shepuz2

iTrader: (2)

Can anyone please offer me a lifeline or any sanity?

I bought this '00 Z-28 about 6 months ago, and the brakes have never stopped chirping and/or whistling the whole time.

It happened with the pads that were brand new and put on by the dealership where I bought it - so I changed the pads to nice ceramic ones, have had the rotors turned, have had them cleaned, inspected, etc. at least 3 times to no avail.

The auto guys at 3 different places have no idea why they are still doing this.

They chirp while going down the road and while they're not being applied - then whistle while stopping..........Sounds like front and back noise at different times.

I had an '02 Firebird Formula and never heard a peep out of them.

ANY ADVICE?? THANKS!!

9000th01ss

iTrader: (10)

What do you have between the pads and calipers?
Are all the three stainless steel clips on each caliper bracket there and in good condition?
All mouning points tight, caliper to slider pins and caliper brackets to spindle/rear housing?
Sliders greased?

I guess if you HAD them inspected you probably don't know any of this, so I'm not sure if this can help.

sneaky7980

iTrader: (15)

i've had brake problems with mine lately, here's the rundown;

New wagner thermo quiets with same brand pads.
rotors warped after 6 months of dd conditions.
had the rotors turned and re used pads (they still had a lot of life left).
ungodly squeel.
i was told that the pads needed replacement since they had "formed to the old rotors.
just recieved new rotors and ceramic pads and the box describe a specific break in procedure for the new ceramic pads.

SOOOO if you have verified that your calipers arent dragging, then maybe you didn't break them in properly?

hope this helps!

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

you probably just need some brake lube between the calipers and the backing plates of the brake pads (NOT between the face of the pads and the rotors, obviously, just wanted to clarify that)....it's a pretty common occurrence on f-bodies.

00CaliforniaZ28

iTrader: (11)

I had a similar problem, but it only came from one brake. And the noise went away when the brakes were applied firmly, but returned while coasting or under light braking. After changing pads twice, and then having the dealer change pads and resurface the rotors since they said I did it incorrectly.. and then having them tell me the noise is normal when they couldn't make it go away either, I had a friends shop look at the rear, and actually one of my axles was bent. As soon as that was replaced, all was sane in the world! haha. Our symptoms are slightly different, but just wanted to point it that it doesnt HAVE to be brake specific, in order to cause issues with the brakes. Hope this helps, and best of luck!

shepuz2

iTrader: (2)

Thanks For The Replies.........i Am Taking Them In Again Today.

shepuz2

iTrader: (2)

I forgot to mention that the noise went away for a while, but then when I put some new tires on at NTB - it came back.

Just a coincidence?

They shouldn't have messed with the brakes at all.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Sounds like your hubs/bearings may be starting to go bad. I had the same issue and it was cured with new front hubs. My OEM hubs only lasted 70K miles. The noise occured at slower speeds and went away under breaking.

You may try taking your tires off and turning your hubs by hand. With my bad ones, I could feel clicking and grinding when I did this.

shepuz2

iTrader: (2)

Well........They were taken apart and lubed again last Friday and are still chirping when NOT braking and just going down the road. Does anyone know of a certain brand of slide lube that might prevent the noise?.......That's the only thing the mechanic could suggest at this point.

02wS6firechicken

When I worked at the local dealership we used a BG kit. It came with slide pin lube and a pad treatment liquid (both worked well). When it comes to the slide pins, your rubber o-rings inside of the caliper itself might be dirty or ripped causing thhe caliper to sieze until you apply the brakes again. Alot of mechanics don't bother replacing the o-rings and outer dust seals when installing new pads. And being that you have had the brakes checked and checked and checked again there is a pretty good chance that someone didn't get the pins in just right and screwed up and o-ring.
Another suggestion would be checking the backing plates. If they are bent they can rub on the rotor. I had a friend with a 99 cobra with the same problem and one of his rear backing plates was bent.
Do you have any pedal pulsation? a rotor could be slightly warped or cocked from misinstallation. Or you could have a burr or rust build up on your hub or rotor.

These are just some suggestions that should have been checked and taken care of if you went to a proffesional. Alot of mechanics see brake work as easy money and just fly through the job not paying attention to the details that will come up later.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

How are you sure that the "brakes" are making the noise? Sounds like your brakes are perfect. All of the brake maintance and lubrication and lubrication in the world won't do any good if the brakes aren't the problem. How many miles are on your car?

shepuz2

iTrader: (2)

67K miles.......the mechanic is 100% sure it's a brake problem cause he got in the car and rode around with me, then he got out and ran along side the car too and listened to the noise........One guy on here said it could be a bent axle.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

If the noise is coming from the front, it sounds like you have a bad bearing. I had the exact same issue at 70K miles. (I actually had squealing from my brakes and bearings. After I fixed the breaks, I was left with the bearing squealing.)

Take the wheel, brake caliper, and rotor off the hub and then turn the hub by hand. (Of course haning the caliper on a hook so you don't streach the hose.) A good hub/bearing should be perfectly smooth. If you feel any grinding or clicking, that's a sign that the bearing is starting to go bad - and is probably the source of your non-brake, low speed squealing. (If the bearing is just starting to go bad, you'll probalby notice that the squal goes away at higher speeds.)