Uneven wear on Healey front disk brake pads

[TimK]

I took off a front wheel for no particular reason and found the driver side outer pad almost worn down to the backing plate. The inner was fine and so was the other 2 pads on the right side wheel. I rebuilt the calipers and put in two new pistons. Two of the original pistons were fine, two were pitted with corrosion.

I've experienced one out of four pads wearing much faster than the others on several different (modern) vehicles. Calipers seem to be unreliable in general. I assume the worn side is sticking, but I'm not sure. Any comments?

By the way, I had not rebuilt the front calipers even though I've owned the car for 29 years. After removing the pistons I found a cesspool of sludge and dirt and rust in the calipers. While I don't think an annual fluid change is necessary (sorry, Randy), I sure think one done more frequently than 30+ years is in order!

 

[Keoke]

took off a front wheel for no particular reason and found the driver side outer pad almost worn down to the backing plate.


Uaually this is caused by the caliper not being centered over the rotor. There are shims available for adjusting the caliper's position.---Fwiw--Keoke

 

[TimK]

This is the rest of the story:

After rebuilding the calipers and installing new pads, I noticed that after a drive, the driver's side knockoff would be very hot to the touch. Clearly, the brakes were dragging. I used pliers to recess the pads from the disk but they immediately returned to press against the disk and cause a drag. The wheel/disk did not spin freely. I then ordered new flexible brake lines (from Moss -- received in 48 hours) and installed them today. I cut the old brake line (probably original equipment 50 years old and discovered it was plugged with some foreign substance. Apparently, the pedal pressure was sufficient to move fluid through the hose, but not sufficient to release the pressure. The brakes functioned great for stopping. So most of you know this, but for those who don't, replace your flexible brake hoses even if the brakes work fine.