Contaminated Disc Brakes

[changi]

G'day Guys,

I recently got the Saint M810 Disc Brakes on my SX trail bled by the local bike shop and when I got the bike back I've found that my rear brake may as well be a drum brake in a 1930's antique car.

There is no issue with pressure at the lever which tells me that air in the lines is not an issue. However the brake squeals like a little bitch everytime I even think about pulling the lever. So I figure atm that the bike shop has managed to spill fluid either on the pads or the brake rotor. If this is the case are there any way to remedy this situation without sending the bike back to the shop?

Al

 

[frenchman]

Take the pads out and either boil them for 10 minutes, take a butane torch or place them on your BBQ to burn off any residue. Then go ride down some hills and use your brakes a few times.

 

[willsy01]

Save yourself the hassle and buy some new pads and wash the rotor in hot soapy water. Once the pads are contaminated they'll never be the same.

 

[udi]

If the pads were fine before you gave it to them, I'd take it back and ask them to replace the pads.

Not really fair that you pay for a bleed and have them contaminate your pads, they should be removed or isolated when bleeding.

 

[moorey]

Save yourself the hassle and buy some new pads and wash the rotor in hot soapy water. Once the pads are contaminated they'll never be the same.

You lie like a fly with a booger in its eye, willsy. Cooking until the stop smoking has saved me a new set many times. Good as new.

 

[The Duckmeister]

They may have cleaned the rotor, which removes the bedded-in layer of pad material which helps both quieten the brakes and actually increase braking effectiveness.

First take the pads out to ensure they're clean (a quick soak in brake cleaner or metho [alcohol base leaves no residue after evaporation], lit with a cigarette lighter & allowed to burn off is another very quick method of cleaning pads), then scuff them with emery paper to get some loose stuff on the surface to get into the rotor. Go & ride up & down the street, firmly applying the brakes frequently, but not completely stopping, so you get some heat into the rotor, which will help grab that layer of pad material.

 

[SuperSix]

What frenchman said

Essentially, subject the pads to extreme heat at short periods of time to vaporize the oily contaminants.

Well worth doing if you still got at least 40% of pads.

 

[SF Trailboy]

Isopropyl alcohol fixed my rotor up when I developed my last squel...

 

[changi]

All sorted guys. Cheers for the help. Cleaned rotor with new pads and the brakes are absolutely ripping again.

 

[pharmaboy]

I may as well add my experience today as well

can of brake clean $8 from repco - gave the pads a squirt, and the rotors, then a wipe with cotton wool wet with brake cleaner, and just for good measure, cooked em with the kitchen flame thrower (butane) - no smoke on the last step at all. BUT silent brakes ........