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squealing disc brakes

76zimmer

76zimmer

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on my daughters Nissan.

I've replaced the rotors (because of out of true, causing shimmy when brakes applied) new ceramic pads with the shim on the back, and new hardware on the caliper mounts (slides) after about 4-500 miles it starts squealing from the front discs. We had this problem before the brake job too....what the hell am I missing?
 
Did you seat the brake pads as instructed by the manufacturer? They may have developed a glaze on the rotors.
 
I always apply some grease on the backs of the pads, on the slide pins or wherever ANY metal to metal contact is on them, never had any issues with squeeling...

It's a vibration
 
I told her to use light applications for a few hundred miles, hopefully she did?

I will try to get a light coating of grease on the metal surfaces then...slides and piston to pad surfaces.

Thanks
 
Check with the dealer, to see if they are supposed to have antisqueal inserts. Actually a lot of them are pads, but I did not want to call them pads to avoid confusion with brake pads.

Basically it is a piece of material with a sticky side on it that you apply to the back side of the brake pads.
DO NOT put them on the side that presses on the rotor. I know, but honestly, I saw a guy do it.
Did stop the squeal though.............

The material dampens the vibrations which is what causes the squeal. Grease does the same thing, but wears off and can get on the friction material.
 
Ok, reread you post looking for model and year and just now noticed the part about the shim.
That may or may not be a noise reduction thing.

Try this. Go to Rockauto, punch in the car, and look over the brake pad choices.

For the one I just tried, there are a lot of them that say "recommend noise reduction clip. "

If so, yours might be missing the clip.

Not sure what the clip looks like on yours. I have seen several types over the years. A lot of them go up inside the hollow caliper.
 
Fordum said:
Ok, reread you post looking for model and year and just now noticed the part about the shim.
That may or may not be a noise reduction thing.

Try this. Go to Rockauto, punch in the car, and look over the brake pad choices.

For the one I just tried, there are a lot of them that say "recommend noise reduction clip. "

If so, yours might be missing the clip.

Not sure what the clip looks like on yours. I have seen several types over the years. A lot of them go up inside the hollow caliper.
Click to expand...

Hers' is a 07 Versa hatchback "S"

the pads I believe were Centric w/shims....here is a pic of the shims but these aren't the same brand....

getimage.php


rampage said:
What brake pad manufacture did you use? Brake pad break in procedure
Click to expand...


I will check actual mileage but she isn't a heavy brake user, and these are Daily Driver pads/rotors, nothing Hi Perf.
 
Last time that happend to me, it was some peice of crap in between the dust guard and rotor, but I'm sure thats not your problem. Id just make sure theres no forign objects and try the grease. Last two jobs i did, i forgot the grease and was fine so.. /shrug
 
cybrfire said:
Brake rotors are to smooth.
Click to expand...

I agree. I would pull the calipers and hit the rotors with a die grInder lightly on both sides. My boss used to call it a non-directional finish. With that i would also get some stuff napa sells. It's a synthetic disc brake lube, comes in a tub with a brush. I always coat the hub surface where the rotor sits, the slides and the back of the pads. I never get squeels since I started this. That synthetic grease is tits for all sorts of assembly work too fyi.
 
cybrfire said:
Brake rotors are to smooth.
Click to expand...
installed as received with a somewhat crosshatch type finish..:dunno:
I could hit em with a 150 grit DA to knock off any smoothness..

Z71paramedic said:
I agree. I would pull the calipers and hit the rotors with a die grInder lightly on both sides. My boss used to call it a non-directional finish. With that i would also get some stuff napa sells. It's a synthetic disc brake lube, comes in a tub with a brush. I always coat the hub surface where the rotor sits, the slides and the back of the pads. I never get squeels since I started this. That synthetic grease is tits for all sorts of assembly work too fyi.
Click to expand...

I';ll get some of that to use for the lubed parts....

I also file cleaned the hub surface where the rotor seats (I always do this on a brake job) and put a smear of antiseize on the hub surface.
 
