Bizarre Brake Noise

[rawick]

I recently purchased a sweet 1994 Q45. The brakes had just been serviced by Sears. I noticed a clicking noise in the LF under braking at low speeds. As miles passed the noise morphed into an annoying clank, clank, clank. I had the rotors turned and it helped for a short time then returned. The idiots then told me that I must have a cracked rotor. So, I had premium rotors installed. On the way home the noise returned.

I'm thinking that Sears may have installed some bad pads.Any ideas?

[DAEDALUS]

Welcome to NICO. This only happens at low speeds? My first guess is that they didn't replace or reuse the metal spring-steel retaining clips that the pads sit on. Or yes, maybe they used the wrong-sized pads. Get your money back on those rotors or, at the very least, have them refund the difference between what you paid and their cost, in addition to any labor. What state are you in?

[rawick]

Thank you DAEDALUS for the advice.

Yes at low speeds.

My guess was either the pads or I have a sticking caliper. When the brakes are cold the noise is gone.

I'm in Indianapolis. Do you know of, or can you help me find a good mechanic here?

[DAEDALUS]

We have at least a couple members in Indy, but I can't remember who now. Moderator Simmsled is at Purdue...not sure if he knows of any good shops where you're at. It really isn't too big a deal to pull off the wheel and touch and prod. Obviously something's moving that shouldn't be. You can use your jack to lift the wheel off the ground, but use a stand to support the car for safety. Make sure the pads are just touching the rotor and that there are little metal spring clips on top and bottom of both inner and outer pads. If there's any gap between the pads and rotor, then you're probably right--something's sticking. See if the caliper slides freely back and forth.

[DAEDALUS]

Rawick check out this thread:

http://www.nissaninfiniticlub....75166

Repo (moderator) is in Indy and it sounds like he's got a great tech that works for cheap. Email Repo for the hookup.

[rawick]

Thanks!!! I really appreciate your diligence! I sent an email to Repoman. I hope I hear form him. I don't know how to repay. I wish I could. Thanks Again!

[Grant@tirerack]

Another thing may be happening as well. Have you had wheels and tires redone since your last brake job? If so, and they used self adhesive wheel weights on the inside of the wheel, check for signs of the calipers hitting the weights. If you had worn pads the caliper may not have been sticking out as far and with new pads the caliper may now be contacting the weights as the wheel rotates. Sounds strange but it has happened before. Just a thought...

[rawick]

I finally got this problem fixed. I ended up at CarX. They had not seen such a problem before but were very committed to fixing it. They suggested a thorough cleaning and lube after which much of the noise was gone, but not completely. The only thing left to do was replace all the hardware, clips and all. That did the trick. They mentioned that the new hardware was VERY tight and took some muscle to install compared to the old hardware.

Thanks for all the help. Sorry for the delay in posting the resolution.