for ze squeeky brakes

[xero]

any ideas on how to make them stop makin squeekies? I have a bottle of disc quiet, and it says to use along with it another cleaner for the discs.. any ideas?

[Joe 1320]

the factory used an anti squeal pad made of a composite paper that resides between the disc brake pad and the caliper. If you did not re-use the factory paper, an anti squeal compound is also available called "brake quiet". It is applied to the back side of the pad and when re-assembled, dampens the harmonics that get transmitted from the pad to the caliper which is what causes the squeal in the first place.

[xero]

the factory used an anti squeal pad made of a composite paper that resides between the disc brake pad and the caliper. If you did not re-use the factory paper, an anti squeal compound is also available called "brake quiet". It is applied to the back side of the pad and when re-assembled, dampens the harmonics that get transmitted from the pad to the caliper which is what causes the squeal in the first place.

ahhhh see, i thought it was the pad hitting the rotor and their contact making the squeel, I didnt know it had anything to do with hamronics.. thanks!

[TexasFBody]

There are 2 main causes of disc brake noise on GM vehicles.

The first is considered "normal" by GM. That is the noise that is caused strictly due to the metallic composition of the brake pads. This defines any noise that is emitted from the pad contacting the rotor. It is considered "normal" for metallic friction linings to make some squeal while stopping. This squeal can usually be corrected by burnishing the linings or by sanding and applying a brake lining treatment, then burnishing. To burnish the brake linings, first visually inspect the brakes. If the pads are worn to the point where the "squealer" is rubbing, attempting to burnish will only cause excess wear to the brake rotors. Find a road free of traffic (or a dealership parking lot), drive the vehicle to 25-30 mph, and apply the brakes. As you add brake pressure, apply more throttle, trying to keep the speed up at 25-30 mph. You should get to wide open throttle, and have your left foot pushing HARD on the brake pedal, and the car should slowly slow down to a stop. In a manual transmission car, stay in first gear, and just limit your speed to stay below redline. This stop from 30mph should take about a quarter mile, but your foot should be as hard on the pedal as possible <ease off the brakes and throttle as you come to a stop>. The HARD brake pressure compresses the pads while being burnished, and wears the high spots off of the metallic particles in the brake lining. You may have to repeat this stop 2 times, no more than 3, or until you can smell the brakes <or smoke is billowing out of the wheels>. Continue driving using normal braking for 5-10 minutes to allow the brakes to cool slowly <keep the rotors from warping>. After the procedure, your brake noise should go away. If it doesn't, you have one last option before either living with noise or replacing pads. BG and DPI, 2 companies that supply dealerships and service stations with their shop chemicals, have a "stop squeal" brake pad coating. THIS IS NOT THE SAME ANTI-SQUEAL USUALLY FOUND AT PARTS STORES!!! Parts store anti-squeal or noise reducer spray or lube is made for the backing of the pads only. Never let it contact the friction lining or rotors!!! The friction lining coating is a watery, black liquid, made basically of graphite suspended in alcohol. The friction linings are sanded to remove glazing. The coating is applied liberally to the friction material, and allowed to dry. The coating will actually soak down into the pads, and when it dries will just leave the linings looking black. The alcohol simply carries the graphite down into the pores of the lining, and fills all the pores with graphite. This hardens the material, and stabilizes the metallic particles, keeping them from vibrating against each other and causing noise. The coating is applied, brakes are reassembled, and burnished for break-in like new pads.

