2004 Honda CRV. Changed front rotors and pads about 2 months ago. rotors are raybestos and pads are akebono. no shims on the new pads. also installed new aftermarket brake pad clips. lubed the slider pins and greased the clips. everything went back together fine. noticed that when i go over bumps or expansion joints i hear a rattle coming from the front brakes, like something is loose. the rattle goes away when the brakes are engaged. any ideas? could the pads be slightly out of spec? could it be the lack of shims on the new pads? or the aftermarket pad clips? my simple mind is stumped.
Rattling Brakes when going over bumps
- Thread starter Quakish
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Did you get all of the caliper and bracket bolts tight? I did the brakes on my 04 civic recently and took a short drive with loose bolts on the caliper or bracket and it made an awful racket. Also check the lug nuts.
Previous pads were Wagner thermoquiets with no (integrated) shims and they had no unusual rattles.
Previous pads were Wagner thermoquiets with no (integrated) shims and they had no unusual rattles.
The springs/clips that hold the pads could have moved or simply broken. Stuff happens. Take em apart and look.
Miles on that CR-V? The bracket which holds the pads' ears can wear.
That is what the anti-vibration shims are for. I doubt you can fix the noise without the shims. You might want to apply some aftermarket noise suppressing paste on the back side of the pads. Canadian Tire should have it.
Originally Posted By: Warstud
I would think Akebono Pads would fit like OEM's but it sounds like there loose to me.
Same. I thought they fit every application perfectly and released a lemon scent when you applied the brakes.
I would think Akebono Pads would fit like OEM's but it sounds like there loose to me.
Same. I thought they fit every application perfectly and released a lemon scent when you applied the brakes.
Pads are a funny beast today. They used to fit in the clips but lately seem mostly too tight in my experience. Grinding them a tad is sometimes needed or they bind . You never know what you’re getting these days it seems so grab them wiggle and see. If they’re too loose take them back.
One other thought is the caliper assembly itself. Is it meaning the puck sticking ? You’ll likely never be able to answer that question either . An 04 is long in the tooth in the rust belt and those puppies swim in that [censored] constantly. The front caliper on my 2000 GMC rotted right through in 2013! Figure that one out, I can’t.. If the clips don’t seem visually loose you might try just replacing them with refurb calipers and be done with it.
I started doing that a while back whenever I started having post 100k mile brake issues, normally faster than expected wear on pads and it’s always served me well. A rebuild kit costs nearly as much as the whole assembly so don’t bother honing just replace and be happy. Probably $120 for both sides max more like 75 IIRC. Don’t chuck your cores as they want em back for rebuilding. Since they’re off it’s an opportunity to swap out the brake fluid as well which is a good idea at that age.
One other thought is the caliper assembly itself. Is it meaning the puck sticking ? You’ll likely never be able to answer that question either . An 04 is long in the tooth in the rust belt and those puppies swim in that [censored] constantly. The front caliper on my 2000 GMC rotted right through in 2013! Figure that one out, I can’t.. If the clips don’t seem visually loose you might try just replacing them with refurb calipers and be done with it.
I started doing that a while back whenever I started having post 100k mile brake issues, normally faster than expected wear on pads and it’s always served me well. A rebuild kit costs nearly as much as the whole assembly so don’t bother honing just replace and be happy. Probably $120 for both sides max more like 75 IIRC. Don’t chuck your cores as they want em back for rebuilding. Since they’re off it’s an opportunity to swap out the brake fluid as well which is a good idea at that age.
Kestas
Staff member
I had a 90 LeBaron that did that. The ears of the pad backing wore divots in the caliper that was not taken up by the anti rattle clips. The only fix - which I never did - was to weld metal to build up the surface again.
Put some of this sauce on the back of the pads, let dry 20 min and reinstall. This will stop the rattle.
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/crc-...mp;gclsrc=aw.ds
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/crc-...mp;gclsrc=aw.ds
Kestas
Staff member
It won't work if the pad is loose in the caliper. It didn't work on my 90 LeBaron.
Unless something is actually broken, it might not be anything to worry about.
It's the callipers rattling on the brackets. They don't grip the rotors tightly (otherwise your brakes would be on all the time) and are supposed to slide freely so there is always some play. Most installations use some kind of anti-rattle mechanism but if they are missing (even inadvertently) the brakes will work exactly the same; it's not really a fault condition, it's just an annoyance condition.
You can go in and fix it, or not, as you see fit. Some brake setups don't have an OEM anti-rattle mechanism, but replacement pads usually come with something you can use on replacement.
It's the callipers rattling on the brackets. They don't grip the rotors tightly (otherwise your brakes would be on all the time) and are supposed to slide freely so there is always some play. Most installations use some kind of anti-rattle mechanism but if they are missing (even inadvertently) the brakes will work exactly the same; it's not really a fault condition, it's just an annoyance condition.
You can go in and fix it, or not, as you see fit. Some brake setups don't have an OEM anti-rattle mechanism, but replacement pads usually come with something you can use on replacement.
How do you know that it's the brake pads?
Originally Posted By: Kestas
It won't work if the pad is loose in the caliper. It didn't work on my 90 LeBaron.
If the pads are very loose that it wont there is something really wrong with the fitment of the pads and probably should be replaced. It will prevent slight movement but its not going to stop a marble in a can.
It won't work if the pad is loose in the caliper. It didn't work on my 90 LeBaron.
If the pads are very loose that it wont there is something really wrong with the fitment of the pads and probably should be replaced. It will prevent slight movement but its not going to stop a marble in a can.
Thanks everyone for the responses, I appreciate the tips. the akebono pads replaced wagner thermo quiets which lasted a long time and did not make a sound. I'll try and get some shims for the pads and see if that helps. if the shims don't help i'll probably just get a new set of pads and shims - they are not that expensive.
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