I have noticed a squeaking sound that seems to correspond with the spinning of my driver side rear wheel. When I brake, it stops, but sometimes when driving it starts squeaking again, especially noticeable at lower speeds. I have Integra rear disc brakes on my 00 Civic, and Im thinking it may just be warped rotors, could this be it (Ill most likely be getting new ones anyway)? Also, yesterday, when putting on new wheels, I noticed that the rear wheels dont seem to turn smoothly and freely, is this a symptom of warped rotors or is there something else wrong here? If anyone has any idea, please let me know.

 

Thanks for the tips Teken, now I have a checklist of what to do, Ill admit I did not realize there could be that much involved here. The pads are fairly new, so I dont think they would be worn already, plus it would squeal when I brake only wouldnt it? Anyway, I suppose Ill have to get in there and find the problem for sure. As for the the piston bore siezing, how can I fix this if it is the cause?

 

I had that same problem. My pads delaminated from the metal backings. This doesnt mean there is a problem. The pads will just squeal a lot and knock when you hit a bump because they are loose. If it gets annoying enough, get some better pads that wont delaminate like EBC.

 

I just remembered, when I put the new pads in, I did not have the shims on them!! Would this do it? I did not use them because they were so rusted and crappy, I didnt think it would make a difference.

 

Did you grease the back of the pads? A lot of pads dont use shims, but if you didnt grease the back of the pads with the provided grease (OEM honda pads) or with some sort of anti squeal, the pads will give off a high pitched screech every time you use them.

If want to check your wheel bearing, jack the front of the car up and grab a wheel, try wiggling it around, if it shakes, then your wheel bearing is bad.

 

Thanks for all the advice Teken, I do happen to have a Helms manual. Since the pads are always slightly compressed, do you think it is possible they are compressed too much because of the parking brake needing adjustment. I have been looking at the diagrams of the piston bore, etc. and it does seem like a somewhat daunting task to remove and repair some of the stuff. I'm going to start by adjusting the parking brake, and if it persists Ill have to remove the calipers and poke around a bit. I will probably be calling my more knowledgeable friend for help. Again, thanks to everyone who responded, Im hoping I can learn a thing or two in the process of getting this thing fixed.

 

Will do, Teken, thanks for the guidance, I may actually just print these posts out and use them as a checklist!

 

Honda rear disc rotors have a tendacy to rust out rather quickly in the areas that do not come in contact with the brake pad, this rust "ridge" will create a low moaning groan sound (grinding).. but what you describe as a squeek(high pitched,nails on the chalkboard noise), I may describe as a groan and vice versa..

Semi metallic pads will also create a squeek (OEM as well as aftermarket).. if you want to diagnose a brake pad issue, then drive the car a couple hundred feet with the e-brake slightly applied.. this will distinquish if this is a pad concern if the noise goes away..

Also, the rear rotor/caliper assy. are not well protected from dirt and debris such as the front assy. Its is possible that a small pebble may have lodged itself in between the rotor and rotor backing plate creating such a noise...

 

Well, yesterday and today the noise has not been present...so who knows??

Earlier I did do some poking around. I adjusted the parking brake cable, so it is now definitely set correctly. While doing that, I did notice that the wheel would spin freely up until one point in the rotation. It kept doing this and kept slowing up at the same "spot". I took this as a sign of rotor warping, is this a correct assumption? I will have to wait until this weekend before I take the calipers off and actually peek into the piston and pads.


BreakStuff - "Also, the rear rotor/caliper assy. are not well protected from dirt and debris such as the front assy. Its is possible that a small pebble may have lodged itself in between the rotor and rotor backing plate creating such a noise..."

Hmm, now theres an idea....a piece of road salt as well perhaps?

Oh and breakstuff, its definitely a squeal...I think I know what you mean about the groaning sound, its that stone grinding sound you hear when breaking, am I right?





[Modified by piscorpio, 5:04 AM 3/13/2002]

 

Thats not what I wanted to hear!!!

I will report back my findings this weekend Teken, I may need your help!

 

Hello,

I have almost the same problem, except mine is a little more severe. My Teg has a non-abs 4 wheel Disc system (11yrs old). All pads are fairly new. Hawk street fronts, and AEM Nissin rears. I had them installed by a brake place. I thought the "squeak" from performance pads was common. I remember seeing no shims between the rear pads and the calipers, is this bad?. There is only a pad spring clip.

Recently, my passenger side rear caliper started locking up!
Sounds like a honking horn while im driving ..its that loud.
I drove it like that for another day or two, and got it to the point where that corner caliper/rotor smoked a little. It is only that corner (passenger side rear) that is locking up ..everything else is rotating fine.

