need help with grinding noise (pictures)

[friendly_jacek]

2006 V6 RAV4 with 51000 miles. It started recently, couple of weeks or 500 miles. Only one wheel affected.

The brakes looked OK last time I did tire rotation (and bled the brake lines too) and soon after, it started. Initially only on cold brakes low speed, now it's all the time, but low speeds. Brakes stop the car fine.

I took them apart and don't see anything major.
You can actually see a reflection in the rotors. Groves are only minimal and don't catch a finger. Pads are fairly smooth and only slightly uneven. Slid pins were well greased with thick silicone grease (grease removed for pictures). There is some wear on the pins.

Should I replace pads and/or slide oins or just leave it alone?

 

[Warstud]

Are you sure the grinding is from the brakes? I think I would put the vehicle on jack stands with the wheels off to verify where the grinding is coming from.

 

[eljefino]

It rarely looks any better than that for half-worn brakes. Maybe put some anti squeal goo on the backs of the pads?

I too wonder if it's something else like a wheel bearing or who knows what... hard to diagnose over the internet.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Positive it's brakes. Noise only when braking and proportionally to the braking force.
I goggled some more and some people use sandpaper to smooth surfaces. Maybe I should try that.

 

[Chris142]

You need brakes anyway.they are worn past the beveled edge and that's probly what you hear.

 

[friendly_jacek]

OK, I sanded the pads slightly and looks like I may have the glazed pads syndrome. Compare the sanded to non-sanded pads. I kind of thought they looked a bit too shiny but thought maybe due to them being ceramic (whatever that means).
Apparently that can cause brake noise. I do drive this SUV fairly hard for sure. Man, they put those 269HPs in it and I can't use them all?

 

[Rolla07]

Could be the pads wearing the rotors. Rotors look like they could use resurfacing..OEM pads or jobber? Jobbers might be agressive on the rotors.

 

[spk2000]

These look like semi metallic pads which often do grind. Ceramics are much quieter but if towing heavy loads the smei-mets may be needed. Semi-mets have a very abrasive function on the rotor that often sounds like grinding. Ceramics are much more gentle on the rotors and are considered frictional forces vs abrasive.

 

[FowVay]

RAV4's are notorious for wheel bearings going bad. Don't be surprised if you're looking at a $400 fix in the near future.

 

[friendly_jacek]

These are the OEM pads from factory. My understanding is they should be ceramic and they probably are as they generate little dust.

 

[friendly_jacek]

The 3rd generation has a few different recurring problems, but bearing failing at low miles is not one of them. Mine actually had both front bearings replaced fairly recently, but only because they were damaged when dealership replaced a tranny under warranty.

 

[hpb]

I'd throw a new set of pads in it anyway, as mentioned above, they've worn past the beveled edge and tend to get noisier from then on. And hey, they've gone 51,000 miles.

 

[friendly_jacek]

You are right, I should have replaced the pads alright. And I will. My problem is I like to know why.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Follow-up. No noise since the "fix." I don't expect it to last, but I learned a lot from it.

 

[hpb]

I don't know for sure either, but the brakes on my dad's '08 Corolla started getting noisy at around 40,000km, much the same as you described. The pads were around 60% worn. I took them out and chamfered the edges, deglazed the friction surface, put some anti-squeal goo on the backs, cleaned and greased the slide pins, and deglazed the rotors. It was good for a few thousand kilometers, then the noise came back, so at the 50,000km service, I put new Bendix pads in. Car is at nearly 90,000km now, still quiet. So, I'm guessing the Toyota pads are like some tyres, which start getting louder towards the end of their life. That's my best guess anyway!