Brake pads look ok, but still squeaking??

gomba · 10-04-2007, 01:44 PM

Hey!

For a few months now, my car has been making a squealing/squeaking noise when I step on the brakes. The only symptom I've been noticing is the squeaking brakes. I was reading that is a sign the brake pads are wearing down and need to be replaced because the brake pad metal warning thing is rubbing against the rotor. I bought this car used, it has about 137k miles on it. I have no service records so have no clue when the brakes were last replaced.

So I went outside today and took the front wheels off of my car to check out the brake pads. I looked through the "brake pad window" to check and see how worn they were. I'm pretty much a n00b when it comes to cars, but from what I could see, the brake pads did not look that worn. I was expecting them to be almost all gone. From what I could tell, it seemed like 1/4 inch of the pad was visible. The bake pads did seem a little old to me. The previous owner, for about 3 years, did not drive the car more than a few thousand miles.

So what do you think?? If it's not the brake pads, why are they squeaking? Should I go ahead and replace the pads anyways??

Also, are the lug nuts 20mm? It seemed that way to me because 19mm barely fit.

Thanks for the help!

-G

Fosters · 10-04-2007, 03:50 PM

Did you check both pads per side? Or just the outer pad?

Josh

dxpxe · 10-04-2007, 04:45 PM

well the squeeling is either first in the moring rust squeel or its a groove in the rotor which means ya gonna cut them.

when you cut a rotor you have to sand the pads now the question is , is all that worth the work or should you just ge ta nx set-up ,hmmmmmmmmmmm

gomba · 10-04-2007, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fosters

Did you check both pads per side? Or just the outer pad?

Josh

I checked both sides. Neither of the sides seemed to be too worn.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dxpxe

well the squeeling is either first in the moring rust squeel or its a groove in the rotor which means ya gonna cut them.

when you cut a rotor you have to sand the pads now the question is , is all that worth the work or should you just ge ta nx set-up ,hmmmmmmmmmmm

Ya, maybe it's the rotor. When i ran my finger across the rotor, it didn't feel like it had any cracks in it, but it did feel like there were some grooves even though overall it felt smooth. By cutting them you mean resurfacing them or replacing them?

byronchrisp05 · 10-04-2007, 06:09 PM

take the pads off and take some rough sand paper to them, then see if the sound goes away.

also cheap and race car pads are going to squeel

swiss · 10-04-2007, 08:36 PM

Even brand new pads can squeak. Use something like this on them:

gomba · 10-04-2007, 10:08 PM

I'll have to try some of these suggestions.

My main concern was that there was something wrong.

Creagach · 10-06-2007, 01:11 PM

new chinese rotors are about 12-15 bucks apiece replace the rotors and pads, apply non-directional finish on rotors, i wouldn't spray any crap on them it makes a mess and in my experience it doesn't work.

swiss · 10-06-2007, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Creagach

new chinese rotors are about 12-15 bucks apiece replace the rotors and pads, apply non-directional finish on rotors, i wouldn't spray any crap on them it makes a mess and in my experience it doesn't work.

Are you spraying the rotors?

Jaketips42 · 10-07-2007, 01:59 AM

That silver messy spray sh*t sucks. It gets all over everything like neverseize. One of the dealerships I used to works for made me spray that on the rotors after I cut them. Needless to say I only did it a few times. The stuff pictured above is the stuff you put on the back of pads, no?

Freshen her up. Replace pads/rotors. You won't have to do it for a while again anyways. They are your brakes man

swiss · 10-07-2007, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 93W91SER

The stuff pictured above is the stuff you put on the back of pads, no?

Yes, I've always used that stuff on my brake pads and never had problems with brake noise. I actually prefer the stuff that comes in the plastic pouch, but I haven't had any problems with the spray.

The directions say to use it on the back of the pad. I coat everything except the side that contacts to rotor.

jen36 · 10-07-2007, 04:49 PM

take your calipers off (leave TQ members on)

remove pads. sand down the face of the pad to remove any grooves, apply disk brake grease to back of pads and shims. use wire brush and remove any brake pad dust from the slider clips (thin metal things the pads sit inside of) and apply a thin film of grease to them as well. also use the wire brush on the tabs on the pad that sit in the slider clips. this will resolve 99% of all brake squeaks.

jerryeads · 10-08-2007, 07:28 AM

Very often brake squeal is caused by some halfwit in an incompetent shop (most of them) leaving the shims (the springy metal pieces) off. Make sure you've got those in there, and go fetch from Greg or the junkyard if they're gone. Else, Swiss' and others' solutions above ought work fine. I'll have to try that stuff.
J

Creagach · 10-13-2007, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swiss

Are you spraying the rotors?

sure a little wd40 helps bed the pads...... just kidding no really a shop i used to work at had us spray the rotors after the non-directional finish on the squeek come-backs, it sucks you'll leave siver footprints all over the shop.

PJ93 SE-R · 10-13-2007, 09:08 PM

Just replace the pads and rotors. Might cost you 60 bucks. The only thing you should spray on them is brake cleaner, and plenty of it. this will remove all your finger grease and misc. grime. spray the hell out of the new pad surface before seating them. I do this on all my new cars, just to start off knowing exactly what condition my brakes are in. I use this simple method and have never had a squeak.

btw get the mid-price pads. cheapies and expensive ones will squeak

Pretty White · 10-13-2007, 09:46 PM

If the shims are on the back of the pad then you need to coat them with some never seize. That helps alot. BTW, the inner shim uses 2 metal plates, not one.