Rear brake squeak.

[Griiix]

Hello.

so i installed my z32 rear on my s14 about 1 month ago.
recently (2weeks) ago my rear brakes started squeaking even on the lightest braking.
i bought the anti noise and applied it too all the shims and pads and i realized my rear passenger side hub wobbles.
turns out my axle nut was not fully tightened? :wtf:
i used my impact gun and tightened it and went for a test drive.

there was no squeak for the first 10m of continuous braking.
but when i got home the squeak came back...

any input?

could it be cz my pads/rotor has been unevenly worn from my 2 weeks of driving previously?
what else should i be looking for when im checking for brake noises.

the rotor/pads are new, and the brand is called "brake motive" on ebay.
maybe its because of ebay rotor/pads?
however, my front pads/rotor are from brake motive as well and they dont squeak.

please help!

[DJ-of-E]

Sounds like you could've figured this one out on your own.

BTW, I wouldn't just trust an impact gun to make sure it is torqued correctly. Whenever there's a "torque" spec, I trust my torque wrench (yes, expensive) more than guessing if my impact gun smacked it hard enough (over-torquing is just as bad as under-torquing). 152 - 210 lbs of torque on axle nut. Please think more like a mechanic from Tomei Japan and less like Jiffy Lube.

Since you adjusted the axle nut, did you "replace" the pad and rotor? Most likely it already has a such an uneven wear from your axle incident (regardless of brand name or ebay rotors).

As for rotors themselves, do yourself a favor and stop supporting these ebay rotors. They're soft like ice cream compared to even cheap autozone rotors.

[mechanicalmoron]

Squeaking brakes is not harmful.

You can get sticky shit to spray on them to damp out the squeal. Or you can bed them properly. Or you can live with it. *edit* if you do see wear from the wobbly wheel, obviously fix that, but I doubt it wore your brakes particularly badly. Then, I've never dealt with ebay brake stuff.

As for the axle nut, you need to take that back off and torque it properly. Your bearing preload depends on it, and your bearings can chew themselves up if torqued too little or too much. You should have a torque wrench, if you don't you should be able to get a beam type for under 25 bucks that will do 150 ftlb, and from there... add 2, and then a few, you know....

*edit* the stuff you put on before is grease that quiets by damping vibrations between the pads and calipers and other brake parts, the stuff I mean is called something like "disc brake quiet" and is like a sticky stuff in an aresol can, you spray it directly on the rotor - NOT at all like the grease stuff. But try bedding them first.

[Griiix]

thx guys, will do!

[Rich260z]

Could just be shitty pad compound also.

[Mikester]

Surprised nobody mentioned this... or maybe some did & I missed it.

Axle nuts are ONE TIME USE items. They are milled ever-so-slightly oblong so as to lock. The reason it came loose is that it was probably re-used, and not new. As stated above, they have a torque value, which is the best bet to use. However, most, myself included have used impact guns with no problems. They have a very fine thread- so be extra careful to ensure it's properly threaded... and go as far as you can by hand before nailing it with the gun.

As for the rear brakes squeaking, grease, anti-squeal etc only goes between the pads/shims & pistons/shims... With very few exceptions, you shouldn't ever put anything between the pads & rotors. I just used regular GP grease and have no issues whatsoever.

Also agree with above that you prolly got what you paid for. Fuck Ebay knockoff rotors... Hell, go to Vatozone and get them there... BTW, most local auto parts places have 'lifetime brake pads'... that are a helluva lot better quality than what you most likely got- and you only have to pay for them once.

You may have cheaped out in all the wrong places... Let alone the fact that your brakes & tires are pretty much the MAIN safety item of the car.

[mechanicalmoron]

Surprised nobody mentioned this... or maybe some did & I missed it.

Axle nuts are ONE TIME USE items. They are milled ever-so-slightly oblong so as to lock. The reason it came loose is that it was probably re-used, and not new. As stated above, they have a torque value, which is the best bet to use. However, most, myself included have used impact guns with no problems. They have a very fine thread- so be extra careful to ensure it's properly threaded... and go as far as you can by hand before nailing it with the gun.

As for the rear brakes squeaking, grease, anti-squeal etc only goes between the pads/shims & pistons/shims... With very few exceptions, you shouldn't ever put anything between the pads & rotors. I just used regular GP grease and have no issues whatsoever.

Also agree with above that you prolly got what you paid for. Fuck Ebay knockoff rotors... Hell, go to Vatozone and get them there... BTW, most local auto parts places have 'lifetime brake pads'... that are a helluva lot better quality than what you most likely got- and you only have to pay for them once.

You may have cheaped out in all the wrong places... Let alone the fact that your brakes & tires are pretty much the MAIN safety item of the car.

Well for what it's worth, I think every nut in the suspension is supposed to be single use according to the fsm. The axle's important and all, but at least it has a cotter pin, unlike all the other crimplock bolts we just throw back on.

I'd really like me a big tray, with a bunch of every high-grade crimplock nut for my car.

[BTP]

try cleaning the rotors and also the calipers might have dirt inside make sure everything is torqued down.