Just replaced all 4 rotors on my '01 RS coupe (left old pads, they were good). I'm now getting a rubbing (metal on metal sound) on my rears. It seems mostly under hard turning. Right turns, hear it on the left rear. Left turns, hear it on the right rear. I have a feeling it involves the parking brake. Now that the rotors are new, they are thicker on that inside part, so maybe it's rubbing against the parking brake pads? Has anyone heard of this issue? Do you think I need to adjust the parking brake? Does anyone know of a tutorial on how to? Do you do this by taking the rotors back off or is it something more to do with the cable? Should I just replace them? The rotors were so ****ty, I'm assuming they were original. So maybe I should just replace the parking brake shoes and see if that fixes my issue.
I've kinda had a similar issue on my 03 WRX. It's intermittent and kind of annoying. I've read a bunch about it possibly being an issue with the rear rotors, specifically the lip that sticks out that would normally sit just inside the backing plate/dust shield. I've honestly never taken mine apart to thoroughly investigate (cold weather has a tendency to promote laziness) but it's worth checking into. Basically I think the tell tale sign on that is if you take the rotors back off and that ring is shiny (from rubbing). Apparently the fix is to shave off a little bit. How the hell a rotor moves at all under cornering when it's bolted to a hub is beyond me, but apparently it's pretty common. Edit - should note that it's with replacement rotors, not the original ones. Like when they make the new ones they must not turn it down quite enough in that spot? Sorry I don't have a thread link to post off the top of my head but if you Google search something similar you'll more than likely find a bunch.
Got the rear rotor off, this seems to be exactly the issue. There is like a 1/16" lip that sticks out of the back of the new rotor, and it's rubbing against one spot on the bottom side of the backing plate/dust shield. What a pain in the ass, bad quality assurance? How am I supposed to shave off an even 1/16" off of this lip without damaging the actual part of the rotor the pads slide on. Images: https://imgur.com/a/gXJKkah
Anyone know of a place in Cottage Grove that may be able to turn rotors or do this for me? I don't think I have a steady enough hand to do this myself.
So not having done this myself, you mentioned it's only in one spot? Can you send the backing plate back slightly with a hammer or deadblow?
Read other posts on this, and ended up just cutting that piece of the backing plate off with a grinder. Noise is gone! Photo: https://imgur.com/a/CcoyICh
Yep, it's not a problem with the rotor, but the rust on the backing plate. Wire wheel on a grinder usually cleans it up enough, cutting it off like you did is also a great solution. FYI, the little vertical star wheel in both of those pictures is the adjuster for the parking brake. The hole in the face of the rotor hat will line up with that, and it can be adjusted through the rotor (sometimes necessary on badly worn setups, as the shoes will prevent the rotor from coming off).
