I have a 57 Pontiac with disk brakes in front and drum brakes in back. In the last 2 years I have spent over 2k trying to fix these brakes and I'm ready to take this 100k car to Mexico or burn it down. Nobody can stop the squeaky brakes. I have taken it in eight times or more now and everything has been replaced 2 or more times. I get new parts all the time. Four different guys have tried to fix this. They have put on new pads over and over, it doesn't help. What's going on? Please help or see this car on TV burn.
By George
Goodness, George, please don't burn your 57 Pontiac! Those cars are wonderful. (I love old cars, too.) Perhaps you should ask your question of one of the call-in radio or TV shows that feature expert auto mechanics (unfortunately I can't remember the names of them, but maybe another ThriftyFun member can help.) If you belong to an old car club, maybe someone there can help you.
I understand your frustration, but there must be a reasonable answer. When I had brakes replaced on my 1990 Pontiac wagon, they squeaked afterward, & the mechanic told me it happens for a while when they're new, but goes away after driving a while; he was right. Maybe you haven't "driven off" the squeaking, because it's a classic car that you don't drive that much? In any case, find a pro to help you, and please don't burn the car!
You might try going to google.com and typing in "why do brakes squeal." There are several answers that may help you find a solution.
I read your problem to my husband and said to try softer lining. See if that works.
Try grinding the pads to a bevel on the edges. Make sure you use grease on the pins
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I have just moved from living on a dirt road. My brakes are squeaking when I am driving and stopping my vehicle. Do I need to have a flush done on them? I need to get ready for winter, and I don't want to worry about my brakes. They have had a flush at the beginning of springtime. How many flushes can you have for a set of brakes?
By LJC
Have those brakes checked at a reputable and trustworthy garage. Squeaky brakes can be trying to tell you all kinds of things, none of them any good. You could have worn pads, or low on brake fluid (try looking it up in your owner manual, if yours is lost, Google your make and model, you can usually download the manual for free from the manufacturer website).
Good luck, and good thinking for knowing you need to do something now rather than during the winter weather!
Your brake shoes probably are worn out and need to be replaced. My car manual states that when the brakes start squealing when you apply them, they are needing to have the shoes replaced. For safety's sake, have them checked out by a reputable garage.
What on earth do you mean by having your brakes "flushed"? I have been driving vehicles for 40 years, and I am sure I have never had that done.
Okay, so I just googled "flushing brakes" which means replacing the brake fluid with all new fluid. The site I read this on recommended having this done every 30,000 miles. You have this done on ABS braking systems.
I have fairly new brake pads, about 4 months old. I checked and they are still good. Now I have a squeaking noise when I put on the brakes and also, there is a lot of brake dust all over the pads, tires, etc. What is the cause and what should I do to fix this? Thanks for any suggestion.
By marvin from San Antonio, TX
Did all of the brakes get to be replaced? Or just the fronts or rears? I would check the brakes that weren't replaced first. Was a compound used between the new pads and caliper used to quiet the brakes?
I don't know if this helps, but I live at the beach & the road in and out is sand. My brakes get sand on them & often squeak.
My husband is a retired master mechanic and he said that your back brakes are not holding and just your front ones are. He said evidently your wheel cylinders are possibly bad.
I have had this problem with high performance brakes. Shims or not they will still sometimes squeal especially when backing up. Answer, remove the pads, lube the back of the pad with brake grease, place a piece of duct tape on the back of the pad and reinstall, no more squeal. I am not sure how long it will last but I have had some very fast cars run many hard miles braking at top speed without a sound. I have done the same with my Lexus and Merc's with positive results.
My back brakes squeak when I start driving forward. Then it goes away; braking is okay. Everything is new; drums, springs, shoes, and emergency brakes are OK. This is a 2007 Ford Ranger.
By Yogi
Brakes will sometimes squeak when applying the brakes but not when driving forward. They need to be looked at. And do not let the garage get away with applying a non squeak spray for brake pads.
New pads and discs were fitted to my Toyota recently, the noise got gradually worse over the next few weeks, I took the car back to mechanic and he applied some sort of liquid. The noise stopped, but after the next few days; it returned. Any ideas?
By Trevor
There are many reason for your brakes to squeal. Go to google.com and type in "causes of squealing brakes." There will be many sites to look at for the reasons of squealing brakes. What the mechanic did was to spray the brakes with a product to reduce the squeal. It is only a temporary fix as you have found out. You have to go back and insist on a quality repair job.
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My brakes squeak when I am backing up. The ones that are squeaking are the front pads, how can I fix this?
