99 OBW Brake squeal

Hi, I've recently replaced all the pads on my 99 OBW. I made sure to apply plenty of anti-squeal grease to the non-disk surfaces. I have also made sure the pads have plenty of float when in position in the calipers, so they don't stick anywhere. The problem I have is that the anti-squeal stuff works for a few hundred miles, but then the brakes squeal again while driving (no brakes applied). The noise will go away for a short while if I tap the brake pedal. It's not there all the time, either. It comes and goes as I drive. It seems to be coming more from the RR than anywhere else. I've also tried the adhesive stuff, but that's even worse. Any help would be appreciated.

Reply to
rd
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Were theses new pads OEM? The Mech at the Subaru Dealership said the OEM pads are the best at being quiet. He knew that I was going to buy on the web and do it myself, so he had nothing to gain, by lying to me...

Bill

Reply to
Bill Pelka

You could have a pebbel stuck behind the back plate or maybe the caliper slides are rusty/need lube.

Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

I used NAPA pads. I don't see how the brand of pad could make any difference since my problem occurs without the brakes being applied. It's sounds like the wear sensor is dragging, but I don't see any signs of uneven wear or scratching of the disk. The wear sensor is definitely below the level of the pad, so I doubt that can be the cause. Again, the noise occurs when there is no pressure on the pads, while moving. When I depress the brake pedal, even slightly, the noise stops for a while, then comes back.

Reply to
rd

The pads are skimming the surface of the disk - normal for disk brakes. The squeal is also more or less normal, but undesirable (duh!). That it disappears when you touch the brakes lightly is a strong indication that the brake pads are indeed the problem.

I agree that the pad material is the prime suspect. That said, you have entered the Twilight Zone known as brake squeal. A lot of factors figure into whether your disk brakes squeal or not, and getting it to stop is often an adventure. Short of replacing the pads with OEM, I have had most success with roughing up the pad surface. A light treatment with sandpaper is good, but the best thing I've found is beveling the edges of the friction material with a file. Obviously that is a temporary fix and the squeal will come back as the material wears, but a few months of blessed quiet is worth it to me ;-)

Reply to
Michael Pardee

That's your problem.

I tried a set of NAPA pads in the rear and they squeaked. I replaced them with genuine Subaru pads a couple of weeks ago and the problem is gone.

As far as I can tell, the NAPA pads are too hard. They seriously glazed the rotor, requiring a lot of sandpaper to break the glaze.

Stick with genuine Subaru pads.

Reply to
Jim Stewart

I have no experience with NAPA pads, but at

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there are some technical white papers worth reading about pad 'bedding in' and rotor 'warpage'.

just fyi

Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

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