# Oil on disk brake pads?



## mmik (Oct 17, 2009)

The lbs told me there may be oil on my brake pads, and the guy said he's heard of people cooking it off in an oven, but doesn't know if it actually works or not. Does anyone know if it does, and how hot and long to put them in for?


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## DeepseaDebo (Oct 20, 2009)

from what i hear do it hot enough to get them smoking until they stop smoking.


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## mmik (Oct 17, 2009)

that makes sense. Shouldn't the rotor be all messed up with oil if there was oil on the pads, though?


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## DeepseaDebo (Oct 20, 2009)

clean the rotor with denatured alcohol or brake cleaner. you will have to re-break-in the brakes. damn homophones


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## jeffgre_6163 (Jan 23, 2010)

DeepseaDebo said:


> from what i hear do it hot enough to get them smoking until they stop smoking.


Correct
You can also try boiling or using a butane torch.
If you do use the butane torch take extreme care, just get them smoking, you dont want them glowing red hot 

I my experience I have tried these methods twice.
Once it worked [oven method] once it did not [All methods]
Thats a 50% success rate, whatever you try, budget on new pads


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## wufan (Jul 9, 2011)

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. What doesn't kill me, dies.


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## 2gunnz (Jun 30, 2006)

Get some automotive brake cleaner and spray the crap out of them. If it were me though I would just get new pads.


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## STT GUY (May 19, 2009)

Well... if you don't think brakes are important try some of the home brew recepies here. If you do, clean your rotors twice with brake cleaner and install NEW pads. Be sure to "bed them in" which is simply riding on the street and getting on them lightly once release then medium and release and then hard realease several times. Allow them to cool completey after doing this and your golden.


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## QLOT9Q (Aug 24, 2007)

I had a reasonable amount of success with sanding pads and cleaning the rotors with Iso alcohol. I think it's worth a try. I think that the bed in process is probably just as important to getting a quiet ride. I followed Avids advice on the 20 easy stops from 12 mph and 10 more aggressive stops from 20 mph and they seem better now. Avid recommends never letting the brakes come to complete stop during bed-in and I think that has something to do with it as well.


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## Mithrandir (Nov 25, 2010)

My brother just fried his brake pads a couple of weeks ago when he got them dirt with WD40, after I read that trick here on the forums and suggested him to give it a try; and worked.

Just use an old pan and put them on the stove after the smoke passes. Just beware that it stinks! ... And I'm not certain but more likely the fumes to be not so human-friendly so do it in a well ventilated place.


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## mickeydesadist (Oct 15, 2007)

this all sounds like it may work but why bot just replace them for the sake of safety. If it works - you do all this work and stink but if it doesnt - then you always find out the hard way. Safety not Savings first!


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## Ericmopar (Aug 23, 2003)

mmik said:


> that makes sense. Shouldn't the rotor be all messed up with oil if there was oil on the pads, though?


That's the problem. The rotors would also be contaminated. 
Brakes pads and rotors are porous and absorb fluid kinda like a sponge. 
You can try some commercial brake and rotor cleaner, but oil contamination is usually terminal for the parts. 
If you use the brake cleaner, don't let it contact the wheels, tires or other bike parts. that stuff can be corrosive.


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## Locojay (Feb 22, 2011)

mickeydesadist said:


> this all sounds like it may work but why bot just replace them for the sake of safety. If it works - you do all this work and stink but if it doesnt - then you always find out the hard way. Safety not Savings first!


That's what I was thinking too. Pads are not expensive enough for the risk and the trouble IMO.


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## DiRt DeViL (Dec 24, 2003)

Cook the pads, 350 degrees for 30 minutes while they cook use brake cleaner to clean the disks and caliper.

This will allow you to use the oiled pads but they won't be as good as before, the best solution is to replace the pads after cleaning everything else.


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## Frosti (Jun 15, 2009)

flashing a rotor with a butane torch cleans them up also, just do it quickly. When my bike went in for a brake bleed (was only 2 weeks old but had air in the system) the LBS used a torch to clean anything the spilled on the rotor and pads this way. I haven't had a problem since.


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

Ericmopar said:


> That's the problem. The rotors would also be contaminated.
> Brakes pads and rotors are porous and absorb fluid kinda like a sponge.
> You can try some commercial brake and rotor cleaner, but oil contamination is usually terminal for the parts.
> If you use the brake cleaner, don't let it contact the wheels, tires or other bike parts. that stuff can be corrosive.


Rotors are not porous...they are stainless steel (in most cases)...

Old fry pan medium heat, turn the eshaust fan on....wait till they stop smoling.

lightly sand the pads to remove carbon...

lightly sand the rotors...or wash with soap and water, or alcohol etc.

re-bed and ride


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Whatever you do, get a vid, it should be pretty funny to see those pads frying in the pan 


Sent from my iPhone while bikin'


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## ldollard (Jul 13, 2011)

sorry but how much do brake pads cost $20 maybe?... not much... just buy new ones, all the advice sounds great but a huge waste or time with no guarantee that anything will work. Also if you butane your rotors its likely they'll warp, you burn up your pads in a pan and its likely they'll have stress fractures from the heat and work far less safely and deteriorate far quicker..


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

It's maybe time wasting, but its funny time !

Frying bike part in WD40 with your wife getting scared is always good time. 

David

Sent from my iPhone while bikin'


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## Numbtoyou (Apr 3, 2011)

ldollard said:


> sorry but how much do brake pads cost $20 maybe?.


Hey now, $20 is a lot of money to some of us. Plus, $20 is a WHOLE lot of tacos.

I'd do what jeffscott said as well, it worked great for me. Put the pads in a frying pan ( pad UP btw, or they just melt) went til they stopped smoking, cleaned the rotors with some rubbing alchohol and they worked better than new. No squeal.


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## ldollard (Jul 13, 2011)

my wife would kill me.... seriously.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

ldollard said:


> my wife would kill me.... seriously.


That's why. You got to get them back on the bike quick and rode away before she get back home... Maybe a sleeping bag could be a idea for the rest of the night.



David


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## DiRt DeViL (Dec 24, 2003)

Is always fun to do bike stuff in the kitchen but IMO no worth it for brake pads.


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## Wishful Tomcat (Mar 6, 2009)

Propane torch, works for me. After doing the pads give the rotors a light going over. They won't warp anymore than they would when used under hard braking. I don't even bother to take the rotors off, just have to be careful not to accidently torch the tire.


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## STT GUY (May 19, 2009)

Numbtoyou said:


> Hey now, $20 is a lot of money to some of us. Plus, $20 is a WHOLE lot of tacos.
> .


How much is your health insurance deductable?


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## Ericmopar (Aug 23, 2003)

For those that think rotors are not porous. 
Or just email Avid or Hayes etc and ask.


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## Phanis13 (Jun 14, 2012)

I ve just spoiled the rotor and the pads with 30/50 oil
The problem is that ice tech pads cost about 40$ i think 
I used brake cleaner but I'm not sure if that works


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## Barheet (Jul 13, 2012)

Auto brake cleaner works really well on rotors. Don't buy the expensive stuff at the LBS, just get some $3 stuff at Wal-Mart. Detach the wheel so you don't degrease your cassette. Also, I can vouch for the oven method. I just put my pads in the toaster oven for 30 minutes on 400 degrees and they worked fine for awhile. This is not a permanent method though because after enough braking, more oil is uncovered. So yeah, you really need to replace the pads if they get contaminated. It's not worth the risk, IMO.


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## mmik (Oct 17, 2009)

Weird that you bumped this topic, or that it still actually exists, but I do still have this problem since I never bothered to try fixing it.

I gotta work on them before gnomefest in september...


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