SuperCoupe400

My brake pads (front) have been rubbing the rotors for some time now. I know it's normal for them to rest right on the surface of the rotors to limit travel when braking. But ever since I did my brakes months ago (rotors and pads), they've been rubbing to the point where it can be heard at idle speed (letting off the brake to coast down my driveway just out of the garage - or any other time I'm coasting at low speed).

I also hear a medium to load humming at highway speeds - which I thought for certain was my front wheel bearings. So I recently swapped those out and I'm still hearing the highway-speed humm. Maybe it's the rear bearings causing that noise. But that still won't resolve the brake pad issue.

I did notice, after having put the front brakes back together that I forgot to put the anti squeal clips back in. This couldn't possibly be the culprit could it? Those tiny things don't look like enough to hold the pads back from the rotors.

Can somebody shed some light on this for me?

Thanks

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

four possibilities...

1) you didn't put the pad spreaders back in, or back in right - not all cars have these, so they may be optional, however, our cars have them, so they might be necessary on ours (the paperclip sized looking v shaped springy thing)

2) your calipers are worn out - there is a square cut seal that is the basis of all brake design - the fact that the pads retract a few thousandths of an inch when you let off the brake is COMPLETELY due to this seal around the caliper piston...

3) the slides are stuck - our cars use a floating caliper design which means the caliper slides on two smooth metal pins (usually with delrin bushings on the ends) - if the caliper does not slide smoothly on this, then it is possible for it to get stuck and cause wear / dragging...

4) you have a bad or twisted or pinched brake line - brake line pressure when pedal effort is applied is upwards of 1000 psi - enough to push past a minor blockage - when you let off the pedal though, the only thing pushing fluid back towards the master cylinder is based on that square cut seal in the caliper, which doesn't have nearly as much force, through a kink, twist, or a clogged brake line, 1000 psi might go through, but the small amount of pressure going back may not be enough - thus not releasing the piston...


it's one of those four

SuperCoupe400

Thanks mitsu, I definately did not get the pad spreaders (#1) put back in. The calipers are relitavely new (replaced 2-yrs ago with rebuilts), so hopefully it's not the square cut seal you're refering to.

This helps.