Jay6speed

Hey,

I installed hawk front and rear ceramic brake pads today. Per many opinions and the directions from tirerack, I also had the rotors "turned".

When I started driving around, doing the test drive, I noticed a constant humming/whistling/noise coming from the brakes. This noise is happening when I'm moving and also when I'm braking.

I asked a few people about it and they said, because they are new brake pads, I need to give it time to "settle in". Also, that it can take a few days, but the noise should go away after the "setttle in" period.


Questions: (to anyone who has these pads with OEM rotors, or anyone who would know any info on the subject.)

1. Is this common?
2. Will it eventually go away?
3. Should I have used the clamps/brackets that were on the OEM pads for the new Hawk pads? (which I did use...)
4. If I go to an Acura dealership, will I get slammed with charges because they did not install the product and they are just fixing my mistake?


I installed them this morning and they are still making the noise tonight. I was told that I need to wait a few days to allow it to fix itself. I will keep everyone posted on the progress, but would like any insite that anyone has on the subject.

Thanks.
-Jay

Schizm

did you put any anti-squel compound on the backs of the pads and on both sides of the shim during install?

xizor

only between the pad and shim, not on both sides of the shim.

Jay6speed

i did not do that...

so, i need to put this compound on the back of the pads, inbetween it and the shim?

what is the name of this stuff?? can i get it at the local auto parts store??


also.....i won't be able to do this till after work tomorrow, will it be ok till then, or am I damaging the brakes while I have it like this??

xizor

its called anti-squeel i think, and it wont hurt your car, its just there to reduce noice from fricition in the pads

aaronng

Actually, it's anti-sieze. Get any high temperature type from a hardware store. I use Loctite-brand nickel anti-sieze.

mg7726

^^ what they said. use this,
http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c..._1923_18663146

or this,
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...rtnumber=05016

hrj

iTrader: (1)

mine is very quite and has a noticeable bite improvement over the POJ (piece of junk) stock pads.
JTso cleaned the rotors, the pistons, and the shims before putting some black and green colored anti squeal along the shims..

It turned out that the pistons had some small rockchips, that might be the reason why the stock pads squealed.

Jay6speed

still letting it "set in"...

noise still there

dwest1023

You did not say how old or how many miles are on the car. Probably what is happening, is your pistons arenot pulling back far enough and slightly rubbing the rotors as you drive. The pads might be a little thicker than stock. It is possible that over time, the noise will stop, but it will be some time. When you depressed the brake piston, was it very hard to do?

Jay6speed

2004
31,000 miles

it wasn't too hard when i depressed the piston back...

aaronng

Have you bled your brake fluid ever since you got your car in 2004?

Jay6speed

yeah, i bled them when i did the swap for the new brake pads over the weekend...

i didn't at first, but they were extremely "spongy" afterwards, so we did and that was all fixed...

aaronng

Then try putting anti-sieze between the shim and pad, as well as between piston and shim. You also put them on the pad areas that come into contact with the caliper.

Jay6speed

i'm gunna have to do that....

i'm still hearing the noise...

AND IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS !!!!

Redshiftmotorsports

No seized calipers? Did you bed these pads properly?

Review on Tirerack "If you want quiet pads with little dust, do not get these pads. They scream worse than any pad I ve used and create more dust than the stock Audi pads. They stop great but the noise and dust are not what you expect from a ceramic pad."

Jay6speed

but, i was assuming that meant when i was stopping or acutally applying the brake...

the noise i have is constant when i am driving....i shouldn't have a noise the entire time i'm driving the car.....right ????

joerockt

No, they shouldnt.

Are you sure the Hawks didnt already come with shims? My EBC's did and when I tried to put the OEM shim on top, the caliper wouldnt fit at all, even with the piston pushed back. I finally realized the EBC's had shims built in and they fit just fine.

hrj

iTrader: (1)

my rear hawk ceramic pads came with shims. the front didnt come with shims.

joerockt

Well then there you go. #3 at the top said he used shims for all pads...

joerockt

Also, you didnt mention anything about bedding your pads. Hawk suggest you bed in even if your rotors are new or used.

