Planning Brake System Refresh - What Should I Replace and What Should I Leave Alone?

[DavidProehl]

As a preventative maintenance task, I want to go over my brake system. Today my brakes work fine, but I believe everything but the pads and fluid are original. I'd like to hear from others here what you think should be replaced and what should be left as is.
Pads - Replacing
Calipers - Rebuilding or replacing these, but they don't leak today
Rotors - Need to measure, but they seem fine. Car has 25k miles.
Soft lines - Considering replacing with stainless braided
Master cylinder - original, but doesn't leak at all
Vacuum booster - original, but works fine
Anything I'm forgetting?

I guess the biggest question is do I replace the working master cylinder and vacuum booster? Is this similar to clutch hydraulics where if I'm replacing one side of the system (calipers) the other side should be replaced too? I'm not sure how often brake fluid was bled out in the 27 years prior to my ownership, but I'm guessing that would factor in a lot.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[Bitsyncmaster]

If your brakes are working fine and you bleed them every 2 or 3 years, I would not change any other parts. Check you hoses for cracks. The SS lines will not help the braking but do look nice and last a long time.

[DavidProehl]

Thanks for the tip. I've heard of master cylinders going, but I know it isn't as common. Just wasn't sure if it was a good thing to do as long as I'm taking on the brakes. I'll probably just do calipers, pads, and lines then.

[vwdmc16]

get your rotors turned if not replacing.

[David T]

If everything is original and you want to be proactive so you don't get stuck on 30 year old parts here is what I would do:

Rebuild or replace the master cylinder
Rebuild or replace (exchange) all 4 calipers (S/S pistons are nice but expensive)
Replace the pads if worn
Cut the rotors only if necessary (scuff them up if replacing the pads)
Replace all 4 hoses

The booster has a very low failure rate so I would not touch it. If you have a 5-speed I would also replace or rebuild the master and slave cylinders. After all of this I would flush and replace the brake fluid every other year with Castrol DOT 4 GTLMA and you should be good for another 30 years. The S/S hoses will give you a firmer, harder, higher pedal. The S/S hoses don't swell (balloon under pressure) as much as the regular hoses. They are more expensive though.
David Teitelbaum

[vwdmc16]

David just did the Clutch systems, also are you sure the booster is fine? Your brakes were super hard when I drove it. Maybe it was just the pads not biting but there was totally too much effort required to stop the car.

[David T]

If it is hard to stop the car it is possible some of the pistons in some of the calipers are frozen and not helping stop the car. On a car I recently did, it didn't pull when braking but almost all of the pistons were stuck and not working. Once we rebuilt all of the calipers, the brakes amazed the owner with how improved and smooth they were. The most common symptom of failure on the booster is a large vacuum leak. Before deciding the booster is bad you need to make sure it has full engine vacuum to it without any leaks. I do not recommend cutting rotors unless the pedal is pulsating or the steering is shaking when applying the brakes or if they are grooved/scored. Most of the time you don't need to cut them, they can be cleaned up by just scuffing them. There is not a lot of materiel on them and a few shallow cuts and they are finished.
David Teielbaum

[DavidProehl]

I was told when I was smogged that I had a vacuum leak in my car, I'm not sure where to look though. I replaced all the vacuum hoses in the valley last year. If there is a booster problem, that would likely be the cause.

I am trying to be proactive with these repairs, but at the same time if I can cut $215 from the project by not replacing a rarely failing booster that would be great. I'll for sure measure my rotors and see where they are at all the way around, then make a call on them from there. I'm hesitant to pull them unless needed as I'm assuming my bearings will fall out, creating another project.

[jawn101]

I was told when I was smogged that I had a vacuum leak in my car, I'm not sure where to look though. I replaced all the vacuum hoses in the valley last year. If there is a booster problem, that would likely be the cause.

I am trying to be proactive with these repairs, but at the same time if I can cut $215 from the project by not replacing a rarely failing booster that would be great. I'll for sure measure my rotors and see where they are at all the way around, then make a call on them from there. I'm hesitant to pull them unless needed as I'm assuming my bearings will fall out, creating another project.

David - we can split the calipers pretty easily and at least do new seals internally and clean out the gunk. Those seal kits are cheap. That would give us the opportunity to inspect the pistons, which are readily available if they turn out to be pitted or damaged. Yet another "while you're in there" thing...

