Brakes Squeal

[jhauck]

Anyone have any experience with disc brake squealing.

My wife's '97 ES300 brakes squeal when coming to the last few feet of a stop, only when mild pressure is applied.

No squealing when heavy pressure, or at higher speeds, only just before the car comes to a stop.

Pads are only about 20% worn and the wear indicators are not touching (not that kind of a sound anyway).

Tried spraying everything with brake cleaner, no help.

I told her that this is probably normal as they are probably semi-metallic pads clamping a steel rotor.

She still doesn't like it.

Only other thing I can do is pull the pads and put some disc brake "quiet" type lubricant between the pad and the piston.

If you roll to a stop light with your window rolled down, you notice many other car brakes squeal to a certain degree anyway.

Anyone want to help get my wife off my back? :chairshot:

Jeff Hauck

Gresham, OR.

[es3doubleO]

Where were the pads replaced? Did you do them yourself? because some aftermarket pads do squeal and make some noise due to the material that they use.

[poneyboy]

Lexus pads also squeal. The only things you can do is get your rotors turned and put on new pads that don't squeal as much.

[SKperformance]

you may need to check if the brake pad shims where reinstalled

if not then it will squeal

[es3OO]

I own a 97 ES300 that had squealing brakes. I took it in for service and the mechanic told me that the shims were the cause of the squeal. Since my brake pads were >40% worn, i had the pads and the shims replaced. Now my car is as quiet as when i bought it. Verify that the shims are the cause of the squeal, then get them replaced.

[SKperformance]

shims usually don't need to be replaced as tehy are only a small peice of metal

that receive no wear or movements

the pads may have glazed causing the noise though