Warped/Bent Front Hub?!?! Yes hub not rotor!

[druth1028]

Ok....so I have had what I thought was a warped caliper and/or frozen piston in the front (again) for what seems like forever.

When coming to a stop it feels like the front brakes catch and then release over and over again. It feels like a distinctive high spot on a rotor.

Jack the front end up. Spin the wheels to check for frozen caliper. (Been down this road about 2 years ago....) Nothing. Slowly turn the wheel to see if I can feel anything dragging. Nothing. Shake the wheels to see if the hub is loose. Nothing.

Rather than go buy new 4th gen brake parts again I decided to go ahead and order a set of PowerStop powder coated red calipers and a Z23 pad and rotor kit.

When I finally broke down to install the new parts I discovered that the new rotor was rubbing the new caliper before the pads where installed. The outside face of the rotor was rubbing the inside face of the caliper in one spot as the rotor was turned.

Once I pulled the caliper back off I could see that he brand new powerstop rotor was wobbling as I spun it by hand. I took the rotor off and did my best to inspect the hub. I could see that the hub face was slightly off as I spun it around. It appears that my driver side hub face is out of round. I have no idea how it happened and I think it has been this way for a while.

Has anyone else had this happen?

Meanwhile I am waiting for 2 new hub assemblies to come in from Marion Bumper2Bumper while $500 worth of brake parts sit in my garage collecting dust.

 

[TechWrench]

Ok....so I have had what I thought was a warped caliper and/or frozen piston in the front (again) for what seems like forever.

When coming to a stop it feels like the front brakes catch and then release over and over again. It feels like a distinctive high spot on a rotor.

Jack the front end up. Spin the wheels to check for frozen caliper. (Been down this road about 2 years ago....) Nothing. Slowly turn the wheel to see if I can feel anything dragging. Nothing. Shake the wheels to see if the hub is loose. Nothing.

Rather than go buy new 4th gen brake parts again I decided to go ahead and order a set of PowerStop powder coated red calipers and a Z23 pad and rotor kit.

When I finally broke down to install the new parts I discovered that the new rotor was rubbing the new caliper before the pads where installed. The outside face of the rotor was rubbing the inside face of the caliper in one spot as the rotor was turned.

Once I pulled the caliper back off I could see that he brand new powerstop rotor was wobbling as I spun it by hand. I took the rotor off and did my best to inspect the hub. I could see that the hub face was slightly off as I spun it around. It appears that my driver side hub face is out of round. I have no idea how it happened and I think it has been this way for a while.

Has anyone else had this happen?

Meanwhile I am waiting for 2 new hub assemblies to come in from Marion Bumper2Bumper while $500 worth of brake parts sit in my garage collecting dust.

What you appear to describe, though not usual is possible. If the hub is in fact not turning true, the most logical reason is some type of side hit on the wheel, which could cause the face of the hub to bend. I am curious about how you described the symptom you noted when you removed the rotor. You state that the hub face is out of round. Just to be sure exactly what you mean, is the outer edge of the hub not turning true when observed from the end, or from the side view. If you are seeing a variation of the outside edge of the hub, when viewed from the side, are the lug bolts also not turning in a true circle? It is the center hub and the lug bolts that determine how the wheel sits and turns on the whole hub assy., It is possible that even though the outer edge of the hub appears to not be true, the lug bolts and center hub are turning true to the bearings. What I have found, in more than one occasion, is that some debris, like a rust build up some other foreign item has gotten in between the flat surface of the hub and the inside surface of the rotor. This can cause the rotor to not sit flush on the face of the hub, and not turn true, and could cause the type of brake pulsation you are describing. I would check each contact face of the hub and rotors to make sure there is nothing interfering with how the two surfaces mate together.

 

[druth1028]

I honestly didn't think to look at it from the front perspective (i.e. looking parallel to the studs and/or axle. I was looking down the front of the hub face from above. In other words I stuck my head in the wheel well and was looking down at the ground watching the face of the hub move in and out as I spun it slowly. It was hard to notice but it was there.

The other piece that baffles me is that the wheel does not vibrate on the road....unless I am just so used to it I don't notice it anymore.

 

[TechWrench]

I honestly didn't think to look at it from the front perspective (i.e. looking parallel to the studs and/or axle. I was looking down the front of the hub face from above. In other words I stuck my head in the wheel well and was looking down at the ground watching the face of the hub move in and out as I spun it slowly. It was hard to notice but it was there.

The other piece that baffles me is that the wheel does not vibrate on the road....unless I am just so used to it I don't notice it anymore.

If you were looking across the contact face of the hub (area where the rotor makes contact with the hub), it doesn't matter if it is from above, below, or either side, the effect should be the same. If the contact surface of the hub, is deviating in and out as it turns, that is not right. As long as the bearings are sound (no side to side play when you try to rock the wheel back and forth), then the hub does need to be replaced. Fortunately, if you go with complete hub assemblies, you will get new bearings included. And they are much easier to replace than trying to install a new hub and bearings separately. Just make sure you also replace the inner axle seal while you have it apart. And, at this point, it doesn't matter how it got out of wack, only that it no longer wobbles when you are finished installing the new hub. Good luck with the fix.