Squeaky Brakes

[Dom]

Chaps,

my bike has finally been returned from the (ossum) Almeria trip a couple of weeks ago and I got to ride to work morning. Now, the brakes are VERY squeaky, especially when cold. Have I knackered them with three days on track? They are definitely catching the wheel a bit when the brakes are off, but there's no "pulsing" which I believe is what usually indicates disc warpage?

Have I just overcooked them a bit? Can it be fixed with some sandpaper?

[NumberOne]

Try taking the pads out (check for wear) and giving it all a clean, nothing drastic, try and get all the dust/grit out, then see how they are..

[lorenzo]

Strip them off and clean them up, then reassemble. I'd bet your squeak is from dust etc.

[Dom]

The pads are EBC HH which were fitted mid-August, with not many miles on them before Spain - hopefully they will still have plenty of meat on them!?

I don't want to strip the calipers, just because I'm not sure I'll be able to put them back to together again!? What about taking out the pads, spray some brake cleaner in the caliper and replace? Should I use a toothbrush and maybe some sort of grease on the pistons?

Was there an article about this in a recent issue?

[will#224]

I think take the pads out, spray everything with brake cleaner, staple some emery cloth or sand paper to the bench and give your pads a light rub. I reckon that'll cure it. If your going for 3 days on track again i think you'd benefit from a different brand of pads. EBC are ok on the roads but i doubt you'd find any serious trackday or racer running them.

Your right, check the recent issue for info on doing the above.

[timbrell]

I don't want to strip the calipers, just because I'm not sure I'll be able to put them back to together again!?

Don't be scared, there's really nothing to calipers once you've got them apart, there are very few parts. Just make sure you get the right seals (and right amount!) and any o-rings or whatever's needed when you bolt the halves back together. The biggest bitch is getting the pistons out, but get some caliper piston pliers and it's relatively easy. The rest is just very thorough cleaning and put it back together.

Unless you're a swanky sod with monoblocs of course!

[tonk]

Prolly just a build-up of dust, removing pads and giving them a good clean should fix it. As long as you are methodical and clean and use the right tools and use brake-cleaner you'll be fine. Re-assemble with a smear of copper-slip where the back of the pad touches the piston face, and a bit on the pin they slide on.

A little wire brush, the sort you clean suede shoes with, is perfect for cleaning out calipers - it helps if you unbolt them so you can move them around. Don't kink the brake lines though.

Dress the face of the pads with coarse glasspaper, it removes any glaze. Try putting the paper on a flat surface and moving the pads against it. Chamfer the leading edge slightly too - the bit of the pad that touches the disc face first as it moves round. Some pads are pre-chamfered. Scrape out the build-up in the cooling grooves too.

If in doubt, take a few snaps on your phone/camera first so you can see what goes where. And finally, use the correct torque setting on the caliper bolts, they don't need gorilla arms!

Hope this wan't too bossy?!! Tis very satisfying doing your own brakes n stuff.

[NumberOne]

The pads are EBC HH which were fitted mid-August, with not many miles on them before Spain - hopefully they will still have plenty of meat on them!?

I don't want to strip the calipers, just because I'm not sure I'll be able to put them back to together again!? What about taking out the pads, spray some brake cleaner in the caliper and replace? Should I use a toothbrush and maybe some sort of grease on the pistons?

Was there an article about this in a recent issue?

No need to strip the calipers.. you'll only give yourself grief.. as said just a thorough clean.

[Evilchicken0]

Take the pads out and put something inbetween th pistons. Then squeeze the lever just enough to get a little of the clean pistons showing. Now use a toothbrush and brake cleaner to clean the pistons. Add a bit of that "red rubber grease" by the seal and push the pistons back with a G clamp or put the pads in and use a big screwdriver. Rub the pad faces with emery as above before refitting.

It's easy

[diesledog]

i know normal calipers are a piece of piss to disasemble and clean up, but what about one piece calipers like the r1's? can you get a dremil brush in to clean out the seal grooves, because space is really limited.

[lorenzo]

Re-assemble with a smear of copper-slip where the back of the pad touches the piston face,

I agree whole heartedly with everything on here apart from this, which is a common misconception. Do not put copper grease on the back of the pad where they touch the piston. If you get copper grease on the piston then there's a decent chance that it'll work its way down the piston, especially as it gets hot. Copper grease is an oil based grease and will make the seals on your pistons swell, and can cause them to seize. Rubber grease or any silicon based grease is what you want, not a oil based grease. As the Chicken-man said, pump your pistons out a bit and make sure they're clean then squeeze them back in. Copper grease is useful on the pins, also put some along the sides of the pad where they touch the caliper, and then if you've got a cover on your brakes that gets screwed in, a little dab onto the screw itself to stop it seizing in. Finally, when you've reassembled everything and you've put the calipers back on give the brake lever a good load of squeezes until the lever gets firm again. Failing to do this last bit can cause unwanted laundry and brown adrenaline.

