Brake noise--even after new pads (twice)

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mrdctaylor

mrdctaylor

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Jun 5, 2003
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McGregor TX
I just had the brakes done on my wife's 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. The guy replaced the pads (front and rear) and turned the rotors. He said there was enough material on the rotors.

After a week or two I noticed a fair amount of noise coming from the rear brakes. It was a squealing/squeaking type of sound. It only did this when the car was almost stopped. In other words, if I'm going 30mph and hit the brakes I get no noise. But as I slow when I am *almost* stopped, I get the noise.

I waited about 5-6 weeks and the noise never improved so I took it back to him and he heard it too. He cleaned everything up and replaced the pads again (he said he used different pads). Everything sounded great for a week or two and now I have the same thing going on. Every time I am almost to a stop I get a fair amount of noise from the rear.

Is there anything I can do for this myself? Can I take some brake cleaner and spray it through the wheel onto the brake components? Would that help anything? I'm not the most mechanical guy, so I'm looking for some guidance.

Thanks!
 
Spraying Brake Cleaner on it will only contaminate the pads.

Replace pads with Factory Pads, and have the Rotors cut with a Pro-Cut Brake Lathe.

Hope this helps, Jim

Edit: Make sure your Lug Nuts are properly torqued.
 
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Hmm. Ok, well I had after market pads on it before with no issues. Also, he did turn the rotors--of course I don't know what machine he used. I've used this guy several times--in fact, he just changed the brakes on my Toyota Tacoma with no issues. Thanks for the input.
 
Factory pads or Akebono preferred. Rotors need to be finished each time they are mated to new pads. At this point you may need new rotors (preferably not Chinese). Mechanic needs to make sure brakes are not dragging and overheating. You have probably been receiving inexpensive semi-metallic pads whereas ceramic pads may be able to help your concern if you are not too aggresive in your driving.
 
When I had this issue it was because the caliper wasn't sliding properly on the pins, and the holes were elongated...
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
With the Motorcraft pads they want a non directional finish on the rotors if they are cut and they want them cleaned with warm soapy water.


Applies to all. Any machined rotor that is not cleaned off(brake cleaner DOES NOT count) will embed new brake pad material with metal.
 
Originally Posted By: ComfyShorts
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
With the Motorcraft pads they want a non directional finish on the rotors if they are cut and they want them cleaned with warm soapy water.


Applies to all. Any machined rotor that is not cleaned off(brake cleaner DOES NOT count) will embed new brake pad material with metal.


I have actually had Ford reject submitted warranty replacement Motorcraft pads that were replaced for noise because they made no noise on a properly prepared test rotor.
 
It may not be the brake material but the metal to metal contact of the surfaces rubbing together.A coat of some type of brake squeal stop might be what is needed,especially since it happens at low speed.
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Originally Posted By: ComfyShorts
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
With the Motorcraft pads they want a non directional finish on the rotors if they are cut and they want them cleaned with warm soapy water.


Applies to all. Any machined rotor that is not cleaned off(brake cleaner DOES NOT count) will embed new brake pad material with metal.


I have actually had Ford reject submitted warranty replacement Motorcraft pads that were replaced for noise because they made no noise on a properly prepared test rotor.


Slightly off topic but what is Fords stance on on-car lathes vs bench ones for rotor resurfacing?
 
^I would think most OEMs require on-the-vehicle resurfacing to eliminate rotor runout.

Hyundais, like a lot of Asian imports, use a multi-piece shim on their factory pads that the aftermarket pads do not contain. Some of those applications may be really sensitive to having the correct shim, which may be why the aftermarket pads are giving you noise problems.

I would just replace the pads with a set of pads and a new shim kit from the dealer. Also check if the clips that sit on the caliper bracket need replacing.
 
Alright, last guess!

Since all 4 rotors had been removed, could it be that the parking brake shoes beneath the rotor hats are rubbing slightly?

I have had this happen to some vehicles after removing the rear rotors for lathe turning or replacement. Maybe the rear rotors need to be removed in order to clean/adjust the parking brake shoes. Probably need to back off the shoes just a bit.
 
Can that anti-squeal stuff be applied while the brake pad is on the car or does it have to be removed? I'm just wondering if there's a way I can easily try this without disassembling the brakes.
 
Lots of good ideas above. Who knows what the root cause is, they say that often the noise is the result of vibrations between the pad and caliper (maybe due to one of the many reasons mentioned above).

Applying a dampening compound to the pad backs is the "quick and dirty", cheapest thing you should try first. It might be a band aid fix to cover up one of the other problems. Pads need to be removed to do this.

Note that the CRC compound (Trav) states "For use on the back of non-shimmed disc pads." Many people ignore this and are successful, but believe what you choose. You can also apply a high solids moly paste lube on the pad back to get the same effect. Very thin coats with either product.

Good luck. Here's some reading material, scroll down to brake noise articles:
http://www.aa1car.com/library.htm
http://www.bendixbrakes.com/techCorner/faq.php
 
kinda went thru this on my jeep. relubed and regooped everything and the squeal was back in 1 week. put on new pads (Wagner TQ) and scuffed the surface of the rotors with a belt sander (the sander spun the rotors while sanding them...consistent. and knock-on-wood they are working great so far.

M
 
Originally Posted By: ComfyShorts
Slightly off topic but what is Fords stance on on-car lathes vs bench ones for rotor resurfacing?


Some vehicles we have to use on the car, such as the 04-09ish 2wd F150's where the rotor, hub and bearing are one piece giuant monstrosity. Other than than that, we use off the car. We actually have a Rotunda off the car lathe.
 
Originally Posted By: mrdctaylor
Can that anti-squeal stuff be applied while the brake pad is on the car or does it have to be removed? I'm just wondering if there's a way I can easily try this without disassembling the brakes.


Yes, you can apply brake lube on the back of the brakes, Remove the bottom bolt from the bottom of the caliper and raise up the caliper. Apply the brake lube to both brake pads(in/out) and reassemble. I like PERMATEX Brake lube for sliders and the backs of the pads. I like the Black lube in the white jar w/red label.
 
turn rotors each time. wash with soapy water. sounds to me like you guys took the blue pill. i was a machinist for 25 years, not automotive. aircraft. this deal about turning on the truck is hokum. ill bet i could turn one on and one off, that you couldnt tell the difference. one time i resrfaced a rotor on the car, didnt have a lathe, with a dotco by hand it turned out fine. cars are NOT rocket science.
 
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