take off the calipers to paint them and remove the brake pads, or did you just mask off the disc with a plastic bag and go to town?



Also, could you see brush marks on your calipers when you were done, or was the effect as smooth as if you had sprayed on the paint? I like your idea, although I'd wan't to make sure I was able to get even distribution.



And is the engine paint heat resistant? I was going to paint the discs with a high temperature paint and bake that in, but maybe I don't need to go to all that trouble for the calipers if simply brushing on engine paint yields good results. Is the finish matt or glossy?



And majik/AkronSi, what's involved in "turning" brakes?





*** edit ***

majik's comments about replacing the rotors lead me to this site where I see that some rotors sell with an anti-corrosion plating:



hopup1_1789_12007340
 
Vincent231 said:
OK, thanks. Gixxer, I'm not convinced clearing the corosion with the brake pads is really a concern -- as you may have read in the thread referenced by eecc, some people go so far as to bake high temperature paint right onto the brake discs while they colour their rotors; they let the brake pads scrape off the excess paint with no adverse affects, so I'm comfortable letting the pads brush off a bit of oxidation.
Click to expand...



Guess it depends on what you're looking for... I come from a motorcycle racing background, where you're always looking for the best brakes possible. I, personally, wouldn't paint my rotors nor would I let my pads get contaminated with rust or other crap coming off the rotors. In my experience, bead blasting works well for cleaning the rotors off while still leaving you with clean pads and maximum braking performance. I certainly wouldn't worry about a little oxidation, but the rotor pictured at the top of this thread looks quite contaminated to me... maybe I'm just mis-interpreting the picture.
 
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