Brake pad wear

[Ben's LS]

ok so i installed some new brakes on the ls about a month ago and at first everything was going smoothly, but then they started to squeal. I'm not too brake savvy but is this what normal brake wear is supposed to look like? and could this be the issue? it just doesn't seem right that all of the wear is at the two edges like that, but maybe I'm wrong

The brakes are made by powerstop, idk if any of you have used them before or had troubles with them

Any help is appreciated

 

[Ben's LS]

the 3rd picture is one of my old brake pads and it was worn down smoothly straight across

 

[Kumba]

ok so i installed some new brakes on the ls about a month ago and at first everything was going smoothly, but then they started to squeal. I'm not too brake savvy but is this what normal brake wear is supposed to look like? and could this be the issue? it just doesn't seem right that all of the wear is at the two edges like that, but maybe I'm wrong

The brakes are made by powerstop, idk if any of you have used them before or had troubles with them

Any help is appreciated

That's not wear at the edges, those are chamfered edges to help keep the pad from chattering and squealing, oddly enough. Since the pads are unidirectional, meaning there is no right or left hand side, they chamfer both edges. Cheaper to produce that way.

I would say it looks like your pads and rotors are glazed over. You can try taking a wire-wheel to the pads to see if you can deglaze them. Depending on how bad it is, you might need to just buy new pads.

On the rotors you can deglaze them by using either a sanding disk (don't recommend) or one of those 3M scotchpad wheels on a die-grinder (do recommend). I would not attempt to turn the rotors as you really can't and new ones would be expensive for slotted/drilled. Even if you could find someone willing to turn slotted/drilled rotors, there's not much meat there to turn. The rotors on the LS were really designed to be throw-aways, not serviceable parts.

Now the real question is why they glazed over. Cheap pads can do it, or stopping too hard, riding the brakes, or not bedding them in. Bottom line, the pads got too hot and baked a sort of crust over the top, called a glaze. Just like how ceramic tile is fired in a kiln to produce a hardened shiny glaze over the top.

If I were you, and the pads did not deglaze easily, I would just get new pads, deglaze the rotor, and make sure I bed them in properly. Ceramic are funny are bedding them in can take forever. Last ceramic pads I threw on took a good 500-miles to bed down. Until the pads have bedded in, you have to be somewhat gentle with your hard stops. Once they are bedded in you can stand on them with little issues, as long as it's not repeatedly.

Here's a decent read on how to bed them in: http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=85

 

[2000sport]

Check the caliper guid pins/slides. one of them may be stuck or have more resistance than the other.

May be a good time to just replace the guide pins, boots, and caliper bracket.

 

[2000sport]

That's not wear at the edges, those are chamfered edges to help keep the pad from chattering and squealing, oddly enough. Since the pads are unidirectional, meaning there is no right or left hand side, they chamfer both edges. Cheaper to produce that way.

I would say it looks like your pads and rotors are glazed over. You can try taking a wire-wheel to the pads to see if you can deglaze them. Depending on how bad it is, you might need to just buy new pads.

On the rotors you can deglaze them by using either a sanding disk (don't recommend) or one of those 3M scotchpad wheels on a die-grinder (do recommend). I would not attempt to turn the rotors as you really can't and new ones would be expensive for slotted/drilled.

Now the real question is why they glazed over. Cheap pads can do it, or stopping too hard, riding the brakes, or not bedding them in. Bottom line, the pads got too hot and baked a sort of crust over the top, called a glaze. Just like how ceramic tile is fired in a kiln to produce a hardened shiny glaze over the top.

If I were you, and the pads did not deglaze easily, I would just get new pads, deglaze the rotor, and make sure I bed them in properly. Ceramic are funny are bedding them in can take forever. Last ceramic pads I threw on took a good 500-miles to bed down. Until the pads have bedded in, you have to be somewhat gentle with your hard stops.

Here's a decent read on how to bed them in: http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=85

That too... but that does look more chamfered than the last set of pads I put on... and it looks uneven in the one picture... may just be the lighting though.

 

[Ben's LS]

the smeary crap all over the pads is from this anti squeak spray junk my buddy said to put on them btw. After the brakes were installed i followed the instructions from the company on how to bed these particular brakes in. And when i first put the pads on they were not chamfered they were all a flat surface, is that something that happens as you use them?

 

[Ben's LS]

anti squeak spray that i put on the rotors i meant

 

[Kumba]

That too... but that does look more chamfered than the last set of pads I put on... and it looks uneven in the one picture... may just be the lighting though.

Could be. Either way, they look glazed. Now why they are glazed is the question.

While he has it apart, might as well check out the guide pins and see if they are greased up good and move freely. Make sure there is not excessive rotor runout (less then 4-thou). Check that there's not a stuck piston in the caliper. Bleed them too for the fun of it, even though it wouldn't necessarily cause this. No point in fixing just one problem when you can go through and fix 'em all relatively inexpensively.

 

[Kumba]

the smeary crap all over the pads is from this anti squeak spray junk my buddy said to put on them btw. After the brakes were installed i followed the instructions from the company on how to bed these particular brakes in. And when i first put the pads on they were not chamfered they were all a flat surface, is that something that happens as you use them?

Wow. No. They would be chamfered from the factory. If they were perfectly flat when you got them, then that's how they should stay even 30K-miles later.

I would go through your brake hardware. Something is seriously wrong if you WORE a chamfer into the pads.

I'm not a big fan of anti-squeal stuff, but that's more of a preference. That being said, mine don't squeal at all, and all I am using if the shims on the backing place and the OE clips.

 

[Ben's LS]

Wow. No. They would be chamfered from the factory. If they were perfectly flat when you got them, then that's how they should stay even 30K-miles later.

