I cannot figure out why my breaks are squealing so much / load. The truck is a ’02 F-350 PSD, CC, 4X4. When it started I replaced the rotors with Power Slots and installed Hawk pads. The noise stopped for a very short time, but is back as loud if not louder then ever. The pads looks fine, and there are no scratches on the rotors.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Rich

 

Couple of possible contributing factors & cures...

For starters make sure you put a thin layer of grease on the caliper pins to help the calipers slide. This is necessary when they clamp down during braking & then release.

Hit up your favorite auto store & pick up some disc brake squeal spray. It is usually in the neighborhood of belt dressing & the like. You will also want a can of brake cleaner, if you don't already have some. Pull the brakes back apart & clean everything with the brake cleaner & some nice, pristinely clean rags. (Clean rags are critical here. My rule of thumb is that if the rag is not clean enough to clean my windows, it isn't clean enough to touch my brakes.) Then use the brake squeal spray on the backside of the brake pads...following whatever application directions are on the can. This will help "glue" the pads into the caliper...minimizing their ability to shift within the small tolerances allowed within the caliper.

While you have the caliper off, clean both sides of the rotor with liberal amounts of brake cleaner & yet more clean rags. It's possible to have assembly oils and/or oils left from your own hands on the rotor. This will create areas on the rotor that are "lubricated". So, as the caliper clamps down, the pads will alternately hit areas that have more friction & then less friction.


If none of this works, you may want to keep an eye out for pads that include shims. I have not done a brake job on my F-250 yet, but back when I had a Dakota Quad Cab, I had an incessant brake squeal. The only cure was to buy pads that included the shims. On the stationary side, I would use the largest possible shims I could fit. On the moving pad, I would use the shims that provided the closest fit without inhibiting the pads ability to move when the brakes are applied & released. (I can picture it all in my head, but trying to explain it is a bit more difficult...)


And, as a side note, check out the following link. It speaks to a couple of ways to break-in your new brakes. It is a good write-up, and using it as a guideline, I've greatly increased my luck with new brakes.

http://www.shotimes.com/brakes/part1.html


Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

Thanks. I did grease the pins, but maybe they are binding. Usually when the squeel starts I can stop it by applying more pressure to the peddle.

 

Well I feel like a total idiot. Turns out the clunk I heard, was the rear break pad falling out. Needed rear rotors, and calipers. The squeel was acutally coming from the back, but for somereason I thought it was from the front. If I would have checked before bringing it in, it would have cost me a few hundred. Paying the shop it was $700.