Squealing, screeching, screaming brake help needed.

///Mink

I can't take this any more. I have done about a zillion brake jobs in my life and I have never had more difficulty than my '74 coupe is giving me. The brakes on this Ghia don't squeal, they scream. It's practically deafening. In my attempts to fix it, I've done the following:

1. Bought new organic pads from Napa.
2. Used blue Permatex disc brake quiet on the backs of the pads (and allowed it to dry overnight)
3. Removed the rotors and sanded the faces down to perfection with 40 grit discs on my DA.
4. Beveled the edges of the new pads with a file.
5. Bent the anti-rattle clips to have more tension.
6. Used caliper grease on the edges of the pads where they touch the caliper and on the clips, pins, etc.
7. Bedded the new pads in with a few high-speed stops with cool-downs in between.

After doing all of these things, I've actually made it worse! I feel sorry for people in other cars or on the sidewalk - it's that bad. Has anyone else had this much difficulty with them??

crocteau

Tom, that's an impressive list of things you've tried. You know more about brakes than I do, but if your calipers/pistons are in good shape and aren't dragging then you might look into pads with a different composition. I suspect various compositions are available, since I read about the owner of a racing Ghia trying various pads to find the best composition for his application. Just some thoughts. Good luck.
Charley

poorpaul · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:13 am Post subject: notching pads

Pretty frustrating for sure. One thing we used to do with Jag pads was to cut a groove across the pad material. Some folk put it across the length, some the width, and some made two diagonals about 20 degrees beginning from a point at the inner center. I've also seen some pads that had a piece of brass embedded into a similar groove.

70 140 · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:36 am Post subject:

I would guess it is the pad compound, try another pad that isn't made by the same manufacturer. I have had this problem with my Volvo, it is enough to make you insane - pulling the calipers and pads apart 25 times....

///Mink · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:05 am Post subject:

Well, I'm currently on the second set of pads - the first were semi-metallic, the newest ones are organic. They both screeched like crazy. But if anyone has a particular brand of pad they've had luck with, I'm all ears.

Interesting idea about the groove. The new pads have a vertical groove pre-cut in them. Maybe I will try a diagonal one, too. What have I go to lose?

'73spr-DUNG-btl · Samba Member Joined: September 13, 2006 Posts: 249

I'm having the same troubles with my '74

brent bousman · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:03 am Post subject:

I never had any luck with different types of aftermarket disc brake quiet.

Which calipers are you using? I have seen 2 different metal backs for ATE and Varga that fit between the pad and the piston. Are you using these?

///Mink · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:07 am Post subject:

brent bousman · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:16 am Post subject:

I'm not familiar with the Girling calipers. The ATE has a metal plate that fits over part of the piston (held by the piston)and the Varga has a square metal piece that fits over the whole piston (held by a wire on the top of the pad). Do you know if the Girling had a stock plate behind the pad?

My guess is your squealing is your pad rubbing (vibrating) against the piston or the brake caliper somewhere.

70 140 · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:33 am Post subject:

The new Varga calipers come with pads and are $70-ish a side....

I don't know what else you would try Tom; switched pads, resurfaced rotors, adhesives, etc, etc... sounds like you have tried all the tricks.

///Mink · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:48 am Post subject:

70 140 · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:53 am Post subject:

///Mink · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:02 am Post subject:

///Mink · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 8:19 pm Post subject:

Well, you can add #8 to the list: Fabricated some half-shims to force the trailing edge of the pad to contact the rotor first. No change.

:2gunfire: Red Ghia

thom · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 8:26 pm Post subject:

Well, I have a set of 993TT fronts you could swap in...
_________________
-Thom
1956 Single Cab
1957 Porsche 356A Sunroof
1957 23-Window Deluxe
1957 Mercedes Westfalia single cab
1963 Unimog 404
1965 E-Type

///Mink · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 8:27 pm Post subject:

thom · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 8:40 pm Post subject:

///Mink · Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:59 pm Post subject:

Just wanted to resurrect this thread with a little more information. Since I originally posted, I've put about 400 miles on the car and the squeal is about 95% gone. I guess the new pads and "resurfaced" rotors finally mated up and quieted down. Kinda like a lot of new marriages. Very Happy

I think my hearing damage was permanent, however.

mr matt · Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:05 am Post subject:

I'm kinda going through what you did on my super beetle w disc brakes.
I just replaced the disc pads & now
I also feel sorry for the people around me, even the people in other cars - hah, the worst of it is going through a tunnel an applying the brakes, the tunnel acts like a megaphone - it is unbelivable! I;m surprised people are not dropping down, passing out from the sound........

I will try some of the things you attempted above,
someone mentioned to me, that this will happen unless you cut the rotors a bit - I dont want to do that, so I will sand the heck out of them to remove the glaze and put in a new pattern.

Funny how the first time I put the disc brake system on my superbeetle, they never squealed.......which makes me tend to think cutting would solve the prob -

either that, or a lot of time for the brakes to mate to the rotor.......

Matt

74Pepper · Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:53 am Post subject:

He-he...he said "mate"..... Wink


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Squealing, screeching, screaming brake help needed.
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