Here's the deal. I have the Stillen setup. Axxis Metal Masters and X-drilled rotors. This past spring (March) the right rear started to squeal so I baught a new shim kit and refurbished both rear brakes. Anti-Squeal gue that was supplied in the kit was used as well between the shims and the pads. The brakes were silent for about a month.

FAST FORWARD .................

For the past two months I'm living with the squeal from he11 again. The right rear just wount shut up. Pads seem to be just fine, no unusual signs of ware and the rotor looks perfectly normal as well. I've seen some pads with beveled leading and trailing edges and I'm thinking of giving that (grind them a bit) a shot to quiet them down. I'm also going to switch the pads around, inner and outter to see if that helps out. The caliper seems fine, it moves very freely, all the guide pins were relubed my braking is excellent, very smooth and no pulling at all. Even the e-brake works great. I get the squeal during around town braking, say from 45MPH. On the highway there silent, even slowing down for exit ramps. The squeal is worse on hot dry days.

Any suggestions before I tare these apart this weekend?

Thanks guys...

 

When you take them apart to switch the pads around, gently sand the rotors and the pads in a small circular pattern. Use 500 grit paper. This will remove any glazing.

 

OK I'll give that a shot, any other suggestions?

 

I belive most noises are from vibrations. Hence the quiet goop. But I think the squeal comes from where the pad end "tabs" rub on the caliper housings(ie where the pad tabs slide back and forth). At least that's how the fronts are. What you have to do is remove the pads, clean the pad tabs and clean the slots that they ride in on the caliper housings. Then carefully apply some high temp grease in each tab slot. (just a little).

 

Jeff you got a great point there, I'll definately do that as well.

I was just chatting with another org memeber who told me that when he worked for Goodyear, they used to bevel the edges of the pads to keep them quiet. I'm going to do everything suggest in this thread AND SOME to get these brakes quiet.

 

Make sure your parking brake is releasing properly and not seizing up. Just a little bit of sticking screws up a lot of stuff.

 

UPDATE:

I think I got it solved. Thanks Jeff, your suggestion was the area I concentrated on. The clips that hold the pad in place were not quite holding the pad securely. I had a slight bit of up and down movement in the pads. I took the top clip off, being it's the one which sees force and put one square piece of black tape on the back side to shim it ever so slightly and give some additional cushion to absorb any vibration (sound is vibration) the pads may be making. I also put a very small bevel on the leading and trailing edges of the pads. I didn't swap the inner and outter pads because the ware indicator needs to be on the caliper side and only one pad had the indicator on it. The shims were still perfect, and the anti squeal lube was still very present so I left that alone. I did put a dab of anti squeal lube on the tabs as Jeff suggested.

So far so good, no squeal around town on my test drive. We'll see how it goes after everything sets back up over the next week or so.

Thanks again for all your suggestions.

 

Like Jeff92se said, the pad guides (the shiny things the pad tabs sit in which you said you shimmed) can be a source of vibration. You can buy a kit at Autozone that contains new pad guides for about $10. I did this about a year ago for all 4 wheels (2 kits). The front kit even came with the anti-rattle spring thing. Can't remember what else comes in the kit. I had to go to a dealership for the guide pins w/rubber boots, though. This may be a little more permanent of a fix for you than what you've got. But very good thinking of using a shim to quiet it down. You could even try the brake goop on the outside surface of the pad guides (between the pad guide and bracket) to absorb the vibration, and a dab of grease on the inside where the pad tab rides.
Hope this helps.

Dave

 

 

Makes sense. I used to buy these pads which had a great rubber compound for my bike. But they squealed like a pig when it was cold out. I cut a taper on the leading edge and it quieted them down.

 

hmmmmmm

I can use the info in this thread...

 

Yup, this goes on my "Noteworthy Threads" favorites

Tom, you mentioned that your calipers move freely. How can you check that? I have been told that I might have a frozen caliper.

 

With the caliper off, screw the piston all the way in and step on the brake pedal once and the piston extends pretty far out. Screw it back in and repeat. It moves nice and smoothly. Be careful when you do this so you don't push the piston completely out.

Also remove the 2 guide pins, clean & relube them. If all that has been done, your back brakes are in good working order!

 

Is there an easier way to check for a frozen caliper? I've had a frozen caliper on another Max. At least that what the Nissan dealership said a very long while back, when I knew nothing about the car.

How do they check for it? thanks for the help.

 

Nope, you have to make sure the caliper piston moves in and out freely and the guide pins are in good shape and lubed up correctly.