Rip

a few questions, do many of you guys use anti seeze when putting your rotors on the hubs?

the reason, why i ask is doens't anti seeze have copper in it? and doesn't copper react funny with aluminum?

if so, is there any thing else that will work. Somthing to prevent the seezing and maybe something to protect the hub from the gnuarly of the steel rotor on the hub?


thanks for the help
Rip

alberto_mg

i put some Mobil 1 synthetic grease that I had lying around.

maxcooper

I use it, or at least I used to when I was running all-iron rotors. I used the silver stuff (no copper?) because that is what I had, and not because I knew of any problems with compatibility. The anodized aluminum of my current rotors seems much less stick-prone, and I don't think I used any anti-sieze when I installed them.

-Max

Rip

you anodized your hubs, why? i thought anodization only had cosmetic properties. got any pics ?

thanks
Rip

artowar

iTrader: (1)

There are different formulations for anti-seize. If you're worried about copper, just look for one that's copper-free.

maxcooper

I have 2-piece rotors, and the hats/bells are anodized aluminum.

The stock hub mating surface is almost certainly steel, not aluminum.

Anodization has other benefits besides appearance. One is corrosion resistance.

-Max

Cheers!

anodizing increases the hardness of a surface of Al.

slomo85

iTrader: (8)

What do you mean, act funny w/aluminum? I am in the middle of a brake job, and it's crazy when you have to get a press to get the rotorf off the hubs, so I used some copper antiseize. What will happen?...later

maxcooper

Even if the "trouble with aluminum" thing is true (I don't know one way or the other), you won't have any trouble since none of those parts (hub, rotor) are aluminum.

-Max

slomo85

iTrader: (8)

Ummm, the hub is most definately aluminum man...

Rip

trying to find the post i saw, but what it boiled down to was that the copper and aluminum after long exposure to each other, will actually cause like a corrosion.

rip

DamonB

No it is not. the spindle (hub) is steel and the rotor is iron. The only aluminum is the upright itself.

I've got an old rear hub in my garage right now. Come over and I'll drop it on your foot and you tell me if it's steel or aluminum

Rip

I think he's talking about the front ones.

Rip

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/tech/antisiezetip/

disssimilar metals will cause issuses, copper and aluminum, but I guess that anti seize prevents that? oh well

maxcooper

I would be very surprised if the front ones were aluminum. I'm not looking at them right now, so I can't be absolutely certain, but I am nearly certain that the front and rear hubs are both steel. Get a magnet out if it's hard to tell by looking -- the magnet won't be attracted to aluminum, and it will be attracted to steel (except stainless, but I doubt they are stainless).

-Max

slomo85

iTrader: (8)

I know the spindle is steel, but I was talking about the hub dude. You call it the upright, I call it the hub(don't see any part of the spindle touching the rotor at all...). I am recently learning about different kinds of corrosion. It was caked w/white oxidation. Since when did steel to iron cause oxidation? Stupid me didn't think it would really take a 20 ton press to get the hub away from the rotor either. Made a shotgun noise though! And yes, I am referring to the front, as I have yet to see the rears(damn bolt heads all snapping off!!)

This iswhat I thought anyways. I'll do some checking though...later

Found it(iluvmyrx7.com, look in the TM's and on the front axle it refers to the hub as so...

Caution
a)Do not remove the hub bolts unless necessary.
b)Do not reuse the removed hub bolts.
c)Hub bolt replacement of the ALUMINUM HUB can be done only once.
If a second replacement is necessary, replace the hub assembly.

...later

DamonB

Most people use the term "hub" to refer to the steel part that holds the wheels studs. Most people also call the short axle on the front which the wheel bearings ride on the "spindle". Mazda however uses the term "spindle" in the FSM to refer to the assembly which holds the wheel studs on both the front and rear. This is also the same piece the brake rotor slips over. I try to use terms that the FSM uses but occasionally they are misleading for those of us who have spent time around other cars.


Oxidation is one type of corrosion, but there are many others.

It's not the fact that the two pieces are pressed together tightly but the fact that moisture gets trapped in there and with the heat present from the brakes and bearing you get oxidation. Oxidation itself is merely a chemical reaction that takes place as the metal reacts with the surrounding air which transforms some of that metal into an oxide which we call oxidation or "rust". Anti-sieze works by sealing the mating surfaces of the metal from moisture.

Another type of corrosion that can take place happens only between disimilar metals: galvanic corrosion. Galvanic corrosion is different from oxidation in that the corrosion is caused by an electron exchange between the two different metals. This causes one metal to corrode much more quickly than it would by itself.

Oxidation is essentially a chemical process while galvanic corrosion is an electrical one.

Cheers!

Are we talking about a FD or FC? for FCs, the 5 bolt hubs are aluminum. I believe the FC front upright/knucle is aluminum with a steel spindle/pin pressed in or via an interface fit. I'm not entirely certain on the knuckle. But hte FC front hubs are definitly cast aluminum with a machined face.

-Jason

Tricky

The RC 5-lug front hub is without a shadow of a doubt Aluminum. Took 26 tons! - yes 26 tons in the press before they broke free of the cast iron rotors.

I have used the silver anti-sieze ever since and have not had a problem - I am unaware of the coper problem if there is one.