Get the synthetic brake grease zim, it is super high termperature, and put it on the back of the pads on the contact surfaces of the piston(s). This is one reason I don't like ceramic pads, they squeal too easily it seems.
 
The higher cost brake pads are usually made from harder material or have more mettalic in them,which is extremely prone to squealing...replacing them with lower priced pads will likely get rid of the squeal,but they'll wear out faster and need replacing more often....ya,glazed rotors can cause any pads to squeal,as well as reduce braking power...new rotors might not cost more than having old ones refinished,and I wouldn't bring them to your local discount auto parts store to get them turned,as few of the employees really know HOW to properly use a brake lathe!...
 
Brake dust can cause a squeal. Like others have said though there needs to be a small amount of grease on everything metal to metal. Also does the particular vehicle call for ceramic pads? If the vehicle doesn't call for ceramic then that could also be the cause of the squeal.
 
Getting back to the pads and shim. Was it a clip on shim or stick on? If a clip on did you put some of that spray anti sqeal sticky stuff between it and the pad? Or I like to use that high temp brake silicone or even Sil Glyde.

Ceramic pads like to be used. They operate better at higher temps. What sometimes works, temporarily, is a few good hard stops. That ought to scuff the pad surface against the rotor a bit and stop the sqeal for a few hundred miles or so, depending on how it's driven.

We get cars in the shop all the time that the owner did their own brake job on or had their local garage do it and used "insert parts store name here" pads. All they do is make noises. Then they pay us to install the factory stuff and all is good.
 
diesel4me said:
The higher cost brake pads are usually made from harder material or have more mettalic in them,which is extremely prone to squealing...replacing them with lower priced pads will likely get rid of the squeal,but they'll wear out faster and need replacing more often....ya,glazed rotors can cause any pads to squeal,as well as reduce braking power...new rotors might not cost more than having old ones refinished,and I wouldn't bring them to your local discount auto parts store to get them turned,as few of the employees really know HOW to properly use a brake lathe!...
Click to expand...

As mentioned these are new rotors, with a crosshatch type finish on them. I will look at them on Sat. when my daughter can get out to my shop again...I'll take some pics so if I dont' get it to stop I have some reference pics for ya'll.


4X4HIGH said:
Brake dust can cause a squeal. Like others have said though there needs to be a small amount of grease on everything metal to metal. Also does the particular vehicle call for ceramic pads? If the vehicle doesn't call for ceramic then that could also be the cause of the squeal.
Click to expand...

Scott this car did have original ceramics....I did a brake job on it at about 25000, turning the original rotors, and used new ceramics at that time...now has about 53K on it, no problems until about 5K ago she started getting some vibration from out of true. I just decided to go with new rotors, and pads.

496truck said:
Getting back to the pads and shim. Was it a clip on shim or stick on? If a clip on did you put some of that spray anti sqeal sticky stuff between it and the pad? Or I like to use that high temp brake silicone or even Sil Glyde.

Ceramic pads like to be used. They operate better at higher temps. What sometimes works, temporarily, is a few good hard stops. That ought to scuff the pad surface against the rotor a bit and stop the sqeal for a few hundred miles or so, depending on how it's driven.

We get cars in the shop all the time that the owner did their own brake job on or had their local garage do it and used "insert parts store name here" pads. All they do is make noises. Then they pay us to install the factory stuff and all is good.
Click to expand...

It was a clip on shim, I will try the silicone grease tip on the back of the pads.
 
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If the rotors and pads are new and have the "textured" grind to them, I would have to retract my previous suggestion. Like the other guys said, any metal on metal contact from piston to pad, shim, clip or anything else.

For thost that asked how to get rid of the glaze on a rotor and/or pad, you can knock them back with a flap disc,heavy grit,very briefly and usually that'll do the job. You could also turn them but kinda expensive for no more than what the intended goal is. Besides, you don't really want to remove material just rough up what is there.
 
I'll check the surface of them Kert...she said she hasn't made any hard stops in 300 miles that they've been on, so I told her to hit em a little harder the next couple days and see what happens?? We're going to look at em on Sat.
 
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