Botnik

I have a problem with my 92' SE. Whenever I brake, there's a loud squeal. I brought my car into the shop twice and it was determined that there was nothing wrong with my brakes or my pads. The only suggestion I received from the shop was that I had cheap brake pads which may be causing the squeal. Any ideas or suggestions as to what is causing the squeal. I'm pretty sure its not the rotors or the pads cuz it was checked out at two different places and they both said it was fine. I really need some help w/ this cuz the squeal is really annoying. Everyone turns their head and looks at me whenever I brake. Its really embarassing.

mike_12_27_77

Check if your brake pads have shims, which are thin pieces of metal that sit between your brake pad and caliper. These are supposed to reduce brake squeal and if you don't have them, that may be what's causing the problem. Finally, you can go to a parts store and look for some stuff called "Brake Squeal Stop" (or something to that effect). It's this blue gunk that you put on the outsides of the pads that's supposed to help this problem. Good luck..

1FasMax

Mine does this also....doing it since I replaced the front pads with some "high" end pep boys pads...hehe...they squeel when you use cheap pads

Brandon90gxe

yea mine do it to, its because the people efore put on aftermarket pads, the best way to not squeek is to put on OEM pad replacements which is what im gonna do when i change my brakes next, cause it is damn annoying

Fossil Jim

I vote shims ... or lack of them. I changed the pads on my Volvo 760 with high end aftermarket ones and had to drive with a paper bag on my head the squeal was so bad. Went back to the auto parts store and they said that nothing was wrong. I even asked if shims were supposed to be part of the pad kit for this car and they said no. Finally went to the dealer and told them what was happening. He shook his head, handed me the OEM pads and said that I must use the shim set that comes with the pads along with a dab of anti-squeal compound ($4 for a tube that will last a hundred brake jobs). I installed the pads/shims and voila ! No squeal at all! The dealer pads/shims were $5 cheaper than the aftermarket ones ... chalk it up to a learning experience.

Jim
Ancaster, Ontario

92 SE stock 124,000 Km (74,000 miles)
87 Volvo 760 rock solid

Botnik

Will a general parts store like Kragen have these shims or do I need to go elsewhere? Also, how much would these shims cost?

Fossil Jim

The shims are a perfect size match with the back of the brake pad. I don't know if a parts store or the dealer would actually have these as a separate part for sale without buying the brake pads/shims together. If the store didn't sell you the shims with the pads then likely they didn't have the shims for those particular pads in the first place... they usually come as a set. You may have to fork out for another set of pads/shims from a reputable dealer/seller. Then hang onto the pads you've got now for the next brake job and just reuse the shims.
Also, unless the seller/manufacturer specifically tells you to 'set' the pads by doing hard braking for the first few stops, DO NOT by any means do this to your new pads. Most manufacturers now have the pads 'set' when they are made and you should do the thirty/thirty rule (thirty gentle stops from thirty miles an hour). If you do hard braking on them right away you may glaze em ... leading to brake squeal, loss of braking potential etc.
Just my 0.02

Jim
Ancaster, Ontario

92 SE 74,000 miles