I would go through your brake hardware. Something is seriously wrong if you WORE a chamfer into the pads.

I'm gonna go take a look at everything to see if I can figure anything out

 

[Right on the Mark]

Are you saying you put something on the rotors? The anti squeak silicone is only to be put on the BACK of pads. I am going thru the front squeak right now. I turned the stock rotors thru new pads on no problems. When those wore I put on new rotors and pads and squeak. Did 4 more different pads(new rotors again and then turns) companies and still squeak, then I replaced all calipers still squeak. Driving me nuts.

 

[Kumba]

Are you saying you put something on the rotors? The anti squeak silicone is only to be put on the BACK of pads. I am going thru the front squeak right now. I turned the stock rotors thru new pads on no problems. When those wore I put on new rotors and pads and squeak. Did 4 more different pads(new rotors again and then turns) companies and still squeak, then I replaced all calipers still squeak. Driving me nuts.

My F-150 was like that. It always had a slight squeal. Some pads were worse then others though.

 

[Right on the Mark]

My squeak is just when the peddle is lightly pressed or the beginning of the brake stroke. If I hit brakes little harder it goes away. So its always slow braking situations.

 

[2000sport]

Wow. No. They would be chamfered from the factory. If they were perfectly flat when you got them, then that's how they should stay even 30K-miles later.

I would go through your brake hardware. Something is seriously wrong if you WORE a chamfer into the pads.

I'm not a big fan of anti-squeal stuff, but that's more of a preference. That being said, mine don't squeal at all, and all I am using if the shims on the backing place and the OE clips.

Deffinately sounds like either one of the guide pins is stuck or a piston is stuck

 

[Ben's LS]

Deffinately sounds like either one of the guide pins is stuck or a piston is stuck

Guide pins look good

 

[cammerfe]

Noise is caused by vibration. It is beneficial to coat the BACK of the pad (next to the pistons) with the sort of 'damper' material that often called 'anti-squeal'. There should be absolutely nothing on the interface of pad and rotor. There is simply no way to wear a chamfer on a pad such as you show. Those are part of the manufacturing process.

KS

 

[joegr]

Are you saying you put something on the rotors? The anti squeak silicone is only to be put on the BACK of pads. I am going thru the front squeak right now. I turned the stock rotors thru new pads on no problems. When those wore I put on new rotors and pads and squeak. Did 4 more different pads(new rotors again and then turns) companies and still squeak, then I replaced all calipers still squeak. Driving me nuts.

I was reading though all this and wondering if someone was going to point that out.

Think about it people, anything you put on the rotor or face of the pads wouldn't stay on after the first stop anyway. You put it on the back of the pads so that vibrations are damped out instead of transferring to the caliper hardware and making noise.

The factory pads are most certainly chamfered.

Edit: KS posted while I was writing...

 

[Ben's LS]

I was reading though all this and wondering if someone was going to point that out.

Think about it people, anything you put on the rotor or face of the pads wouldn't stay on after the first stop anyway. You put it on the back of the pads so that vibrations are damped out instead of transferring to the caliper hardware and making noise.

The factory pads are most certainly chamfered.

Edit: KS posted while I was writing...

so you're saying if i coat the back of the pad it will stop squealing when i apply the brakes? and why is this chamfered edge the only part of the pad that looks like it is getting worn

 

[Right on the Mark]

Yes you put the anti squeal silicone on back of pads let dry for 10-15 min then install. I don't like the spray cuz its to thin. Some time the anti squeak works sometimes it doesn't, like my case. That chamfered part is not being touched by anything it can't its an angle off a flat, the flat part of pad is only part that touched rotor. Also a FYI I did once buy some pads that the pad side had a blue break in coating on them. I was like WTF. LOL

 

[Ben's LS]

thanks fellas i will keep you all posted on what goes on. sorry for not knowing what i'm talking about lol. Any opinions on where to get the silicone or what brand to get?

 

[Ben's LS]

Yes you put the anti squeal silicone on back of pads let dry for 10-15 min then install. I don't like the spray cuz its to thin. Some time the anti squeak works sometimes it doesn't, like my case. That chamfered part is not being touched by anything it can't its an angle off a flat, the flat part of pad is only part that touched rotor. Also a FYI I did once buy some pads that the pad side had a blue break in coating on them. I was like WTF. LOL

lol good thing I didn't have that problem too I'm pretty sure I woulda threw them out the window

 

[joegr]

so you're saying if i coat the back of the pad it will stop squealing when i apply the brakes? and why is this chamfered edge the only part of the pad that looks like it is getting worn

Yes.
I can't see anyway that the chamfered part would get worn. It doesn't touch anything. Unfortunately, I can't really tell much from those pictures.

 

[joegr]

thanks fellas i will keep you all posted on what goes on. sorry for not knowing what i'm talking about lol. Any opinions on where to get the silicone or what brand to get?

I think it's all about the same. I've used this:
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/we...ake-Quiet-CRC_12032707-P_N3223_T|GRP2008_____

 

[Ben's LS]

Yes.
I can't see anyway that the chamfered part would get worn. It doesn't touch anything. Unfortunately, I can't really tell much from those pictures.

yeah sorry about the poor quality photos I don't have the best camera, but that is why I was confused it looks like the chamfered edges have been worn down

 

[Right on the Mark]

thanks fellas i will keep you all posted on what goes on. sorry for not knowing what i'm talking about lol. Any opinions on where to get the silicone or what brand to get?

No problem dude, you have to learn some how. Go to any parts store and ask for "disc brake quite" I have bottles of blue and orange. I like the blue does not stick out as much. Also don't get the spray.Raybestos I know makes some.