[David T]

If the brake pedal doesn't pulsate when braking and the steering wheel doesn't shake when you apply the brakes, and the rotors are not grooved or scored, you should not cut the rotors, just scuff them up with a 3" 3M pad on a drill. If you think you may have a vacuum leak going to the booster (or the booster itself) just remove and plug where the hose attaches to the motor and see if it makes a difference (besides not having power brakes of course!). Rare to see a vacuum leak to the booster or a leaky booster but it certainly is possible. Much more common to see crusty, corroded, and gooped up internals on the brake system and some pistons stuck. It is easy to rebuild the calipers. You will need new seals and possibly pistons if they are corroded and the plating is pitted. On the master cylinder, if the bore is pitted you cannot rebuild it unless you have it sleeved. Cheaper to replace it.
David Teitelbaum

[vwdmc16]

Its possible you simply have a cracked hose for the booster supply

[DavidProehl]

David - we can split the calipers pretty easily and at least do new seals internally and clean out the gunk. Those seal kits are cheap. That would give us the opportunity to inspect the pistons, which are readily available if they turn out to be pitted or damaged. Yet another "while you're in there" thing...

Freshening up my calipers is for sure happening. No debate there. I'd be happy to take you up on your offer to help clean them out and rebuild them. I have no problem just replacing all the pistons. I was ready to buy Hervey's ready to go rebuilt and plated calipers, but if it is as easy as you say to do, why not save the money. Might as well replace all the pistons while they are out right?


Its possible you simply have a cracked hose for the booster supply
That could be.

According to this page (http://www.specialtauto.com/delorean-parts/brakes-rotors.html) on Hervey's site, "When your brakes are soft it's hydraulics, when they are hard it's the power servo or a vacuum leak." Since mine are on the soft side, that would more likely point to hydraulics. I'm sure this isn't a hard and fast rule though.

[David T]

With all due respect to John H, he is not a mechanic and his advice is not always correct. Hard and soft are very subjective especially if you do not have a lot of experience to compare with other cars. If the brake fluid is dark and thick looking you can figure you have internal hydraulic problems. If you have not been flushing the brake fluid every other year or you bought the car and don't know what the PO did you can assume he did not flush, especially if the fluid is dark like maple syrup. Even with the brake booster working you do not get a whole lot of brake assist. If the pedal is spongy you probably have bad hoses and they are swelling (ballooning) under pressure. No surprise after 30 years.

Here is the usual scenario. The brake system gets all corroded inside. As you use the car and wear the pads the pistons in the calipers move to a spot where the seal is over a spot where the piston has corroded. The caliper leaks. You replace or repair the caliper. In the process you have to bleed the brakes. That causes you to step on the pedal and you move it much further than usual, pushing the seals inside the Master cylinder over the corrosion inside. It tears up the seals and very soon the master cylinder starts leaking. The other possible case is where you start driving the car and it pulls hard to one side during braking because one or more pistons is stuck. You replace or rebuild and when you bleed you tear up the master cylinder. In both cases if you had a problem with a caliper you find you soon have a problem with the master cylinder. Similar situation with the clutch cylinders which is why the best advice is to do the whole system at once (brakes and/or clutch).
David Teitelbaum

[DavidProehl]

Thanks for the clarification, the correlation to the clutch hydraulics makes perfect sense to me. For the piece of mind it probably makes sens to replace the master cylinder.

Updated list of what I'm planning on:

Caliper rebuild
New pads
New lines
New master cylinder
Check rotors - replace if below .480 thickness


Work on this likely won't begin until mid January, but I'll be sure to update this thread with anything I learn along the way.

[David T]

The pads are a wear item. They don't age. If there is plenty of friction materiel left they can be reused. Just try to keep track of where each one is and replace it in the same spot. If you do replace they must be changed in sets, ie, both fronts or both rears. If the pins or anti-squeal pads are missing or worn they should also be replaced. In the kits for the calipers you need for each caliper, 2 piston seals and 2 dust boots. You can reuse the square "O" ring. You may meed new bleeders and pistons. Check the E Brake pads. They should be wearing evenly and plenty of friction materiel left. If not you should replace them too. You will need 2 cotter pins for them. Best to use a flare nut wrench to undo the brake line fittings or you can damage them. You should have a brake hone to clean up the internal bores of the calipers. If you have the time the best way is to take everything apart and see what you need and get it all at one time. That way you only pay 1 ship charge and are not waiting for parts twice. You may get lucky and not need pistons but you can't tell till you get it all apart.
David Teitelbaum

[dmc6960]

With all due respect to John H, he is not a mechanic and his advice is not always correct.

