Brakes: Wearing indicator question..

[mrpayner]

Heya..

OK.. i've got DBA slotteds up front with Bendix Ultimate pads.. just recently [read: inside the last week] the front passenger side has started to squeal like pr1mo being whipped by a leather-clad transvestite.. The squealing doesn't happen all the time, but it happens at various speeds and it's completely random. When i jab the brakes the noise disappears for a little bit, it could stay like that for the rest of my trip or it could come back within a kilometre down the road. I'm assuming that the pads are letting me know that they're getting close to being replaced, or [and i have only just thought about this as i've been typing] the brake fluid is shot and i need to replace..

Does that sound reasonable? I reckon i installed the DBA's and the Ultimates around 2 years ago, and i do brake rather spiritively into corners.. It's due for a service soon and i'll get them to look at it, but i'd like some peoples thoughts..

Cheers
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[Astro Boy]

Exactly the same thing happens with the ute, people only think pads can become glazzed, but discs can too, if they need it, machine them, or else just get some medium grit sand paper and go over it... While you're at it take the pads out and rub them on some roughish concrete for a bit too...

That's assuming its not the wear indicator, which it could well be...

[Ripper323]

The wear indicator is a small bit of metal that sticks out towards the rotor and when the pad gets low, it contacts the rotor. As the pads get lower it stays in contact and squeals all the time. Have a look through the top of the calipers and see if your pads are thin. If you've had them on for 2 years you'd expect them to be low, especially with a lot of spirited driving

[Cincinnatus]

you def want to do this asap, if it is the wear indicator, and you've kept driving with the squeeling noise, you've had a nice peice of steel rubbing at your expensive disc and making a lovely grove in it, thus farking it right up.

Moral of the story, CHECK THE GOD DAMNED DISC BEFORE YOU POTENTIALLY FARK IT FURTHER!!!!!

[jordy]

My brakes did that for a while, it would come on when I braked lightly but if I braked harder it would go away. It doesn't do it anymore though.

If it's the wear indicator it would be squealing all the time.

Edit: Whoops I thought you meant only when you're braking. If it's when you're not braking it's porbably a stone stuck in the metal shielding behind the disk, which also happened to me.... several times.

Take the wheel off and pry the shield away with a screw driver and see if a stone falls out.

[skitz]

um i don't know what the exact sound is but my car did it for a bit so i had the disc machined and in like 2 days the sound was back. Went back to the mechanic he said that "ever since they found out that asbestos was bad for us and removed it from the brakes problems like this started" he told me i could hunt around for ones with asbestos in them or put up with the noise. but again i don't know if the sound u r having is like what i had! mine would come and go too but in heavy braking i usually didnt hear it!

hope that helps and hope i wasn't bull****ed too!!!! lol happens a lot!

[skippy]

Dunno about everyone else but I never experienced problems like that and I have non asbestos pads.
I think there is another option to simply using illegal pads or putting up with sheriking everytime you break.

I think high performance pads do it more often then standard ones,
“anyone care to confirm or repute that??”

so you might have to sacrifice breaking performance for a bit of sanity.

[mrpayner]

Well, to be honest regardless of whether they're performance pads or not they've been in the car for 2 years approximately, so for them to just start squealing is a bit unusual. I'll have a look on the weekend at the pads and see what's going on..

Asbestos is bad, mmkay.. don't ever use them in your pads.. Think of the children!

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[jordy]

Turn you music up louder or rev the engine higher. You wont hear it.

[mrpayner]

HAH! well the only reason why i noticed it was because of the gap between tracks on the CD!

[mazdamanik]

its just the wear indicators....mine started in the front right, got all the pad took the wheel off only to find they were the wrong pads so i sawed the little metal flap of to stop it till i could get the riht pads....got the wheel on and the next morning the left side started, so i would say change ur pads and its all good, the reason for the noise starting and stoping is becaue the pads are so warn wen tehre is no pressure on the brake they can actually move a tinny bit left and right...which means somtimes the metals on the rotor and other times it no...u may notice if u turn a corner one way it will stop and if u turn another it will continue

[mrpayner]

Originally Posted by mazdamanik

u may notice if u turn a corner one way it will stop and if u turn another it will continue

Yep! Pretty much what was happening last night.. I'll be booking it in for a service next week sometime..

Cheers guys.
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