I feel like fixing the problem myself, since I'm mechanically inclined and know about engines/transmissions. Brakes used to be the least of my concerns since the system seemed to last long; pads were the only thing to get done. I know nothing about brakes (how to bleed them, and get them to the right setting & pedal feel).

Today, I decided to try to do something. I put the car in gear, released the parking brake, and jacked up the rear. I took off the right rear wheel, turned the rotor that was locking up, and heard the whining honking horn noise when I turned it. The pads, of course, were squished against the rotor. I looked at the caliper piston from above. Piston is penetrating the pad (rear pad behind rotor), and the rubber seal condom thing is broken.

I tried bleeding the caliper myself. I pumped the brake pedal, and held it with constant pressure by using an AutoLock between the pedal and the driver seat. I loosened the bleeder nut, and it only had drops. Remember I know nothing about bleeding brakes and getting them right ..but I tried.
I bled it several times (about 7 times) until I had the rotor rotating more freely than before. But its still locked up.

Time for a new caliper? I have 1 qrt of brake fluid, a new full set of brake lines, and two front rotors that Ive have been waiting to be installed. The bad caliper I can order (if it is bad).

What I am afraid of is when I install the above, How will I be able to bring the brake levels evenly pressured? Also, is there a sequence to it, or would I have to have 4 people work on each corner at the same time?

Thanxs Brake Techs
-Quick 200k Mile Motor

 

It is alot easier to bleed them if you have someone to help, and pump the brake pedal. The bleeding sequence in the Helms manual: (This is for a Civic, but I assume an Integra wont be much different) Rear right wheel, front left wheel, rear left wheel, front right wheel.

Come to think of it, my friend did not bleed them in this exact order, he started farthest from the master cylinder; rear left, rear right, left front, right front. That could not be the cause of my problem could it?

 

Well, I hope you see this post Teken.

I finally got to poke around those brakes today. I ended up just changing the pads, and what I found is not good. The pads are worn unevenly, giving them a slanted look. The inside pads are much more noticeable in thier uneven wear and I assume this is the squealing I heard (wear indicators). What I ended up doing is just putting new pads in, I am guessing my calipers are screwed up, so I didn't even try delving into something like that. The squealing is gone, no doubt because of the new pads. Problem is, now I have the new pads on, and it seems like they are always engaged with the wheel. I can smell the pads cooking after just a short drive now, and Im not sure what to do. I am guessing that the piston bore is siezing as mentioned earlier. This sucks, I think Im gonna have to bite the bullet and take it to the shop.

 

did you try bleeding it a little bit when you put in the new pads? My guess is that the system is pressured for your old thin pads.
Someone who is a brake tech can confirm that, I not sure it would help bleeding that corner (not a brake tech).

-Quick 200k Mile Motor

 

You know what, thats a good idea, that may be exactly what the problem is. I'll have to get my friend to give me a hand. That will solve the problem right now, but the more serious problem remains (the uneven, fast, pad wear). Im not sure what I should do, the calipers are pretty old, should I just replace them? How much would it cost for new calipers?

 

ttt

 

In case anyone is interested, the problem has been found. It turns out that one of the pins on each caliper bracket had siezed. This kept one end of each caliper from sliding freely, and as a result wore pads thin on one side. So, the new calipers and brackets are on order, which sucks, but I will be happy just to have everything up and running properly. Thanks for all the help you guys, between your posts and the hours spent poking around my brakes, I have learned alot from this whole experience. (Sometimes bad things are good too. )

 

wudup!,
Brake Problems aren't over yet ..for me.
I was wondering if you can give me some advice on installing pads and some other things.

I know that since older pads are thin compared to the new ones, one must loosen bleeder to get the new pads to fit over the rotor (disc). But the thing im worrying about is when I do the above, wouldn't there be AIR added into the system since I loosened the bleeder valve and closed it?

My last resort is to bleed the whole system again to get the air out ..what a b!tch!
I found out that 3 people are needed to successfully complete a thorough bleeding process. 1 person to pump pedal, 1 person bleeding the calipers, and 1 person keeping enough fluid in the master cylinder. I wonder if the person that is pumping the pedal can let go of the pedal (in the middle of bleeding) to add more fluid. Would that give air bubble(s)? I always thought it was needed to keep constant pedal pessure.

Driving down the street, when I first press the pedal.. it goes straight to the floor, but when I let go and press the pedal again ..I have brakes! Long air bubble somewhere?

thx

 

Also, I was wondering if there are any low-buck devices (under $150) that can aid the bleeding process ..to eliminate the need of a helper or two.