+100!



If the pedal is spongy you probably have bad hoses and they are swelling (ballooning) under pressure. No surprise after 30 years.


That could also just be air in the system. I really dont remember how your brakes felt a year ago when I drove your car, but nothing jumped out at me as "OMG Thats Bad!".

For what its worth my high-mileage car still has the original brake hoses, rotors, and calipers-never been rebuilt. Brakes work great. Only the master cylinder and the pads have been replaced. Hmm, I think my pads are due for another replacement now...

[DMCMW Dave]

It is possible for the master to leak internally between the two sections, and not be visible as a leak in the outside, just a spongy pedal.

[David T]

Hard to tell if the spongy pedal is a bad master or a bad hose swelling up like a balloon. On a 30 year old car it is usually not just 1 thing. If the brake fluid looks like syrup figure you must rebuild/replace the master and the calipers. I would do the hoses too just because they are 30 years old. As mentioned that spongy pedal could also be some air in the system. You really should never look to "cheap out" on the brake system and not do the whole thing. That is one system you trust with your life to be reliable. One of the scariest things is to step on the brake pedal and it goes to the floor and you are not slowing down. That will really get your heart beating fast in a hurry! IMHO it is much better to fix the brake system up then the aftermath of a failed brake system!
David Teitelbaum

[kings1527]

Hard to tell if the spongy pedal is a bad master or a bad hose swelling up like a balloon. On a 30 year old car it is usually not just 1 thing. If the brake fluid looks like syrup figure you must rebuild/replace the master and the calipers. I would do the hoses too just because they are 30 years old. As mentioned that spongy pedal could also be some air in the system. You really should never look to "cheap out" on the brake system and not do the whole thing. That is one system you trust with your life to be reliable. One of the scariest things is to step on the brake pedal and it goes to the floor and you are not slowing down. That will really get your heart beating fast in a hurry! IMHO it is much better to fix the brake system up then the aftermath of a failed brake system!
David Teitelbaum

When we're talking about replacing lines and hoses on the braking system, are there specific ones to replace or are we referring to replacing all of them? I'm interested in starting this same project and I'm wondering of some lines/hoses are more problematic and less reliable due to age than others.

Thanks
Alex
6575

[DavidProehl]

When we're talking about replacing lines and hoses on the braking system, are there specific ones to replace or are we referring to replacing all of them? I'm interested in starting this same project and I'm wondering of some lines/hoses are more problematic and less reliable due to age than others.

Thanks
Alex
6575

We're talking about replacing the soft lines that run from the calipers to the hard line in both the front and rear:

http://store.delorean.com/p-7517-hose-front-brake.aspx
http://store.delorean.com/p-7499-hose-rear-brakes.aspx

[Mark D]

Removing the old flexible brake lines from the frame was one of the more frustrating jobs I've done on my car so far. The two front hoses especially were a real pain in the ass. The hex end of the hoses were rusted solid into the weak little flexible tabs that are welded to the frame... I soaked for days in penetrating oil & heated with a torch but could not get the hoses loose without bending the stupid mounting tab. I ended up using a dremel to cut through the retaining nut to get it loose, and then when the nut was off I had to get creative with a small vice (from my drill press) and a stack of washers to press (what was left of) the hose fitting through the mounting tab. The frame tab is thin and flexible so it's easy to crack the epoxy around it if you're not careful.

The rear flex hoses are also difficult... there is a similar flexible tab welded to each trailing arm which required the same treatment as the front. I had the trailing arms pulled completely off the car so they were a little easier to work on... It would have probably been just as bad or worse than the front hoses had I not already had the trailing arms off the car. The other ends of the rear hoses where they pass through the frame were also rusted solid. For those I was able to wrestle them loose with a pair of vice grips and then tap them through with a mallet.

I can't imagine who ever though those formed hex shaped sheet metal pockets were a good idea... my car is relatively rust free so it could have been even worse. Had they just put a jam nut on both sides of a flat mounting tab it would have made things a lot easer.

[kings1527]

We're talking about replacing the soft lines that run from the calipers to the hard line in both the front and rear:

http://store.delorean.com/p-7517-hose-front-brake.aspx
http://store.delorean.com/p-7499-hose-rear-brakes.aspx



Perfect, thanks.

