Put the sandpaper on a flat surface and, using a circular or figure eight motion sand each pad until the surface is clean and even. Remove the pads from the calliper as per the manufacturers’ instructions. It is possible to freshen up your brake pads using a fine-grade sandpaper, I find 180 works well. More oil? Time to investigate a seal change. Check all your fittings, wipe the inside of the caliper clean with tissue and cotton buds to get around the pistons, then make sure the rear of each pad is properly cleaned and dried, refit, and check them again after a bit of riding. Oil/fluid on the rear of the pads may indicate failure of the piston seals or loose bolts/fittings on the caliper. If it has got to the ‘black streak’ stage, you can just scrape the marks off with your fingernail, before cleaning it up with the IsA. Oil/fluid on the rotors can just be wiped away with a cloth and some IsA. However, if you do a search around the Brake Time forum, you’ll find examples of baking/heating/burning the pads to get the oil out. Once you’ve used the brakes with a contaminated pad, as far as I’m concerned the pads are finished and should be replaced. This ‘paste’ is now your braking surface, hence the drastic drop in performance, possibly accompanied by unusual squeaking.Ī spill of oil/fluid can usually be washed off with IsA if you catch it straight away. Basically, any oils on the pad/rotor will combine with the dust produced from the pads under braking to create a paste, which then gets deposited onto the rotor or gunks up the pads, or both (more likely). Also check the pads to see if they have a ‘wet’ feel to them. If there is any kind of oil contaminating your pads WD40, DOT, mineral, then it’s highly likely that you’ll be able to see black smudges, or streaks, on your rotors. *If you’re finding baked on, black grime on your rotor, it’s possible that there is some brake pad contamination from hydraulic fluid. Repeat this process on the flip-side and then return to the first side for a final wipe. Use a clean, thick cloth to wipe away the fluid, carefully ‘polishing’ it until the surface of the rotor is clean and free from smears. I use my thumb to spread it about, concentrating on any areas where dirt or contaminates may have built up*. Whatever containers you use, store them carefully and keep them well away from children and idiots. Some alcoholics may consume methanol or isopropyl alcohol, intentionally or unknowingly, with potentially lethal consequences. Small amounts, as little as several ounces, can cause permanent damage to the visual system, and eight ounces is usually lethal. Isopropanol, common rubbing alcohol, is also quite toxic. ** Isopropyl Alcohol is highly flammable and is also harmful to your health **įrom Rutgers University Center of Alcohol Studies: I buy it in a 500ml bottle and transfer it into a small ‘dropper’ bottle which lives in my tool box. The most important tool for cleaning rotors is Isopropyl Alcohol (IsA) (Isopropanol or Rubbing Alcohol are other names for the same thing). If you clean your rotors, always be prepared to perform a bedding in process. The following instructions assume that you’ve had a lube overspray or spill of some sort, or that you just like making things shiny! Bear in mind, though, that cleaning the disc with strong solvents/cleaners will remove some/all of the bedded-in pad material which helps your brake to perform as best it can. Dirt from the trails will be obliterated by the braking process or can be wiped off with a damp cloth. It should be noted that rotors will generally only need cleaning if they have become contaminated with oils or cleaning products.
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