eL eS
Dedicated LVC Member
I wonder is this is where my brake noise is coming from. It is a metal on metal swishing sound. No squeal, no judder in the steering wheel or in the body of the car but I 40+ mph that sound begins. Usually when I turn slightly it will dissipate.
Don't want to hijack the thread but this is a step I overlooked.
Don't want to hijack the thread but this is a step I overlooked.
Hopefully I'm not posting too late. Everyone hit on just about all the issues you need to address, except one; No one mentioned the need to re-grease the slider which the calipers ride on. I've done so many brake jobs it's hard to remember just how the LS is set-up (especially since it's been a while since I did my brakes). But, if I recall correctly, there is a slider inserted into the caliper for which the 12mm bolts bolt into (some have slider bolts in which the caliper actually rides on the bolt instead of a seperate slider). It is imperitive that you remove these sliders, being careful not to damage the rubber boot, make an attempt to get some of the old grease out, wipe down the slider, then re-grease. If you fail to do this and moisture happens to get into the boot, you risk having the slider seize into the bore. Not only does this end up ruining your rotors (because the caliper no longer can slide back and fourth; all braking pressure is then applied to the piston side of the rotor), but you also run the rist of ruining your caliper. I've had to replace a couple calipers due to this. Sometimes they can be heated with an oxy-gas torch, removed and drilled to clean out the corrosion... but you really don't want to have to mess with that!
Further, you'd be well advised to apply light coating of anti-seize to the hub face; this will allow easy removal of the rotors in the future (too many times I've had to throw on safety glasses and take a dead-blow hammer to a rotor). And lastily, it wouldn't hurt to throw a light coating of anti-seize on the wheel-face of the rotor either. Although not as common as a rotor seizing onto the hub, wheels do sometimes seize onto the rotor; this can be a major PITA when you get a flat and can't get your tire off! And, without opening the feild to debate... another option is a SMALL dab of anti-seize on the threads of the lugnuts. I've two times had to cut lugnuts off due to seizing... not a process I enjoy. I will go ahead and state... some people feel anti-seize on the lugs is unsafe, some feel it's fine. I've done it for years with no problems; lug nuts are not held on by friction, but rather clamping force. Friction actually will give you false torque readings (which is why ARP, the ONLY performance hardware manufacture requires moly-lube be applied to the threads of their hardware). Anyway... on the lugs... it's your call.
And lastly; while you've got your wheels off... might want to consider changing your brake fluid, not just bleeding. The fluid accumulated moisture through condensation over time. Easiest way to do it is pick up a large syringe, suck out all of the old fluid from the master cylinder, replace with fresh fluid (DOT3 or DOT4; go synthetic), then bleed your brakes until the fluid runs out clean (remember, always bleed furthest to closest; right rear, left rear, right front, left front).
Goodluck!