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How to get WD40 out of brake pad / off rotor

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How to get WD40 out of brake pad / off rotor
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flag NathanBooth
Posted: Oct 27, 2010 at 3:36 Quote
Okay, while cleaning up some shit in the shed with WD40 i managed to spill it over my front brake rotor.

Obviously the brake is now not working properly at all, and I was wondering what are the best ways to get rid of the crap.
flag Icculus19425
Posted: Oct 27, 2010 at 3:49 Quote
There are a few ways you can do it.

1. Clean it with rubbing alcohol. This should dissolve all that crap.
2. Clean it with carb cleaner or some other solvent that dissolves oils
2. Torch it. Yup just burn that shit off....seriously

Good Luck
flag gordanfreman
Posted: Oct 27, 2010 at 3:58 Quote
rubbing alcohol should hopefully get the rotor clean. no promises on the pads. good chance you're looking at new pads actually..
flag pbuser102331
Posted: Oct 27, 2010 at 4:14 Quote
gordanfreman wrote:
rubbing alcohol should hopefully get the rotor clean. no promises on the pads. good chance you're looking at new pads actually..

+1.

Have to ak why on earth your using wd40 though.Eek
flag madrab424
Posted: Oct 27, 2010 at 6:02 Quote
NathanBooth wrote:
Okay, while cleaning up some shit in the shed with WD40 i managed to spill it over my front brake rotor.

Obviously the brake is now not working properly at all, and I was wondering what are the best ways to get rid of the crap.

You can try 'cooking' them in the oven. It may dry them out. Probably better binning them though and using it as a lesson.
flag bikerx14
Posted: Oct 27, 2010 at 6:53 Quote
Rubbing alcohol works pretty well for me.
flag staike
Posted: Oct 27, 2010 at 7:05 Quote
Brake pad cleaner!
flag stevil-1
O+
Posted: Oct 27, 2010 at 8:28 Quote
Icculus19425 wrote:
There are a few ways you can do it.

1. Clean it with rubbing alcohol. This should dissolve all that crap.
2. Clean it with carb cleaner or some other solvent that dissolves oils
2. Torch it. Yup just burn that shit off....seriously

Good Luck
yup burn em up. torch them till they stop smoking , done it plenty of times.

no torch.... fire up the element on the stove and huck em on there ..turn on the fan open the doors and make sure your mom aint home. Smile
flag Jon-m
Posted: Oct 27, 2010 at 12:55 Quote
Brake pad cleaner usually leaves a residue on the pads that stops squeaking. I wouldn't recommend it for bikes, but it works great on cars.
flag Mathewh46
FL
Posted: Oct 27, 2010 at 13:07 Quote
take out the brake pads then file them to get the oil off then put some muc off disc cleaner on to a rag then give the dics a good clean
flag NathanBooth
Posted: Oct 27, 2010 at 16:03 Quote
marquis wrote:
gordanfreman wrote:
rubbing alcohol should hopefully get the rotor clean. no promises on the pads. good chance you're looking at new pads actually..

+1.

Have to ak why on earth your using wd40 though.Eek

I was spraying it into a rag, and then using the rag to clean up my frame
flag NathanBooth
Posted: Oct 27, 2010 at 16:07 Quote
Mathewh46 wrote:
take out the brake pads then file them to get the oil off then put some muc off disc cleaner on to a rag then give the dics a good clean

i tried sanding the pads, although not a huge amount and it gave the brake a little more bite, but not a whole lot


im thinking just taking my front brake off again and leaving it, as i've heard that WD40 evaporates (thats why you don't use it as a chain lube isn't it?), as i had it off, but put it back on when i used my dirt jump bike to go downhilling with some friends, but i dont plan on doing that again for a while
flag NathanBooth
Posted: Oct 27, 2010 at 16:07 Quote
stevil-1 wrote:
Icculus19425 wrote:
There are a few ways you can do it.

1. Clean it with rubbing alcohol. This should dissolve all that crap.
2. Clean it with carb cleaner or some other solvent that dissolves oils
2. Torch it. Yup just burn that shit off....seriously

Good Luck
yup burn em up. torch them till they stop smoking , done it plenty of times.

no torch.... fire up the element on the stove and huck em on there ..turn on the fan open the doors and make sure your mom aint home. Smile

okay, im going to try this

in the oven or over the stove, is my only question
flag Jon-m
Posted: Oct 27, 2010 at 16:09 Quote
Use windex next time to clean your bike.
flag TeeRex
Posted: Oct 27, 2010 at 19:59 Quote
NathanBooth wrote:
Mathewh46 wrote:
take out the brake pads then file them to get the oil off then put some muc off disc cleaner on to a rag then give the dics a good clean
im thinking just taking my front brake off again and leaving it, as i've heard that WD40 evaporates

No, it doesn't. It leaves an oily residue.

For the rotor, car brake cleaner, which is isopropyl alcohol, from your local car parts store like Supacheap or Auto 1 is the best thing to clean it. You can spray it liberally on the rotor, and it will dissolve the oil residue from the WD40. Then wipe off with some of Mum's disposable kitchen towels, or a clean dry cloth. It's about $AUD15/can, and it's generally very useful stuff for bikes, unlike WD40, which isn't. If you don't want to spend that sort of money, metho on kitchen towels is your next best bet.

As for the pads, good luck with trying to clean them. I've heard all of the remedies in this thread, tried them all and never been able to get any of them to work. Let us know how you get on. If it were me, I'd chuck 'em and put in a new set.

And don't clean your bike with WD40. Actually, don't put WD40 anywhere near your bike.
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