Brake squeal after changing pads

[Jarred767]

So I changed my brake pads on my '98 a week and a half ago, and after a couole days they started squealing pretty bad. I hoped it might work itself out, (like they just needed to be broken in), but no luck.

They stop fine, and there's no noise when I hit the brakes going fast, it only happens at 25 mph or less and the slower I go, the worse the squeal. I only changed the front pads, and the squeal is definitely coming from the fronts. Any thoughts or ideas? I've researched done "brake quiet" stuff; does this stuff actually work/can it hurt the brakes at all?

 

[coppe]

I would give it about a week, maybe even a road trip to break them in, unless you have turned or new rotors, as well as good quality brake pads and added a no noise treatment (not mandatory but it helps avoid the breaking in noise period), its quite normal to get some noise for a few days. And if it persists, you might wanna check your rotors. I wouldn't add the no noise stuff with my whole system assembled. Its happened to me before, actually about a month ago, it squeaked for about week and a half.

 

[swshawaii]

Had the same issue after replacing front pads. Cleaning and lubricating the caliper slide pins and brake pad abutment clips silenced my low speed squeal. Use a high temp silicone brake grease such as SylGlyde or Permatex Ultra Disc Brake Lube. If your new pads don't have molded in shims, apply a light coating of brake grease on the caliper piston contact points. GL

 

[bluestream1]

If the pads came without shims, then you need to add some bedding compound to the back to stop the squeal

 

[my98nnj]

We're the rotors replaced or resurfaced? Should have been.
If they were, did you do a proper pad bedding?
Brake pad bedding is several hard stops from 30, 40, 50 MPH with a brief cooling (vehicle always moving) in between stops. You must get the brake pads hot enough to transfer material onto the disc surface.

Go to Stoptech.com and read their technical support white pages for a more detailed explanation of what happens when you properly bed your new pads to the rotors surface.

 

[koda2000]

i always use anti-squeal on the back of my pads. i usually use Permatex Brake Quiet. i've done literally 100th's of brake jobs, rarely resurface my rotors and have never had a problem with squeaking or sqealing. you put the stuff (which is super stick) on the backs of the pads anywhere they contact the caliper. i also always clean and lube my caliper pins.

 

[Jarred767]

Thanks for the responses guys. It's appreciated.

So, I didn't replace or turn the rotors as I was told they were in good condition and it wasn't necessary. But if it comes down to it, I definitely could.

I did clean and lube the caliper slide pins, but that was all, so maybe the maybe I need to do the clips as well? Or maybe just use a brake quiet while I'm in there? There were no shims with the new pads, so maybe that's the issue too.

I will say that there has been a similar squeal ever since I bought the truck with the old pads on there (those pads had about 50% life on them when I purchased the truck), do I don't know if that helps.

I'm planning on giving it another week or so, as I'm hoping to replace my sway bar links next weekend and can just do all the work at the same time, so just figuring out a game plan now. Thanks again.

 

[bluestream1]

The shims are there to prevent squealing. If your pads had no shims, then you need to apply the compound to the back of the pad where it contacts the caliper / piston. Let it dry 10 mins before you put it back together. Pads with shims do not require any compound.

 

[koda2000]

i doubt the noise will go away by waiting. quality brake pads almost always come with shims attached to the back of the pads. the purpose of the shim is to help prevent noise. brake quiet also helps prevent noise in a similar way. the squeal is caused by the pad vibrating on the rotor. the shim and brake quite reduce/eliminate this vibration and hence the noise. low-end inexpensive brake pads may not come with shims and are prone to making noise, especially if no brake quite is applied to them. glazed rotors also contribute to brake noise. you should also use emory cloth to put a non-directional pattern onto the rotor surface when doing a brake job. most calipers use stainless steel spring clips to better suspend the brake pads in the caliper. if your's are missing or worn out they may also contribute to brake noise. high quality brake pads (like Wagner Thermoquiet) use technology in the manufacture of their pads to help prevent noise by adding cushioning between the brake material and the backing plate. higher quality pads will also often come with new clips, or you can purchase them separately (know as brake hardware kits). i usually spend between $35-$60 on brake pads and i prefer ceramic over organic pads as the ceramics don't dust up my wheels. you can spend more, but you shouldn't spend less on brake pads.

there's a lot more more to doing a brake job than just installing new pads.

 

[swshawaii]

There were no shims with the new pads, so maybe that's the issue too.

Very likely your squealing issue if you've ruled out rotors and bedding in the new pads. As mentioned, apply Permatex or CRC brake quiet compound to back side of the pads where the pistons make contact. Remove the stainless abutment clips, clean and wire brush the clips and caliper surface where they sit. Follow by lubricating with brake grease, especially where the pad "ears" touch the clips. If no improvement, it's probably best to install upgraded pads with built in shims.

 

[Jarred767]

Very likely your squealing issue if you've ruled out rotors and bedding in the new pads. As mentioned, apply Permatex or CRC brake quiet compound to back side of the pads where the pistons make contact. Remove the stainless abutment clips, clean and wire brush the clips and caliper surface where they sit. Follow by lubricating with brake grease, especially where the pad "ears" touch the clips. If no improvement, it's probably best to install upgraded pads with built in shims.

This sounds like a pretty good plan if the noise hasn't dissipated by the time I do the sway bar links. Thanks!

 

[Jarred767]

there's a lot more more to doing a brake job than just installing new pads.

Yeah, I'm realizing that is very true, but for my first time (and first significant repair), it could have gone a whole lot worse, and I've learned a ton in the process.

Now, supposedly, I need to go and buy a whole $300+ computer system/software just to change the pads on my wife's VW....

 

[bluestream1]

Something to consider, if you reverse the pads and put the outer pad inside and vise- versa she will squeal like a banshee!

Not sure if this can be done on the front, but it can on the rear.

 

[bluestream1]

Did we get the squeal fixed?

 

[chefduane]

So far no squeaks or shakes out of the brake job I did on Thurs. Upon rec's from the Group I used Wagner T'Quiets on all 4 and Wagner front rotors and Raybestos on the rear. CRC Brake Squeak and SylGlyde where appropriate. And the bedding procedure is very important! I looked kinda' funny driving back and forth in the Church parking lot but hey.

 

[Jarred767]

Thanks for checking in, I haven't gotten to jacking it up and trying to figure it out yet. I had a bigger problem come up as we found a 15 foot deep hole full of water in the crawl space of the house we're renting, so priorities kinda shifted... Now I'm on vacation for a week, so not sure when I'll get to it, but I will be sure to post an update when I do!

 

[1992fordgreen]

Had that happen, I just shot a spray of lubricant into the calipers.