Alex
6575

[Minkman]

So I am in need of either rebuilding or replacing. I pulled the front calipers off the rotars and noticed the pistons are locked up. Not sure of the best plan of action to take from here. I do not have the tools to work on the brakes (at least that I know of) any pointers would be much appreciated. :)

[Mark D]

It should still be possible to remove the pistons even if they are rusted in place. Get two large flat head screwdrivers and insert them into the groove in top of the piston. There are two reliefs in the calper casting that will allow you to get plenty of leverage to pry up and break the piston loose. You may need to heat up the caliper with a torch and spray some penetrating oil in there, but eventually it should come loose.

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=15448&d=1355522846

[opethmike]

I'm sure it goes without saying, but once the pistons are out, check the bores for pitting. If the bores aren't pitted, then the calipers are easily rebuildable.

[AirmanPika]

I just redid my calipers myself (well...1 still needs a cleanup...decided to work on the rover instead today) and all the advice seems sound here. Hardest part to me is just cleaning up the calipers. I decided to just strip en to the care metal and put silver caliper paint on em myself. Also had to replace 2 pistons on one of the rear calipers that were rusted. Sucker had frozen up ages ago it seems and prolly never worked since I had the car. Just never got to do a good inspection. Swapped out the rotors, and even redid the front bearings (1 was definitely bad). Can't wait to hopefully finish it this week. I haven't driven the car in a good month since I started the fronts. I don't have much time to devote to the cars these days so its obviously been taking a while. Totally worth it in the end though as all my parts looked to be factory original. A new fresh braking system (mostly) is a nice feeling.

[DavidProehl]

Huge thanks to Clint (vwdmc16) & Jon (jawn101) for their help today! We tackled my brakes today, and got everything done! These guys work fast!

We replaced the brake master cylinder, soft hoses with stainless, cleaned and rebuilt all calipers, and turned the front rotors. Amazing effort! Can't thank them enough for their help, I learned so much today about how these brakes fit together.

Took it out for a test drive, and no more squishy brakes! I no longer have to live in fear of rear ending the guy in front of me.

Thanks guys! You rock!

A couple pictures from today:

Supplies:
16022

Front rotor & caliper before:
16023

Car ready to start work:
16024

Caliper half cleaned:
16025

Jon trying to use his magical powers to install calipers:
16031

Jon realizing he must install them like the rest of us mortals:
16027

Clint showing off a newly turned front rotor:
16029

Finished product:
16028
16030

[jawn101]

Wouldn't have missed it. Brakes are fun! No mysteries and no real way to screw it up badly. Just wrenching and cleaning. Plus it was great to see you enjoy the finished product!

Thanks for letting us come play. 1st degree chemical burns aside it was a very fun day :)

[Ryan S.]

Darn. I missed it. I really wanted see this and learn. I think I need to do mine.
David, if you don't mind, please let me know the exact supply list and where you got them. Did you order pistons also? Or were you able to rebuilt?

Next time, please email or pm me. I would like to help you with whatever you are fixing so that I can learn from you guys. :worship::worship::worship:

[jawn101]

Darn. I missed it. I really wanted see this and learn. I think I need to do mine.
David, if you don't mind, please let me know the exact supply list and where you got them. Did you order pistons also? Or were you able to rebuilt?

Next time, please email or pm me. I would like to help you with whatever you are fixing so that I can learn from you guys. :worship::worship::worship:

Next time man. If I'd known you were interested I would have looped you in! This is a good job to cut your teeth on.

[DMCMW Dave]

check the bores for pitting. If the bores aren't pitted, then the calipers are easily rebuildable.

Pitting in the bores is not a serious problem as long as the grooves in the bores where the rubber seals go are clean/intact. That is the real seal surface. The pistons need to be perfect though.

[DavidProehl]

Darn. I missed it. I really wanted see this and learn. I think I need to do mine.
David, if you don't mind, please let me know the exact supply list and where you got them. Did you order pistons also? Or were you able to rebuilt?

Next time, please email or pm me. I would like to help you with whatever you are fixing so that I can learn from you guys. :worship::worship::worship:

Sorry about that! I should have sent you a note, complete oversight. You are always welcome and invited. There is never a shortage of projects. I owe Clint plenty of grunt time, maybe we can see if we can do some projects there, or we can work out some of demons from your car.

[Ryan S.]