The second cause of brake noise is any noise caused by the pad contacting anything other than the rotor <caliper, sliders, clips, etc> or the caliper vibrating or contacting anything <sliders, clips, hardware>. This is usually recognizable in that this type of brake noise can be heard with or without brake pressure applied. On 98 and up F-bodies, the biggest causes are the 2 clips on each caliper bracket that the ends of the pad slide in, the spring clip in the caliper that applies lateral pressure to the pad, or the pad contacting the caliper piston. When assembling these brakes, I am always sure to apply a molybdenum sulfide anti-sieze compound to these areas to alleviate this noise. On my own car, I like keeping my wheels and calipers shiny, so I use degreaser and a pressure washer on them every time I wash the car. The downside is that over time, this lube wears away, and a brake noise pops up. I simply remove the wheels and remove the 2 slider bolts holding the caliper to the caliper bracket <you can leave the bracket and rotor on the vehicle>. After popping the caliper off, slide the pads back from the rotor. The 2 spring clips that are holding the pads in place without the caliper on are your main culprit. Apply a very light coat of anti-sieze to the contact points. Lightly coat the top of the pads that goes into the throat of the caliper, as this point contacts the spring clip in the caliper. Apply a light coat to the back of the pads where they contact the piston and the caliper <careful on the outside pad, as excess lube will be visible through the 2 round cutouts in the caliper>. Reassemble, and your problem should be gone.

Hope this info helps someone.

[TexasFBody]

Sorry for writing a whole thesis, just wanted to get this info out, as lots of f-body owners complaing of brake noise <myself being one of them>

[xero]

Sorry for writing a whole thesis, just wanted to get this info out, as lots of f-body owners complaing of brake noise <myself being one of them>

thats some writeup.. yah what I did just today was I had some disc quiet layin around and I took the pads off and applied it to the back of the pads and put em back in... took it for a test drive and heard it squeek maybe 3 times in 7 minutes of driving and stopping, which is very good considering before it was squeek like hell everytime i brake .. so lets hope this stays like this and does the trick.. thanks for all the good info!

[lt14mla]

thanks texas f body that really helped alot my brakes were starting to kill me and now i know what to do. kudos to you.

[TexasFBody]

By the way, just to clear this up, the spring clips i refer to are on the 98 and up F-bodies with aluminum PBR calipers. On the older iron brakes, the same theory applies, but you just have to lube the runners in the iron bracket where the pads slide, rather than the tin clips.

[xero]

welp, the disc quiet stuff did not work

I am just ready to buy a bigwheel and ride that around from now on errrrrr

[TexasFBody]

When are your brakes squeaking? Do they squeak as you barely start to touch the pedal, then stop as you increase brake pressure? Or do they Squeak under heavy pressure and quiet down when you let off the pedal? Do they make a sqeaking more when braking and hitting a bumpy road? etc.....

[xero]

When are your brakes squeaking? Do they squeak as you barely start to touch the pedal, then stop as you increase brake pressure? Or do they Squeak under heavy pressure and quiet down when you let off the pedal? Do they make a sqeaking more when braking and hitting a bumpy road? etc.....

usually squeek when im pressing hard, when i let off the brakes it stops.. so it only squeeks with pressure.. I tried the adding brake pressure while around 25-30 mph and that willl get them to stop squeeking for a little bit, but eventually goes back to it and its annoying the crap outta me

[Z Ya Later]

Ummm, can't say I've had any squeak out of the Z unless I'm constantly on the brakes hard for a while. Are you guys running aftermarket setups or is it just a difference between the LT1 and LS1 brakes (if there is one)?

[xero]

Ummm, can't say I've had any squeak out of the Z unless I'm constantly on the brakes hard for a while. Are you guys running aftermarket setups or is it just a difference between the LT1 and LS1 brakes (if there is one)?

im just running autozone replacements.. dunno about the rotor but i think the pads are duralast, and im not driving the car like a maniac either, just to school and work and back

[Z Ya Later]

That's strange man. I'm running Carquest pads all around and rotors up front (supposed to be from the same man. as Raybestos on the pads). I've only had the brakes talk back when I really stomp on them and they're already hot. Definitely strange

[raroZ28]

did you replace both the front and rears? When you replace them, using the anti squeek lube stuff isn't a bad ideal. Just zig zag it on the brake pad before you put it on. I replaced my front brakes, and I couldn't figure out why it was still squeaking.... well, the little metal piece on the rear brake was rubbing. That piece that tells you the brakes are getting low on meat... Maybe that's your problem?