Weird Brake Noises

[stocker2000]

200 Altima GXE, 93,000 km.

Here are the conditions: Driving sloowly, coming to a stop, press the brake pedal lightly, and...

Front: There is a metallic scrunch/rusty spring noise followed by some clicking and possibly a "pop" sound.

Rears: A clunk, clunk, calunk noise. Similar to the sound a bad rubber suspension bushing would make, except that can't be it because it only happens while braking.

I took it to the dealer for a "full brake service". They pulled the brakes apart, adjusted, cleaned, reseated, you name it, they did it (or at least said they did). It cost some $$$, but it seemed to solve my problems for a bout a month, and now the noises are back.

The dealer didn't say I needed new pads or linings, but I still have the original ones from when I bought the car new.

Any ideas what those noised could be?

[Big Red]

I had the same front problem as you.

Only happened whent the brakes warmed up a bit so it was real hard to figure it out with the wheels off.

It turned out to be one of the pad retaining clips, the tabs that hold it in place bend very easily and they were all bent about 45º and the bottom one would just touch the rotor and make the most annoying scraping / squeeling niose you could imagine.

I just bent all the tabs a little more and carefully put them back and the noise was gone!

It's very easy for a mechanic to bend these tabs without knowing it when installing the clips.

[stocker2000]

Ya! Ya!! Man, yours is one of the most useful replies I've heard so far (I've been posting on other boards).

I'm positive that it's the retaining clips. With everything assebled, I can pinch them and give them a wiggle, and I the exact same "rusty spring" sound I'm hearing from the driver's seat. But, all 4 of the clips are doing it. Is it possible they're all messed? Maybe I should replace them. I'll have to check that out.

Thanks.

[NISTECH]

check to see if one of the sensors is contacting the rotor. the shop may have just over looked your on indicators.

[stocker2000]

^I assume you're talking about an ABS sensor, but I don't have ABS. Is it that, or are you talking about some other sensor? And fogive my ignorance (I ain't very bright, mechanically speaking), but what do you mean by indicator? Wear indicator?

[NISTECH]

yes the wear indicator/sensor that is attached to the pads when it makes contact with the rotor surface it will cause a herrific noise. the sensor is located on the inside pad on the right side of the car. if your have the original pads still it will have 2 of those sensors/indicators,the other one will be located on the inboard pad on the left side. Same holds true for the rear brakes if you had disc brakes in the rear. These are to warn you your pads are almost worn out.

[Big Red]

If they serviced the brakes I doubt the pads are worn down to the wear indicators.

On my car each clip has 3 tabs that could touch the rotor, so thats 24 tabs total that need to be checked.

Also when I changed my pads the clips that came with the new ones were a little "off", so even though the instructions state that you must replace them I just went ahead and used the old ones.

Does your car call for "shims" on the pads? leaving those off can also cause problems.

[s13sr20chris]

do you have rear drums? sometimes drums get out of round and make a clunk noise.

[stocker2000]

^^Ya, I have drums. They were just replaced last year. I didn't replace the shoes at that time though, since the installing mechanic said it wasn't necessary ("lot's o' meat left" he said).

I have other problems with noises in the back (i.e. suspension), and the more I think about it, the more I think it's all related. I'll have to change out the sway bar bushings, and any other bushings back there to prove it to myself, though.