Brake disaster

Well it could always be worse.

my tundra is used as a work truck for my construction company. It tow daily. Replaced the front rotors and pads last summer when my 2021 had about 60,000km.

I’m in Boston for 4 days for work, I live in Canada. Day I arrive I get a call from my construction lead, also one of my best friends. He drives the truck daily, I actually haven’t really driven it since spring. The call: “brakes are soft and low on fluid” I ask him to put more fluid in and I’ll be back in a couple days. I get home 3 days later and find the rear passenger caliper is leaking. The rim is coated in brake fluid and dirt (it has been raining a lot daily). I pop the wheel off and find that the caliper is missing the outer brake pad and has been braking with friction from the caliper contacting the rotor. The rotor is paper thin and the caliper obviously destroyed. I’ve only seen this type of thing on Instagram “customer states” type of posts. I was shocked.

anyway, new pads and rotors and I look closely at the rear quarter panel and find it’s coated in what was likely brake fluid mist and metal from the rotor and caliper contacting. I cleaned the quarter panel and sprayed some of that detail spray that is supposed to remove metal deposits from your paint, changes to purple when it reacts. Whole side of my truck looked like Barney the dinosaur.

I come to find the rim is coated with, hard as stone, slurry of brake fluid and metal. I can’t get it off. It’s HARD AS STONE. What could that be and how can I remove it?

I am well aware that the paint finish and rim will be damaged by the brake fluid. Looking for advice on how to best clean it.

I plan to clamber the body, maybe a cutting compound and then buff. I don’t know how to get the stone like substance off the rim.

 

Use a chipping hammer. Like the kind you remove slag with. Either way you have a mess on your hands.

 

Bruh, same thing happened to me, except the culprit was the rotor that cracked on the inside and took the caliper drum with it, during rush hour traffic.. I used dawn to remove most of the caked on stuff.. Gotta let it sit awhile though.

 

Got the wheel soaking in some degreaser and hoping the pressure washer will help.

changed out the rear rotors for some drilled and slotted, I know I know…

 

New Hawk performance HD pads going on.

obviously doing the fronts too.

 

Yikes… and well done lol

 

I have worked on a couple shredded rotor/aluminum rim situations where the metal bits embedded in the wheel. I haven’t found a good solution…once I painted the rim and the other time I replaced it. If anyone has an old MRI that might be fun to try.

Let us know how it cleans up. Any idea how the pad came out?

 

Varsol started to work. I’ll need a stiffer brush and I think I’ll get it.

all four rotors replaced with new Hawk pads. Not surprised, there is a noticeable difference when driving. I’ll have to bleed the brakes a bit, feels like there is air in them and that won’t surprise me since it was leaking fluid. That’s tomorrow’s job.
Also I ordered the rotors on Amazon. Shockingly they came with two front driver side and no front passenger side. Yes there is a difference because they’re drilled and slotted. I’ll wait and see what the seller says

 

The wrong rotor:


The right rotor: