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Half-***ed repair question

josh86k10

josh86k10

1/2 ton status
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Feb 13, 2005
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Location
Knoxville, TN
First off, I know it's a toothless hillbilly thing to even consider, but....

Would it hurt anything to just replace one front brake rotor (leaving the other one in place)? Here's the deal, my $150 toyota needs front brakes. Only one front rotor is damaged from absence of pad material (the passenger side still has a little pad left). Also, they are not hat style, they'll be a bit of a pain in the butt. Moreover, all combined the local parts houses only have one rotor in stock or I wouldn't even consider it. As it is a $150 truck I'm taking every opportunity to keep costs down. That said, I'm not willing to sacrifice safety to save a buck or two or to prevent having to order a rotor.

Would it be safe to just replace the one?
 
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I can not say that it will be unsafe for certain, but I also cannot say that it is okay to do this. From my own experiences I would say replace both just to be on the safe side of things. Those front brakes do >70% of your braking and need to be in good order to stop you properly.
 
Only issue i see with it is maybe the one side is glazed a bit where as the new one isn't leaving the one side grabbing harder than the other pulling you into on coming traffic which i see as being unsafe :dunno:

Another question. are you changing brakes too? you can put the new brakes on the old rotor and they will shoot to **** in no time at all.

Neither is safe IMO How much are brakes and rotors?? I say save up til you can afford all of it together
 
um, as far as i knew, your rotors "glaze up" within the first 10-20 miles anyways, no matter what,,,the only reason to "turn (machine)" rotors to remove this glaze, is actually to true up the rotors from warping and remove any grooves from debris or wearing pads down too far.

YES, you CAN only replace one rotor, just be aware of it for the first dozen or so miles, until the rotor "glazes" back up.

and i have yet to replace, or even machine my rotors on the Burb, and i have had it for over 5 years, and replaced front pads several times already from "normal" wear.
 
Only issue i see with it is maybe the one side is glazed a bit where as the new one isn't leaving the one side grabbing harder than the other pulling you into on coming traffic which i see as being unsafe :dunno:

Another question. are you changing brakes too? you can put the new brakes on the old rotor and they will shoot to **** in no time at all.

Neither is safe IMO How much are brakes and rotors?? I say save up til you can afford all of it together
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Definitely changing pads, they're shot. Like I said, wouldn't even consider it if they had more than 1 rotor in stock anywhere in the area. It's not a lack of money thing, pads are $13 for the set, rotors are $22ea (really cheap in my opinion). Like I said, I'm not willing to sacrifice safety for convenience. In my mind it just doesn't seem inherently unsafe since there is nothing wrong with the other rotor, but that's why I asked.
 
4xcrazy said:
um, as far as i knew, your rotors "glaze up" within the first 10-20 miles anyways, no matter what,,,the only reason to "turn (machine)" rotors to remove this glaze, is actually to true up the rotors from warping and remove any grooves from debris or wearing pads down too far.

YES, you CAN only replace one rotor, just be aware of it for the first dozen or so miles, until the rotor "glazes" back up.

and i have yet to replace, or even machine my rotors on the Burb, and i have had it for over 5 years, and replaced front pads several times already from "normal" wear.
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knowledge IS power ;) Too bad i'm powerless :doah:
 
I'd do them as a set, especially if you've got another vehicle to drive while waiting for the rotors.
 
Im an ASE Master Tech and for what its worth if the other rotor isnt scored or undersize, I dont see a problem with replacing just one.
 
if it were my truck I'd just replace the one needed. if you feel paranoid about it get the other one turned while your at it (so both rotors are straight and true again even if one is just thinner).
 
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wasn't trying to offend anyones comments, just expressing my opinions from the knowledge i was / have been given and personal experience for the past 20 years or so. ;)
 
If you get the one rotor that is not ruined measured for thickness and it is ok then get it turned and run it. There is no reason that you cannot just replace the one. Most brake shops will only replace what is required and that means only replacing one rotor if only one is bad.

I had a new truck in the 90s and the brake backing plate was bent during shipping and ate up one rotor. The dealership only replaced the bad one. Never had a problem.
 
There is no reason to replace the rotor if it is in good shape. id pull it off and lay a straight edge on it and see if it is warped, if not then dont even bother having it turned. id just take a scotch bright pad and lightly go over it. (will help so that they both glaze up at the same time) put new pads on and go. All brake calipers are self adjusting so it dosnt matter if your rotors are different thicknesses. Id always change my brake pads in sets though.
 
Another option not yet mentioned would be to buy one used rotor from a wrecking yard instead of a new one. Have both turned and you will be closer to a match than one used and one new. Hopefully cheaper in the end too.
 
kennyw said:
Another option not yet mentioned would be to buy one used rotor from a wrecking yard instead of a new one. Have both turned and you will be closer to a match than one used and one new. Hopefully cheaper in the end too.
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^^^Genius!!!^^^
 
I'd recommend against just a single side replacement- You can do it, but you may end up with all sorts of weird things.

Technically you can replace one, but you really should replace both.

If you cant replace both, then you should at least do a check with a micrometer to figure out the min thickness of your discs as per mfg.

If the scoring/damage from the one disc is not below the threshold, you can have it turned down to the same identical thicknesses for both sides, and just slap on a set of pads.
 
Trust me nothing weird will happen, even if you would mic a 2 new rotors you will get some varations. around here most shops charge 10 per rotor to have them turned, at 20 for a new one id just do that.
 
I've decided to just replace the one for the time being and see how it behaves. If it acts strange (I doubt it will), obviously I'll replace the other one also. Believe it or not, it actually stopped pretty good as it was when I bought it with worn out pads, a scored rotor, and a bad master cylinder. I guess that's one difference between a 2400lb truck riding on 195/75R14's and my heavy K10 riding on 39.5" TSL's. The plan is new pads ($13), new driver's side rotor ($22), rebuilt master cylinder (already replaced) ($30), new rear shoes ($15), and new drum hardware kit ($10). I haven't even pulled a drum yet, but I'm guessing they could use some cleaning up as the parking brake likes to hang up so I'll just rebuild them.
 
Like most of the guys here i recomend replacing both. But I personally have replaced probally 50 rotors on cars where the people were too cheap to replace both of them. Not once has this ever caused a problem. They come back with worn out pads in a normal time frame and the pads on both sides are worn even. I did the exact same thing on my 90 s10 about 3 years ago because the parts house only had one and i needed the vehicle. I had every intention of putting the other new rotor on when it came in but it is still in the box at my house. No problems with mine.
 
Follow up:

Stops great, no strange behavior whatsoever. Parking brake even works now with a little help from a stronger spring from Ace Hardware and some porch swing chain to help it let go (the cable is a bit tight and unfortunately discontinued, so a strong return spring and some penetrating oil will have to do for now).
 
I would just replace the one. after the first few miles both will be use to the calipers and stop the same. Just check in a safe place next time it is wet out some where where there is no traffic if it stops straight.
 
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