Burnishing Instructions

1. After installing new brake pads, make 6 to 10 stops from approximately 30-35 mph applying moderate pressure.
2. Make an additional 2 to 3 hard stops from approximately 40 to 45 mph.
3. DO NOT DRAG BRAKES!
4. Allow 15 minutes for brake system to cool down.
5. After step 4 your new pads are ready for use.

Jay6speed

they didn't come with shims....

but.....................................now that you mention it...............there may have been a shim already built in.......oh damn....that maybe my problem....

i need to call tirerack to see....maybe i can find that out online somewhere......

joerockt

Yea, my EBC's were built in. They dont come seperate.

Jay6speed

so....

i shouldn't be using any addtional parts from the OEM pads for this swap?

no shims....just put in the pads??

joerockt

If you've confirmed that the pads have built in shims, then no, nothing else, just put them in.

Jay6speed

gotcha....i'm guna call tirerack to double check on the built in shims....

thanks for you help....

i'll keep you posted on what they say....

Jay6speed

i called tirerack and they really didn't help much...

i was calling expecting to talk to some type of tech who has done brake work, but they only had the sales rep who said...."i changed my brakes on a Lexus is300, it can't be too much different than the TSX"......haha, lovely....

the tirerack sales guy said i should reuse the OEM shim.....i don't think he has any idea what he's talking about....

joerockt

I would call Hawk Performance: 1.800.542.0972

Jay6speed

THANK YOU FOR THAT NUMBER !!!!!!!

i'm guna call em !

Jay6speed

spoke to another sales rep, and she didn't sound to confident...

i'm just guna take off the shim and see what happens.....it's driving me nuts !

xizor

I'm pretty sure my Hawk HPS didn't come w/ a shim in front or rear

Jay6speed

so you didn't use the OEM one?

just put the new pad in???

xizor

heck no, you reuse the oem shim

joerockt

We're talking about the ceramics. Could be different.

hrj

iTrader: (1)

when JT did my ceramic pads install, he still put OEM shim on the front since the front didnt come with shims, but the rear pads came with shims so he didnt put the OEM shims on it the pads.

Jay6speed

not sure if you can curse on these forums.....but, i'd love to right now !!!!!!

alright....i took off the rear shims and i still have the freakin noise....now that i've done something new to the rear brakes i'm guna give this attempt time to "settle in"....

kinda at a loss right now....

jdepasqu2

what exactly do the shims do??????..... I just put Hawk HP plus pads on and i didnt use the oem shims......, on the front I just used the first "shim like plate" that touches the piston and I didnt put on the larger shim that went in between the previous explained part and the pad....., (there are two different pieces on the back of the oem pads) I'm pretty sure that the front HP plus pads had them built in as well because the pad did not have the clip/guide attached to the pad.... was wondering which is considered the "shim" I believe that the rear HP plus pads also came with a built in shim and clip/guide.....the front shim didnt really fit correctly anyway so i didnt use it......., is that bad or will I just get more squeeling??? I have had them on for a few days now and i havent notived anything loud or bad....

joerockt

On the OEM's, the shim is that thin, metal plate that sits on the back of the pad and holds it in place in the caliper. If you're missing the shim, then generally what happens is the pad will move around and thats what will cause the squeaking.

jdepasqu2

so is it bad to leave the shim out...., other than because of the squeeling????
Like I said..., on the front pads there were two pieces of thin metal behind the pads....., one was what you are reffering to as the shim (directly behind the pad)....., behind that there was another thin piece of metal (more silver in color)..., but not as long, it basically was in the middle center of the pad and i believe circular in the center. I ended up not using the shim, but using the other thin metal piece that was behind the shim. what do you think????

As for the rear......., I didnt use the shims either because it was already tight to begin with....., which made me believe that the shim was built in as well.....
what do you think......????, Also where do you think i could go to find the correct answere to this question????

But like i said i have put about 300 miles on these new pads and rotors and i havent noticed any out of the ordinarry squeeling or anything to be worried about......

joerockt

My EBC's had the shims built in, so when I tried to use the OEM shims, the caliper wouldnt fit. So if you ran into the same situation, and you dont have squeaking, then I wouldnt worry about it