I purchased new raybestos front brake rotors for my FB from Rockauto. As I was installing the bearing races I noticed the inside of the brake rotor (area between the bearings) is very rough and has what looks like slag in there from when the rotors were made. My old rotors are very smooth inside that area. I can run my fingers around the inside of these new rotors and get metal grit on my fingers. It seems like a bad idea to install these and have that grit migrate to the new bearings. Has anyone ever run across this?

 

Not to worry, the chineseium casting process is not what it used to be. Mine were like that and no problems in 4 years. Certainly if there's any loose parts after spraying them down with brake cleaner, clean them out.

 

Hey, a089592 - an interesting forum username, that's for sure - welcome aboard.

Definitely clean out anything that's in that center space, as any slag that breaks off is going to be mixed in your wheel bearing grease and will eventually find it's way into the races. When that happens, you'll quickly cause bearing failure and will be doing this job again in the near future. Also, know that you should try to fill that entire center section with grease - not packed so tightly that it squeezes out, but enough that it forms a wall in there. That helps with heat dispersion and keeps grease on the races and bearings where it belongs.

Also, read the FSM on setting pre-load for the front wheel bearings, as it's a very specific process to be sure you get enough tension to keep the steering tight, but loose enough that you won't cause damage to the races by over-tightening them. Once you've done this a few times, you get a feel for how much you can tighten and then spin the wheel to get the right amount of drag. Once you're there, Castle Nut and a NEW Cotter Pin - don't reuse your old Cotter Pins.