brakes from hell

toastmaster7

Registered User
minor brake squeak, hear it comming from the rear and see that the rotors and pads are pretty so i replace them both, not an easy ordeal since about every bolt there was stripped and i had to replace many of them. got everything together when my auto teacher comes and tells me that the springs at the top of the pad are supposed to go through the slot in the caliper not under it, contrary to the existing setup but judging from other things ive found whoever had this car before me really didnt know what they were doing so i ran them through the caliper and got everything together. the noise was almost exactly the same.

a week later im out of school so i bring my car to the mechanic to get the oil changed since im on a tight schedule and asked him to look at the brakes. he tells me that the noise is from the front brakes and both the rotors and pads need to be replaced and on top of that the springs are actualy cushioning springs and i need to take them back off and put them under the caliper. which is it supposed to be?

took the brakes to meineke since thats where i had the fronts done a couple months ago before i knew any better, they give me some BS story about how the pads are bad or something but nothing is covered under warantee so i said screw it and went to do the brakes myself. got the rotors and pads but once again all the bolts were stripped and now i didnt have the tools to replace them so i took it to a 3rd mechanic who put everything on for me. the noise was nearly gone however over the past couple of days it has gotten progressivly louder and is nearly as loud as it was before. what gives?

could this be because of the rear pads or is it likely something else that i've missed?

sorry for the longwinded post its just kind of a strange string of events
 
Do the brakes squeek only with light pressure, or both light and heavy pressure?

Brake noises are almost always related to vibration of the pads. I've never had squealing from my front pads, but the 89 and 93 brake mounts are slightly different.

I'd make sure everything is tight to spec, make sure you torque your wheel nuts down. Make sure the pad surface is flat and true. Then a trick people will use sometimes is to chamfer the leading edge of the pad, though ususally that is done on slotted rotors to ensure the square edge doesn't catch the slot.
 
the noise is constant, only stops when i press on the brakes or make a sharp right turn, i thought it was brake dust but everything is new
 
Typically, brake squeak occurs when the brakes are applied (or if the pads are worn out triggering the wear indicator squeal). This is due to vibration upon contact. It generally stops squeaking as the brakes are fully applied. In your case the squeak is constant unless the brakes are applied. This would lead me to believe that the caliper pistons are not retracting fully after releasing the pedal causing the pads to drag on the rotors. If the pads were properly installed (so that they aren't binding the rotors), it may be time to rebuild the calipers (or replace them).....
 
The key is what Larry said. If the pads were installed correctly. Like he said, squeeking when no brakes applied implies that brake contact with the rotor is continuing. This can only be due to the caliper not fully retracting the brake pad, or the caliper fully retracted, but the brake pad didn't retract with it.

One requires rebuild/replace of the brake caliper. The other could be due to poor installation of the brake pads.
 
just to be sure its not the pads before i go and replace the calipers or something to that extent, on the pads in the rear brakes there are a set of "springs" on the top of the pads that are either supposed to sit under the caliper or go through the slot in the middle, the answer to that varies depending on who i ask, how are yours set up? are they cushioning springs or are they meant to go through the caliper?
 
The picture below is how my rears looked after I installed them and replaced the rear caliper bracket.

calipertogetherclose.jpg
 
ooooo i think i see where i went wrong, my existing setup has the pads in wrong, kind of like below but im not a great artist so you'll have to bear with me

<img src="http://sexyphil.homestead.com/files/caliper.bmp">

i'll get that fixed up and hopefully that will solve the problem

thanks a lot, i really appreciate it
 
When I did one side I did it the way you show, but realized when I looked in a picture in the manual I have that it was wrong. So I had to take it all apart and re-arrange it.

That's what happens when you disassemble on tuesday and re-assemble on Sunday.
 
did moving the springs inside the caliper solve your problem? I did the exact thing as well but when i put the spring on the pads in the caliper correctly I still have a grinding noise. I guess I will pull the wheels and check one more time
 
I also started having loud squealing....

My brakes started to squek a little a few weeks ago, after I drove awhile, it would stop, then suddnely the other day, the noise became more intense, constant and I started to feel some vibration while driving. I parked tha car and will get it to the shop on Monday. Any ideas on this would be appreciated.

Oh yeah, my rotors and pads are about 2 and ahalf years old. I have crabon metallic pads in the front and Bendix stock sized rotors all around. I upgraded to 18 inch wheels and planned on doing the big brake upgrad this summer, not sure if a heavier wheel would have anything to do with wear, more specifically uneven wear or not.

Thanks,

Chris
 
Squeak

I have had a similar problem after having my brakes done earlier this year. I talked to a friend at work who is quite a mechanic, and he said that if it's just queaking or making a slight squealing noise (not the wear tab shreak) it can be from the pads themselves free floating between the caliper and the rotor and that spraying some pad adhesive to securely fasten the pads the the caliper piston will solve this problem. So far not a squeak since.
 
Adhesive is't going to do much for brake pads. Keep in mind the stress the pads are put through when the are under contact with the rotors. The adhesive isn't going to really secure the pads.

The goop they sell for brake pads works to change the resonant frequency of the pads. This helps to reduce vibration, which is what causes the noise.

Grinding noise is pads. Sqealing is vibration of the pads. More often than not this is due to the pad material themselves, but can also be caused by a dual piston caliper not applying even force, or a binding in the pad preventing it from making even contact. One thing that can help is to chamfer the leading edge of the pad so that it is not hitting the rotor with a 90 degree angle, instead it's more of a ramp.

I just installed some front brake pads for my brother-in-law on his Dodge truck today. Took less than an hour, and the pads came chamfered already from the manufacturer.

My front brakes make a grinding noise, but are fine. I just checked them when i rotated tires last weekend. But they are under 50% and the rotors have a non-flat surface and are slightly warped. All contributing to the grinding sound. Rear brakes don't make a peep, and are in good shape.

I'll be replacing pads and rotors here this summer when I swap out the spindles for the pbr dual piston calipers. So I just live with a little brake pulsation when stoping.
 
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