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So I have never worked on cars before but thought I might start out by trying to replace rear rotors and brake pads. I was following along a YouTube video and everything went okay EXCEPT I realized after I had put the wheels back on that the video told me to put antisieze BEHIND the rotors, not the front. Anyways I now have two new rotors and brake pads installed with a bunch of antisieze on the front of both rotors.

I drove the car around the block before I realized my mistake and it seems to run okay but I'm wondering if this is really bad and if I should spray something to get rid of the antiseize?

HandyHowie
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recmath
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  • Can you describe what you mean by the front of the rotors? Are you talking about the surface where the pads press against, or the surface where the wheel is bolted to? – HandyHowie Mar 24 '21 at 07:21
  • I think back means where the rotor meets the hub, a la this https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/22078/should-i-apply-anti-seize-to-the-back-of-brake-rotors – GdD Mar 24 '21 at 07:55
  • To clarify: by front, I meant the part facing outward (away from the car, where the wheel is bolted) and by back i meant the part that faces the hub – recmath Mar 24 '21 at 13:30

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I am assuming that by front you mean you have greased the part of the rotor which meets the wheel instead of where the rotor meets the hub. If so this isn't a big deal, as long and you used the right grease. Copper based anti-seize will cause galvanic corrosion with an aluminum wheel and actually make it seize onto the rotor, so if you use copper grease you should remove the wheels and clean it off. If you used an aluminum based grease you can leave it as it will help prevent the wheel seizing.

As for whether you want to tear down the brakes to apply the anti-seize in the right place I'd say it depends. If you plan to keep this car awhile and see replacing the rotors again then it's probably worth your time.

GdD
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  • Thank you! Is there a recommended way of taking the antiseize off? I searched online and found that wd40 can be used but is it safe to spray wd40 onto the rotors? – recmath Mar 24 '21 at 13:32
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    I'd first wipe as much of it off, then I'd use a brake cleaner spray @illysial. – GdD Mar 24 '21 at 13:35