Brake Rotor: cause of brake noise?

[The Critic]

Few brake questions again.

First, what is the best way of isolating the source of brake noise? I've always thought that my brake squeal came from the front (and the rear), but after sitting in the back seat today, it seems as though the noise is much louder in the rear..but I'm not 100% sure. How do I confirm?

Second, can a warped rotor cause brake squealing? I ask because my brakes were quiet for a few thousand miles after the brake job, then the noise developed. This makes me think that the noise is related to "wear" in some manner...not the lack of lube on the shims. In addition, the rear rotors took several "cycles" on the bench lathe to restore them back to serviceable condition. Note: prior to resurfacing the rotors, NO brake pedal vibration was noticed.

Third, can I have a warped rotor, yet not feel any vibration from the brake pedal?

Thanks.

 

[psudaytona]

Recently my brakes developed a high pitch squeal only when I had them lightly applied, I thought warped rotor as well. When I pulled them they didn't seem warped at all, BUT the back side had some serious amounts of pitting. I was told that pitting would NOT cause the sound, but I swapped in new ones anyways. The sound was instantly gone.

 

[BobXRC]

I don't know why, but on a Dodge Neon I had 10 years ago, the squealing would start in few thousand miles. I took a garden hose to the wheels. It was the rear rotors. Noise would go away for another thousand miles after flushing them good and getting dirt out. Dealer did a trick with taking off the edge on the pads, sort of a chamfer. That worked for about 5K, probably got an edge again.

Only one that Dodge did I ever have rotor noise. Anyway, Neon blew its head after than....

 

[onion]

The wife's '01 Lumina makes lots of brake noise... but only when it's humid out. The front rotors have a surprising amount of rust pitting, and I assume that's the cause. The pads look new, though... so it's gonna squeak for a LONG time before I get around to fixing it.

 

[The Critic]

I have about 13k miles on the pads, but the noise is driving me nuts.

Rust isn't that common here in Sacramento...we don't have any salt on the roads here in the winter. It doesn't snow here...

 

[mechtech2]

The squeal is generally from the pads vibrating.
Use some anti brake squeal sauce on the pads, even if it has shims. Use a little on both sides, since you have a problem. Lubes don't do much good to stop squealing.
I am not a fan of cutting rotors nowadays. Sure, you can have a little warping without feeling it.
But dive into the pads and sauce them up, and you'll be fine.

 

[kgb007stb]

Yup, when my Saturn brakes started squeaking, which I assumed was due to uneven wear or small vibrations that I could not feel I took it to the back roads on a Sunday morning to run a couple of hard brake runs followed by a longer drive to cool off the brakes. After several repetitions the small uneven wear must have been corrected as I did not hear any noise after wards. If this does not work, then you will need to apply some anti-squeak chemicals to your brake pads.

There are lots of open roads around the Sac area,

I just hate waking up early on Sunday mornings.

 

[RH+G]

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In addition, the rear rotors took several "cycles" on the bench lathe to restore them back to serviceable condition. Note: prior to resurfacing the rotors, NO brake pedal vibration was noticed.

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That is the reasons why I beleive cuttiing rotors on most cars are a waste of time and money

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Third, can I have a warped rotor, yet not feel any vibration from the brake pedal?

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Yes. If the rotors are warped and are in the rear then you probaly wont feel them
Did you put lube on the shims? Did you lube the sliding pins on the caliper? Were the rear rotors solid or vented?

 

[The Critic]

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Did you put lube on the shims?

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No. I wonder if my problem is related to lube at all. The brakes were quiet for a few thousand miles after the brake job. If it was lube related, wouldn't the brakes begin making noise almost immediately?

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Did you lube the sliding pins on the caliper?

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Yes.

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Were the rear rotors solid or vented?

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Solid I think.

 

[RH+G]

What kind of pads? Did they have built in shims on them? I never cut solid rotors. They never have enough material on them to warrant cutting once they are warped IMO.

 

[The Critic]

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What kind of pads? Did they have built in shims on them? I never cut solid rotors. They never have enough material on them to warrant cutting once they are warped IMO.

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Duralast Gold. $29.95/axle. They are ceramic in the front and semi-metallic in the back. Both sets of pads were shimmed.

Remember, both the front and rear remained quiet for the first few thousand miles after the job. The front has stayed quiet (at least I think), the rear has not.

 

[moribundman]

Duralast? So the squealing is going to last a long time? Next time buy the DuraQuiet pads.

 

[The Critic]

Speaking of new pads and rotors, I'm considering a set of ATE PremiumOne Slotted Rotors mated to Akebono ProACT brake pads. Does anyone have experience with these rotors and their quality, say, compared to Brembo OEM replacements? Price of the ATE rotors is only $20/axle more than the Brembo OEM replacements.

 

[Steve S]

Squealing usually is caused by the pads being loose in the calipers .

 

[moribundman]

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Speaking of new pads and rotors, I'm considering a set of ATE PremiumOne Slotted Rotors mated to Akebono ProACT brake pads. Does anyone have experience with these rotors and their quality, say, compared to Brembo OEM replacements? Price of the ATE rotors is only $20/axle more than the Brembo OEM replacements.

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I have been using the elliptically slotted ATE Power Disks (now called Premium One) for years and I like them. I use them with the OEM ATE pads and have no issues with noisy brakes. I very rarely get a squeak (sounds like some pipsqeak dog). I go for weeks without hearing any annoying brake noise. Can't make guesses about your suggested disc/pad combo, and please keep in mind my pads are shimless.

By the way, my front brake is due for replacement within the next two months, so there will be pictures.

 

[The Critic]

How many miles are you going in between brake jobs?

Are you always replacing pads and rotors at the same time?

 

[moribundman]

Well, the front rotors and pads used to last over 50k miles, but my driving habits have changed dramatically over the past few years and now I get a little less out of them, mostly due to constant city driving (lots of braking) and some "fun times."

The rear brakes last about 75k miles. Pads and rotors get changed at the same time, because they wear at the same rate (which is another reason for me to not monkey around with different disk/pad combos). Front and rear brakes have never been due at the same time.

 

[RedDart]

Quote from The Critic: "Speaking of new pads and rotors, I'm considering a set of ATE PremiumOne Slotted Rotors mated to Akebono ProACT brake pads."

Please share your experiences if you go with this combination. I may end up getting rid of the Brembo OEM style rotor and Hawk ceramic pad combo I am running due to frequent squealing.

 

[RH+G]

Either the sliding pins are freezing up or the rotor surface is wasted. I have used the Pro-ACT ceramics. They are nice pads. Quiet and stop well. I wouldnt waste the extra money on slotted or crossdrilled rotors. They dont help the braking they just look nice. Also check out the Axxis Ultimates similiar with better stopping power.

 

[RH+G]

The hawks are a more aggressive pad that make more noise of peoples car due to improper bedding or not heating them up enough while braking.