squeeky brakes

seattle##gs · May 10, 2017

front disc
new Ferodo Platinum pads
disc has all its original chrome, no rust spots...cleaned it with lacquer thinner.
The brakes were quiet for about an hour then the squeek returned during many miles of stop and go freeway traffic.
Any clever way to eliminate the squeek?

Deets55 · May 10, 2017

Generally the squeal or squeak comes from the metal on the back of the pad rubbing against the piston. I have used adhesive anti-squeal shims on the back of of the pads, but that requires a lot of cutting and fitting. It worked really well. Now I just use NAPA disc brake grease (green) and put a little on the back of the pads where it contacts the piston. That is what it is designed for and it works great. Hope this is helpful.
Pete

The Buckeye Rider · May 10, 2017

Having been a mechanic ( they refer to us as "technicians" now) for 50 years we use a high quality anti-seize paste on the area where the back of the pad meets the piston. Or any other surface of the pad that touches the caliper.

I had a conversation with a BMW engineer years ago and we discussed squeaking brakes he replied " The Europeans don't care if the brakes squeak as long as the cars stops,,,,,,the Americans don't care if the car stop as long as the brakes don't squeak!"

Ride On(& stop)
Dave

concours · May 10, 2017

Get rid of the chrome. It was a silly thing to put it there in the first place.

baz · May 11, 2017

Never done it myself but the tip I heard they did at Porsche was to drill the brake material in the centre back to the metal on the brake pad ,the hole was the same diameter as a pencil lead ,then you insert the lead that is now held captive by the disc and as the pad wears down it releases a small amount of carbon to quieten the disc down ,but not enough to affect the braking, could be bollox could be true, cheers

toppy · May 11, 2017

baz said:
Never done it myself but the tip I heard they did at Porsche was to drill the brake material in the centre back to the metal on the brake pad ,the hole was the same diameter as a pencil lead ,then you insert the lead that is now held captive by the disc and as the pad wears down it releases a small amount of carbon to quieten the disc down ,but not enough to affect the braking, could be bollox could be true, cheers

It's a novel idea but is it only me that finds the idea of effectively lubricating brake pads scary. Have you tried the old chamfer the leading edge trick.

kommando · May 11, 2017

Once the chrome is gone you will have the carbon in the cast iron disc acting as a lubricant as per lathe beds.

seattle##gs · May 11, 2017

I'll try the cheap and easy route first, with the anti seize on the back of the pad.
My neighbor in Lake tahoe had the left front caliper seize on his mid 70's chevy pickup one winter. Being quite the penny-pincher he refused to do anything about it even though I offered my help for free. He would simply use my oil can to douse the pads when he got tired of it pulling to the left.

RoadScholar · May 12, 2017

I would agree that the squeak comes from the piston/pad interface, the cause is the pad "dancing" or skipping on the disk. You can eliminate the noise by rubbing down the disk with a 3M red pad to remove the glaze; you will need to do this periodically. Solvents don't work well on this glaze.

I also agree that the chrome plating on the disk is counter-productive and should be removed, especially important if your brake lever oscillates to any degree.

cliffa · May 15, 2017

I did the Ludwig (suggested) mod to mine. absolutely no noise, and brake improvement due to the slight servo effect.

If it's good enough for Porsche, it's good enough for a Norton - oh and costs nothing.

Cheers,

Cliffa.

squeeky brakes

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