My front brakes have been rattling while driving down the road. By lightly pressing the brakes the rattle goes away.
What to do? Well - I read a lot. Discovering I have bendix front brakes I was ready to replace the pads and rotors and get a pin kit. .
So, today I jacked up the front, pulled the wheels, loosened the bottom bolt on the bendix calipers and raised the calipers to release the pads. The pads had plenty of life and the rotors looked decent. What caught my eye was on the outboard pads it appeared the anti-squeal paste a.k.a "rubbery goo" was all AROUND the calipers on the pad, but not UNDERNEATH the calipers where they secure the pads. To me this meant just enough of a gap to cause a rattle.
I visited the local auto shop and bought a spray can of brake cleaner and 4 packets of anti-squeal paste (1 per pad per front wheel). I cleaned everything and used steel wool to clean the rotors. I rinsed it all with brake cleaner. I then inspected the pivot pins to make sure they were well greased. I inspected the boots to the pins and the cylinder boots as well.
I then applied the anti-squeal paste to the entire backside of the inboard pads and also to the outboard pads. I waited for the goo to dry a bit so it wouldn't drip. I then mounted the pads and set the calipers back in place. I then pushed the anti-rattle clips downward toward the pads to snug them. I secured the pins and then once again sprayed the rotors with brake cleaner while turning them to clean anything that might have gotten on the pads. They felt much more secure and tight.
I then remounted the wheels and took her for a drive to set the pads.
No more rattles.
No need for new pads
No new rotors until I replace all the front end bushings to see if my minor shimmy goes away.
No more $$$ for brakes for a good while.
Total cost: $5.00
:-)