Hi I have a Nissan Sentra GXE 1997 and I installed new disk and new brake pads. The car was okay for about two months but then they started to squeak when I went in reverse then it does it when i aplly the brak at any time. I put the grase and it doesn't work. Please Help!!!!!
I just did my truck a few days ago, and no squeak, so far, with AutoZone pads (Albany). I was told that it was important to apply the grease to every touching surface before putting the parts together or some surfaces wouldn't be coated. I coated not only both sides of each shim but also the corners and sides of the backing plates and the retaining spring clips with very thin layers. I used aluminum-based grease (CRC/Sta-lube brand "Disk Brake Grease" from Pep Boys) instead of the much more common lithium-based kind because
formatting link
said it was far more water resistant. I also noticed that this grease was a lot stiffer than other types and didn't separate as much (I had a tiny bit left from a very, very old can, and not a trace of separated oil in it).
I used $24.95 AutoZone (Albany) pads on mine. What's wrong with them? Consumer Reports found them to be as good as OEM (they didn't test Nissan but Ford and Honda). Stops are fine, and no squeaks.
OTOH I don't think I'll be getting rebuilt parts from AutoZone because when I was there, two customers were returning alternators bought only a few weeks prior.
So you had a positive experience with their parts, consumer reports reported favorably, but still won't buy any more parts from them. I guess that makes sense.
As a former auto parts pusher some points to ponder (I enjoyed most customers but there were some that were so frustrating, partially contributing to my exit from the biz. )
Do you have any idea how many people buy parts and have absolutely no idea what in the world they are doing? They should barely be driving much less working on machinery. They can't be told how to do what they are trying to do, or they'll find out a new way to mess something up, and often their "mechanic" is someone they know with a pair of pliers and a screwdriver...and the more they think they know, the more dangerous they are. I would try to help, but you couldn't tell them
*everything*, it would take hours!
Things I've seen with alternators:
Didn't disconnect battery wile installing (can fry the alternator, or blow a fuse, they want a refund)
2 Didn't charge the battery if its dead while changing the alternator (alternator won't work or burns itself out trying charge a dead battery, alternators don't work that way) they want a refund
Have an electrical system that looks like it was attacked by a rabid animal, the alternator was the last thing they bought, it has a warranty, so they want a refund.
Decided to "test" the alternator by disconnecting the battery cable while the engine was running (*some* cars this won't damage the alt., often, though, it fries the diodes in the alt, and/or other things in the system. Even if the car cuts off it doesn't test anything.) They want a refund.
Decided to save a few bucks and not replace the old, shiny, cracked belt and/or decided that belt tension wasn't that important ("my alternator light goes on every time I go trough a puddle, I want a refund") or it's so tight you could play a song on it (destroys the bearings, they want a refund.)
Bring an alternator back with oil pouring out of it because their front seal is bad, they want a refund.
The part didn't fix their problem, which was something else anyway, so now the part is "bad", they want a refund.
Engine locked up or car is wrecked so now everything on the car with a warranty is "bad" and is being brought back for a refund.
Have a completely unrelated problem, but since the alternator was the last thing they put on, they want a refund.
Has an ear broken off or a cracked case where they dropped it ("no, it came in the box that way" even though there are bits of asphalt embedded in the side) they want a refund
Thought something might be wrong with it(?), so they disassembled it, not sure what they were looking for, can't get it back together, they want a refund.
...all these and more happened to me. But, yes, sometimes new parts do go bad within a few weeks because of manufacturer defect, but not nearly as often as by purchaser abuse or poor installation, by my personal experience.
Needless to say, similar things happened with other parts. Oh well, I'm a customer now.
In regards to alternators, a friend once told me the rebuilt ones recieve new windings, etc, but the diodes are not changed if the unit fires up after being rebuilt. I went through three rebuilt in my old Nissan720 that the diodes crapped after a month or two...Picked up a used at a Junk Yard and it lasted for years and was going strong when I traded the truck in...
Like everything, it depends on the remanufacturer, and of course there are always anecdotal tales of woe. However I think it would be impractical on an assembly line setting to wait until after the alternator was completely rebuilt to check the diodes. I know on the cheapie ones we carried some parts were tested, and possibly reused if they passed, before reusage, some parts were always replaced (brushes bearings/bushings.) On the more expensive line, *everything* was replaced. Ya gets what ya pay for! I too have taken the junkyard route with many successes and some failures. Luckily the one near me will back their preowned parts! (Very Important)
Isn't it a lot, lot cheaper to change the diodes than the windings? I saw some alternator rebuilding kits at Pep Boys, and they all contained a new front bearing, brushes, voltage regulator, and diodes. But I've also seen rebuilt alternators where the original windings were probably just coated with new varnish (blue instead of clear).
I've never gotten a straight answer from any rebuilder on eactly how they decide whether to retain or replace a part that hasn't failed completely. All they say is that they "thoroughly inspect" everything, and while it seems that the brushes are always replaced, some companies admit to reusing the old bearings. :(
I had positive experience with their brand new parts, not their rebuilts. In my case the rebuilt wasn't an alternator but a master cylinder that could not have passed inspection, due to the 1/4" of metal chipped out where the metal reservior fit against the metal top, allowing fluid to spill out every time the car would have accelerated, stopped, or turned.
A decent rebuild shop/rewinders will replace teh diodes as well. I had an alternator rewound in South Africa after I fried it (something to do with running a 2000Watt sound system) and they managed to upgrade the alternator for me as well - it lasted years with never a problem and was still going strong when i sold the car.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.