Hey guys,

I bought my car about a month and a half ago. When I bought it it was great, but after 2 weeks it started to develop squeaking brakes. After doing some searches on the topic, I took off my wheels and checked the pads. All 4 pads still have plenty of room until the metal wear indicator. So I bought this stuff called Brake Quiet from Autozone. I sprayed it on the back of all my pads as instructed, but the squaking didn't dissapear. It intensified greatly instead.

So today, with a buddy of mine we narrowed the noise down to the rear brakes only, both sides. The sqealing occurs only under light braking or no braking. If I brake moderately hard, not a sound. I am completely confused , what could this possibly be caused by? I read that the axles have a little play in the housing and cause these symptoms sometimes. Is there any truth to that?

Please halp me out guys, I can't drive the car, the noises are so annoying!

BTW The car is a 96 Z28 M6 60K miles if that matters.

Thanks,
-Max

 

are the pads in the calipers tight ? there are tabs that need to be bent over to make a tight fit if the pads are moving around in the caliper when you apply the brakes all the disc brake quiet in the world isn't gonna help. you have to bend the tabs with a hammer and screwdriver so the pads seat in tight. also check your rotors you might want to have them turned if there looking shiny.

 

check and make sure your rear rotors are not rubbing on the caliper.. that was my problem. It would squeak when i wasnt braking and when i would brake a little. I had to stick a shim between where the caliper bolts to axle which provided enough space so the rotor no longer rubbed.

 

Thanks for the replys guys,

newWolf: I don't remeber seeing any tabs on the backs of the brake pads. They were just flat, maybe they broke off and that is what casued the problem in the 1st place? Do all rear brake pads come with the tabs?

sabre81: What do you mean by rotor rubbing on the caliper: the rotor rubbing on the inside of the caliper or on the caliper bracket? Also where can I get these shims you are talking about, and how hard are they to install?

Keep those replys coming guys, I might figure this out after all.

-Max

 

Like if the rotor was warped and rubbing against the pads or the caliper piston isn't fully retracting making the pad rub. Might check the bads for even wear.

 

Do you know what kind of pads they are?? Semi metallic pads squeak under light pressure, check with the previous owner to be sure.

 

the ears that go over the caliper when you snap the pads in make sure theres no play in the pad it should be in there tight if you can move the pad when its snapped into the caliper then you need to bend the tabs a little more to tighten it up it looks like there not bendable but they are. also get some grease and grease up your caliper pins ..the bolts the caliper slides on.

 

I just took my wheel back off, loosened the caliper and looked at the rear brake pads. There is no tabs on the back of either brake pad. The outside one is completely flat, the inside one has a small bump on one side and the rumble strip attachment on the other. Are the rear brake pads on a 96Z supossed to have these clips? Somebody help me out, I'll get new pads if I have to but I don't even know if that will help.

The pads seem to be evenly worn and I don't think there is any rubbing. How do I check if the piston is fully retracting or not?

Thanks,
-Max

 

its hard to explain without actually pointing to it on a real car.
yes the caliper bracket or assy. take a look at this http://shbox.com/1/rr_disc.jpg
see bolt 45 going into the mounting plate (46) and the one below it? well i stuck a shim(washer) between the mounting plate and the caliper assy on both bolts because my caliper assy was rubbing on the outer part of the rotor. the shims centered it perfectly.. Your should be able to see if it is rubbing.

 

Anybody else? I still have the same problem

 

Can somebody who has recently replaced their rear brake pads tell me if the new ones come with clips on the back of the pads? I don't want to spend 80$ and find out that I bought the exact same brake pads I have.

Thanks for the help,
-Max

 

just replaced mine last week from autozone. they do have clips. I bought the carbon metallic ones. oh and 80 bucks? i spent $44 for rears pads.

 

Thanks for the quick reply sabre. I guess it means the previous owner installed some messed up brake pads. I'll go and buy a set from Autozone tomorrow and hopefully it will solve my problem.

BTW How are the carbon metallics working out for you?

-Max

 

their nice, no squeaking, nice stopping power.