The front brakes on my 97 4x4 are squealing and I've -

changed the pads and rotors

inspected the caliper pins

tried grease and no grease on the pins and slides

changed the pads again

I used Permatex brake quiet on both sets of pads... one guy suggested removing that. I find it hard to believe that a company as reputable as Permatex would put out an inferior product but I tried to remove as much as possible today... still squealing.

A search on this forum only produced a couple of suggestions... washing more frequently and trying a different brand of pads. Any other suggestions?


Tom

 

You can try sanding down the pads and rotors to remove any glaze on them......while wearing a dust mask of course
You can also try chamferring the ends of the pads with a file.....while wearing a dust mask of course
That may help for a while but usually you have to change the pads to cure it. Sometimes cheaper (softer) pads are quieter although they might not last as long as better ones.
I dont like using any anti-squeel stuff on the pads. It might seem to help for a while but then it seems to make it worse.
What kind of grease did you use on the slides and pads?
Ford recommends their dielectric /caliper slide grease.

 

I talked to a parts guy @ one of the local Ford dealers and he mentioned the 'redesigned' pads with the beveled edges. The new ones that I put on it had that. I'm thinking I'm going to have to go to a different pad.

I've never used it before and never had any troule before. I was trying to do this job 'right'... will never use it again. Unfortunately I have a whole can of it still. :(

I used a high temp wheel bearing grease. It didn't seem to be breaking down but it was attracting brake dust.

 

I had the same problem on my 97, and I switched to a different brand of pad. I used Bendix premium pads, the ones with Titanium in them, and they worked great. No sanding, filing or greasing was needed, and they feel much better than the OEM ones.

 

I had the squeeking problem on one of my trucks. I checked everything. The pads were thick, and everything else looked good, so I asked a local tire shop guy. He told me to go out and get it up to about 45mph, then lock up the brakes. Apparently this gets rid of the shiny finish. I did it, and no more squeek.

 

What kind of pads are you using? Usually the el cheapo ones make some sort of noise. I've had good luck with the Pep Boys midrange pads and the high end raybestos quiet stops.

I've got this brake squeal stuff from Pep Boys - it's great. It comes in a little red bottle - the stuff is the consistency of toothpaste. I cover the back of the pads with it, then put on the backings, then cover the backings with it. No noise whatsoever - since the stuff is kinda rubbery, there's no way the pads can vibrate.

XXL

 

Well it's been about three weeks now... I think it's safe to say that it's fixed. I switched from AutoZone's entry level pad to the next level up and didn't put -anything- on them. So far so good. No way to tell now if it was the brake quiet or the pad material but I'm betting it was the pads.


Tom

 

Dry dusty conditions make my wifes expy squeal the breaks, even with the premium bendix pads. One good hard brake takes care of it for a while. Or one good rain, but those are hard to come by any more.

Tony Warren
Nebraska

 

I've heard that from several other people but I believe ours was more severe. I could wash out the brake area real good, and it might not squeal the first stop. Also tried the 'hard stop' approach to knock off the glaze. That never seemed to help at all.

With the new pads, no noise anytime (so far!).

 

Since this last posting have you had any more problems with your brakes? I have the same problem with my '01 Expedition. The front brakes are very annoying. Squeak every time you step on the brakes. If you push harder the squeak stops.

I had it looked at by both the used car dealer I bought the vehicle from (they put new front brake pads on before I bought it) and a local tire shop. Tire shop did an "anti-squeak" fix on them, but it didn't last very long, about two weeks. They said the pads look quite new and in good shape. I'm guessing the dealer used a cheap pad material. I've heard about using ceramic pads, but don't know much about them. So I'm looking to use the same one's you ended up with, if they are still working fine.

 

Still working great.... even with no anti-squeak. Ours had new pads on it when we got it also... I guess most dealerships use the cheap pads.

Just to clarify, AutoZone was out of the ceramics when I went so I got the next step down.

 

Back in the Fall of '97 I replaced the perfectly good stock pads on my Expy for better performance in competition and other severe use under extreme conditions, with Porterfield Brake's Kevlar/carbon brake pads, Model R4S (see www.porterfieldbrakes.com).

I get about 50 to 60K miles from them front, and 80-90K miles rear. They never have squealed or had a dust problem. I've never had to turn the rotors or make other adjustments at all, even though I drive 2-3K miles per year off the pavement in gravel and sand. I now have 112K miles on these pads and can't imagine anyting better in cold or hot, wet or dry, red hot rotor race conditions or just idling around town. The brake feel is always the same, regardless. They have not faded on steep downhills wiht heavy loads. They are worth every penny. $89 front pair, $79 rear.
Like when I choose tires, I want the best in brakes, not what's on sale or popular.
Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for all of your inputs. I'll look into both options. At this point $$ is no object. Just really getting tired of the squeak.

 

tsdrallyer,
I tried your link, no go. But this one worked
http://www.porterfield-brakes.com
My pads are fine, but they squeal, I will check out Porterfield brakes.