No problem. I figured... whatever you guys are working on, I would be doing it eventually.
That would be wonderful, if you guys can come over. I will let you know as soon as I get my car back.
So is your rebuilt brake system works as well as your daily driver now?

[DavidProehl]

Yes, brakes are finally strong as my daily driver. Previously I had to allow extra distance ahead of me for fear I wouldn't stop soon enough. Now I can stop immediately. We also found when doing the job that one caliper had a blockage and wasn't functional at all. Running with 4 working calipers is likely also making a big difference.

[jawn101]

Yes, brakes are finally strong as my daily driver. Previously I had to allow extra distance ahead of me for fear I wouldn't stop soon enough. Now I can stop immediately. We also found when doing the job that one caliper had a blockage and wasn't functional at all. Running with 4 working calipers is likely also making a big difference.

Well, ONE piston was working :)

[vwdmc16]

Right he only had 7/8 braking at best.

[dmc3130]

Huge thanks to Clint (vwdmc16) & Jon (jawn101) for their help today! We tackled my brakes today, and got everything done! These guys work fast!

We replaced the brake master cylinder, soft hoses with stainless, cleaned and rebuilt all calipers, and turned the front rotors. Amazing effort! Can't thank them enough for their help, I learned so much today about how these brakes fit together.

Took it out for a test drive, and no more squishy brakes! I no longer have to live in fear of rear ending the guy in front of me.

Thanks guys! You rock!

A couple pictures from today:

Supplies:
16022

Front rotor & caliper before:
16023

Car ready to start work:
16024

Caliper half cleaned:
16025

Jon trying to use his magical powers to install calipers:
16031

Jon realizing he must install them like the rest of us mortals:
16027

Clint showing off a newly turned front rotor:
16029

Finished product:
16028
16030


Nice job guys......Looks great!!!!!!!!!:headbang:

[Ryan S.]

I took the car to LesSchwab this morning and they rebalanced all 4 tires. Made a huge difference to ride quality. Car drives so much smooth now. However, my brakes are in bad shape. Both front rotors are warped and rear brakes' pads are almost gone. When I put on the brake, steering wheel vibrates and I could hear the scraping noises. Sometimes, I could hear the scraping/grinding noises even after I released the brake pedal. If I reapply brake and release then the noise goes away.

Tire guy had a hard time taking off the right front wheel. It was stuck pretty well. Lots of rust. Left front wheel wasn't too bad. Left wheel had a plastic cover but nothing for right wheel. Guy told me that I should just replace front rotors. I should have measure the thickness, I forgot.

I am not sure if I should reuse front rotors or just get new ones. Since noises and shakes are getting worse, (whole car shakes if I put on the brake hard) I think I am going to stop driving my car until I replace rear pads at the least. I am not sure how difficult is to replace rotors.




http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8371/8439335894_e2d4f2cdf7.jpg http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8504/8438249685_d6e84678d9.jpg

[DavidProehl]

The plastic cap is the dust shield for your angle drive (http://store.delorean.com/p-10369-speedo-drive-kit.aspx). That is what powers your speedometer, and is only on the drivers side.

Sounds like you probably should do new front rotors. You'll need new wheel bearings as well since usually when you remove the rotors those fall apart. Do that at the same time you rebuild your calipers. Don't worry too much about the rust. I'm guessing that will clean up with some wire brush scrubbing.

[jawn101]

Also, be really careful when jacking the car up - from those pictures it looks like he put the jack on the crumple extension. That is NOT a good place to lift the car from. It's very weak steel. Use the jack points or move further back on the frame, and be sure to always use some plywood or something to keep from cracking the epoxy.

Calipers look pretty decent. If you're going to remove the rotors (it will depends on how warped they are and how thick the material still is whether they can be resurfaced or if they should be replaced) I would get new wheel bearings and have them handy. Right, David? :)

[DavidProehl]

I would get new wheel bearings and have them handy. Right, David? :)

Yeah, I wasn't planning on pulling my rotors, and when we did my bearings on one wheel fell apart. We put them back together and used high temp bearing grease, but I now hear a dull brushing sound from that wheel. I'll be ordering new bearings this week and taking it apart again on my own later this month. Rework is no fun :(

[jawn101]

Fortunately the bearing is pretty easy to do! :)

[Ryan S.]

