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I'm about out of ideas with my squeaking brakes =(

Old 07-18-2006, 12:11 PM
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Default I'm about out of ideas with my squeaking brakes =(

Ok, my stock GM rotors warped, and I heard that they were notorious for warping so instead of having them turned, I replaced them with 4 Duralast rotors from Autozone based on recommendations from these boards. I also bought 4 of their cheapest pads.

Nearly every time I brake, I heard a shrill squeaking. It's so shrill, in fact, my dad says he can't hear it. My friends can though. Guess he has some upper range hearing loss.

So I take it to Big 10 or where ever, they tell me it's because I got cheap pads. They try to sell me some of theirs, but I just go take them back to Autozone and buy the medium level pads.

Stops squeaking for a few days then starts again.

Take it back to Big 10, tell them it still squeaks even with new/better pads on these new rotors. Now they tell me even new rotors should be turned, and they turn them for me. They showed me how their lathe (or whatever) was turning them, and they were indeed in need of turning.

Again that stopped the squeaking for a few days, then it starts again.

So I've bought new rotors, new pads, turned the new rotors, upgraded the pads. STILL SQUEAKS!

What on earth is left to do? Are these Duralast rotors going to squeak no matter what? Is it the rotor? Or do I need to get even higher quality break pads? Is it the pad?
Old 07-18-2006, 01:08 PM
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You should have bought the original OEM pads.
Old 07-18-2006, 02:13 PM
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did you properly brake them in by heating them up. Your supposed to glaze them by making some quick 25-0, 45-0, 55-0 stops in order to release some agent in the pads. you should see a little bit of smoke come out of the wheels when you heat them up. You should have also put some LOC TITE pad glue to keep them from chattering when you are driveing them around.
Old 07-18-2006, 03:33 PM
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I always spray the back of the pads with 'stop squeak', it comes out a as a blue sticky substance that is tacky to the touch. Never a squeak. Another thing is the abutment brackets can go bad, they need to be replaced sometimes. Finally, always make sure you grease the caliper bolts, if they stick it can cause squeaking. All 3 of the above would be above and beyond replacing the rotors and pads.
Old 07-18-2006, 05:05 PM
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I tried the 25-0, 45-0, 55-0 stopping. I'm about to go somewhere, I'll let you know if they still squeak when I return.

Cuz they don't squeak when I apply the brakes really hard.
Old 07-18-2006, 07:29 PM
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Just got back. They still squeak. =\

What are the caliper bolts and why would they need greasing? I've put on the stop squeak stuff on the back of the pads already, that didn't stop it. Also what are the abutment brackets and how would I know if they have gone bad? I have a digital camera, would taking pictures help you guys to diagnose the problem any? Cuz I probably don't know what I'm looking at anyway. =\
Old 07-18-2006, 07:47 PM
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https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/543383-squeak-after-rotor-swap.html

Explains what u r asking
Old 07-18-2006, 08:17 PM
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Originally Posted by chupr0kabra
Could be a couple things. In most cases, squeaks are:
  1. Bad/missing chatter plates (the little metal plates that go between the caliper bracket and the ends of the pads, plus the one that goes in the top of the caliper)
  2. Rotor worn too thin (probably not the case for you, since the rotors are new)
  3. Pads worn down to the wear indicator (again, not the case for you)
  4. Slider pins frozen/bogging (the bolts that hold the caliper on thread into two pins that should be greased any time you take your brakes apart)
  5. Contaminated pads
  6. Glazed rotors
  7. Rust spots
-Mike
Well in my case it would be either 1, 4, 5, or 6.

1. How do I know if my chatter plates are bad? I don't see how they would cause a squeak anyway.
4. What sort of grease do I use on these pins? Again, not sure why this would cause the squeak I'm getting.
5. How do I know if my pads are contaminated? And with what? They are new. And how do I fix that?
6. How do I know if my rotors are glazed? And why would they be if they were just turned? How do I fix this?
Old 07-19-2006, 09:34 AM
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What kind of pads do you have?
Carbon Metallic pads inherrently squeek.
(maybe not all the time, but typically)
I have Hawk HPS pads and sometimes they squeek, sometimes they don't
Old 07-19-2006, 12:06 PM
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I have semi-metallic pads, yes. I'm assuming that is definately the culprit.

No parts dealer in like a 50 mile radius of me has their ceramic rear pads in stock! Terrible luck for me I guess. I called the two Chevy dealers near me and they are out of stock as well lol, but I'm gonna just order OEM pads through the dealer. *shrug*

My rotors were turned several weeks ago, and I don't even drive my car on a daily basis. Although I have made a long trip or two in that time and have probably put between a 500-1000 miles (max) on them since they were turned. Would they need to be turned again before putting on the new OEM pads? I would assume not, but these crappy metallic pads might have some residue on the rotors or whatever. I'm not sure how that works.
Old 07-19-2006, 01:28 PM
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This time, make sure you (i) replace the three stainless steel clips per caliper that come with each new pad set - they wear out, (ii) grease the calipar bolts - I use a fingtip full of regular grease and put it into the bolt whole before I re-assemble/attach the calipar.

Make sure you don't get grease on other parts including the rotor and pads. Use brake cleaner in a arosail can.
Old 07-19-2006, 03:34 PM
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Thanks. I just got back from the dealer with my pricey OEM pads. They actually came with those little metal clips you're all speaking of. The pads I bought from Autozone didn't come with them.

I'll be sure to follow this advice.
Old 07-19-2006, 03:49 PM
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Also follow the manufacturer recommended pad break-in procedure.
Old 07-19-2006, 09:27 PM
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What ARE the recommended pad break-in procedures for the OEM pads?

Cuz I installed them, followed all the suggestions. Cleaned up everything, lubed the bolts, put the stop-squeak on the back of the pads. Drove up and down my street once for a quick test, and no squeak.

But how do I break them in?
Old 07-19-2006, 10:32 PM
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I dont know the break-in for the stock pads but here is the break-in procedure for Hawk HPS:
http://www.hawkperformance.com/performance/hps.php
Originally Posted by Hawk Performance
After installing new brake pads, make 6 to 10 stops from approximately 30-35 mph applying moderate pressure.
Make an additional 2 to 3 hard stops from approximately 40 to 45 mph.
DO NOT DRAG BRAKES!
Allow 15 minutes for brake system to cool down.
After step 4 your new pads are ready for use.
Here is what I found in the "white papers" in the Brake FAQ at the top of this section:
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...contents.shtml

I tried searching online for what other manufacturers recomend but came up empty.


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