Left front brake rotor warped again and again...

[mtp318101]

I have a stock 99 Protege DX, 1.6 engine, rotors in the front, drums in the back, 100,000 miles. About 10,000 miles ago I noticed a weird "wonka, wonka, wonka" sound, that changed to a "screetch, screetch, screetch" when I applied the brakes. Removed both front wheels, put the car on stands, and then put it in drive. The "wonka" was the driver's side brake caliper moving in and out .75 inch once every revolution: the rotor was warped.

It was warped so badly that I suspected a seized caliper. But when I removed & tested, it seemed to function fine. All the other brake pads, calipers, drums, etc looked OK too. The LF brake pads & the rotor itself were not worn abnormally or more than the ones on the right hand side.

Since the problem first appeared I have:

** Resurfaced both rotors + new put in aftermarket pads, but the LF rotor warped again @ about 500 miles.
** Next I replaced front rotors w/ aftermarket brand + new pads- LF rotor warped again within 500 miles.
** Lastly I replaced the LF brake caliper, replaced front rotors & brake pads with Mazda OEM parts, flushed brake fluid, replaced rear shoes, LF warped again.

The last parts replacement go-around was just before I drove the car for 500 highway miles over three days. Before the trip was out the rotor had warped. Is there anything that would cause the left pads to be dragging other than the caliper? Or maybe there is a metering valve that might cause a disproportionate amount of braking force applied to just this one rotor? I'm just guessing at this point.

I'm stumped. I've tried everything I can think of, but no joy. Any ideas?

 

[mazda protege 2]

when i had my back brakes done they stuck on, the caliper was new but it had seised, the same symtoms your getting is what i got to, maybe your bias isnt set correctly and is applying way to much force to the left front, does the car pull when you brake hard?

 

[mtp318101]

Yes, the car will pull slightly to the left- but only if I brake very hard.

How do you adjust / test the braking bias?

 

[mazda protege 2]

im not sure about the mazdas, all vehicles are different, any other opinions?

 

[dhodory]

Have you bled both front brakes . . . seperately?

 

[mtp318101]

No I haven't- but I will this weekend. Is there something I should be on the lookout for when I do? (any "gotcha's" or what-have-you)

 

[dhodory]

No I haven't- but I will this weekend. Is there something I should be on the lookout for when I do? (any "gotcha's" or what-have-you)

No, not really (assuming you've bled brake lines before), just a thought. I have had problems in the past bleeding lines, more because of my own mistakes than anything else, and the symptom of one side locking up before the other can be air in your lines (if not, then the bias valve would be a good check).

Good luck!