Also, be really careful when jacking the car up - from those pictures it looks like he put the jack on the crumple extension. That is NOT a good place to lift the car from. It's very weak steel. Use the jack points or move further back on the frame, and be sure to always use some plywood or something to keep from cracking the

Uggggg... I didn't even notice that. Thanks

What do you guys think about I just replace front rotors, bearings, and pads for now? This should make my brake functional. I can tackle the brake rebuild project sometime in march or April. I spent too much $$$$ on D and my boss is not too happy with me right now.

[jawn101]

Depends if there's other things wrong. It certainly couldn't hurt but it may not fix everything if there are problems internal to the calipers, master or lines. We can check it out next weekend :)

[vwdmc16]

yeah if they are really warped and making the car shudder, replacement it the way to go. changing the rotor isnt that hard but getting bearings out can be even with a press.

[David T]

It may be possible to cut the front rotors and save them. A lot cheaper than replacing them. If the steering wheel is shaking when you apply the brakes it is a good bet it is one or both front rotors. If the brake pedal shakes (and not the steering wheel) it is probably one or both rear rotors. What does your brake fluid look like? Is it dark and thick? If it is you probably need to rebuild your calipers and master cylinder.
David Teitelbaum

[Ryan S.]

David T, Thanks for your feedback.
When I spun the front rotors, they touched the pads periodically. Right rotor was warped more than the left one based on frequency and degree of frictions. I didn't see that for the rear ones. If I put on the brake hard, I could feel the steering wheel shaking and also feel the vibration through pedal as well whole car.

I just checked brake fluid. To my surprise, it was not thick at all. It has almost water like consistency. Color is light brown, like Lipton ice tea.

Sometimes, I hear the grinding/scraping noises when I put on the brake. I am not sure if it is coming from front or back. I shouldn't be driving it until I replace pads at the least, right? Tire shop guy told me that rear pads are almost gone.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8083/8442903347_65c93f46cc.jpg

[David T]

There are no wear indicators on the stock brake pads so if you are hearing scraping noises you are past due for pads. if you continue driving you will ruin the rotors (if they are not already ruined). Replacing pads is a very easy task but if you have warped rotors, (or the metal backing plates touched the rotors) it is a bigger job. It is also possible the rotors are OK but the bearings are bad. Once you get the rotors off and take them to a machine shop they can tell you if they are warped or scored and if they are salvageable. On ANY car with disc brakes (not just Deloreans) you must inspect the pads regularly. Better to replace the pads early then let the metal backing plates touch the rotors.
David Teitelbaum

[Ryan S.]

David T,
Thanks again. I will replace those pads ASAP and inspect rotors. I hope I didn't ruin them.
Does my brake fluid look ok? Should I change brake fluid also?
Thanks
Ryan

[vwdmc16]

if you dont know the last time the fluid was flushed, its time. every 2 or 3 years is the recommended interval. Its an easy and worth while job while you in there.

[jawn101]

And again, don't forget... you'll have 5 or 6 of us looking it over in just a few days. So much can be learned from a few minutes of in-person examination.

[Ryan S.]

That's right. I am really looking forward to see you guys this weekend and getting your advices.:notworthy:

[Ryan S.]

Just replaced rear brake pads. Driver side pad was almost down to metals. Brake feels much better now. Less vibration. If I chage out front brakes, fluid, and rotors this weekend, I think I will see some improvements.

[David T]

All of the pads on an axle should be worn approximately equally. If they aren't it is an indication that a piston may be stuck. Always change in sets, ie, both pads on a caliper and both sides of the axle so that is 4 pads. Typically you will do the rears every other time that you do the fronts. You should inspect the pads at least once a year or every time you change the oil, 5,000 miles. Never let the pads wear enough to let the backing plate get near the rotors. If you feel the car pulling to one side when you hit the brakes that is a BIG warning that something is seriously wrong and should be fixed quickly. Typically that indicates a stuck piston.
David Teitelbaum

[Ryan S.]

David,
Thanks for being so helpful. I am definitely learning a lot about brake from you. As you can tell, I am very new at this.
Both sides were pretty much all worn out. Driver side was slightly more. Passenger side rotor felt very even. However, driver side rotor wasn't quite even. Very outer edge of the rotor seemed like worn out more. Probably because the top portion of the old pad was at the metal. Car never pulled to one side but I had a hard time compressing pistons.

Well... now I know how to change brake pads, I will make sure I don't get to this low.
Thanks again,
Ryan