[Dom]

Okey doke - spent a couple of hours on this today:

1) Removed calipers, pads.

2) Cleaned it all out with some brake/clutch cleaner from Halfrauds

3) Pumped the pistons out a bit, but bottled it because I didn't know how much piston was left. This month's mag mentioned a quarter inch extension bar but I ain't got one of those.

4) Scrubbed exposed pistons with toothbrush

5) Lubed the pistons with Silicone spray from Halfrauds

6) Spent 45mins replacing first pair of pads. 10 mins for the other three pairs.

7) Cleaned the discs with some muc-off disc brake cleaner.

Now, I only had a couple of laps around the car park but the brakes definitely don't squeak anymore although they've lost some bite too. I imagine that was the muc-off stuff which will wear out soon. The brakes still catch the disk though - when spinning the wheel on the stand, it stops very quickly.

Also, when I pushed a piston back into the caliper, another popped out. Is this normal? Should I have taken the lid off the brake reservoir or something?

Haven't got time for a ride this afternoon, but will give the newly serviced brakes a test run tomorrow/Monday and report back.

I hope this sort of thing will get easier with practice because I did some serious swearing today (genting pad pin!).

[lorenzo]

Also, when I pushed a piston back into the caliper, another popped out. Is this normal?

Yes, in fact if anything, it's probably a good thing. What you ideally want is all of the pistons being free enough to move out when you push another one in. This, of course, makes it a bit of a faff trying to get them all back in, but it means that none of the pistons are sticking.

[alexp5]

If you haven't got a 1/4" extension to use as a stop, just measure the thickness of a pair of pads and use an offcut of MDF to wedge in there. The MDF is soft so won't damage the pistons.

Freshly cleaned discs will lack bite initially as the brake cleaner solvent will have dissolved any pad material coating the disc. It'll take a few miles for fresh material to be deposited back onto the disc so take it easy for a while, and don't do any hard braking (or stoppies!) for a while.

Not sure about using silicon spray on the pistons, you'd be better off with some Red Rubber Grease. I buy little sachets of this for about 50p from my local motor factors, it lasts ages and I use a small artists paintbrush to wipe a smear of it around the piston nearest the seal. Push the piston back in and wipe off any excess grease. A little dab'll do ya

[lorenzo]

Silicon spray will be fine, it just won't last as long as red rubber grease, which is just silicon stuff but thicker anyway.

[alexp5]

Silicon spray will be fine, it just won't last as long as red rubber grease, which is just silicon stuff but thicker anyway.

Cool. Filed away for future reference

[jaycee]

I bought a 500g tub of Renolit red grease about 7 years ago. I will be able to pass this onto my grandkids I think, not bad for £8 or whatever it was.

Yes, yes I know, greases go "off", but red grease is for protective purposes, not load bearing.

[blow_away]

Use the brake cleaner on the discs as well. Spray it on and rub it off immediately with some kitchen roll or a clean rag.

The brake dust collects in all the holes in the discs.

[Dom]

Well, the service seems to have done the trick! No more squeaking and much more feel at the lever. Ossum.

I was quite surprised at how little meat was left on the pads though - they were new in August and the track time seems to have done them in. Any recommendations for their replacement (EBC HH)? Full racing pads are no good as I commute on it and I probably won't see another trackday until May...

[lorenzo]

I used EBC HH's up until this summer, then had a day at Oulton where I completely overheated my brakes, lever back to the bar, re-bled, OK for a session, then lever back to the bar again. On Triggers recommendation, I switched to Dunlopad (often called just DP) sport pads. The feel is fairly similar to EBC's, maybe a little less initial bite, but they've since stood up to another 2 trackdays without incident, while working just as well from cold too, so ideal for road work. They're not stocked by that many places, but you can order them in from most as they're from one of the more common distributer companies. Cost wise they're within a couple of quid the same as EBC's. There's another slight difference too; the give a bit less of a 'chuurrrrr' noise than EBC's do when you're hard on the brakes. I'm a convert, completely.

[Dom]

Schplendid - I'll have look. Cheers for all the advice chaps!

[Dom]

A quick follow up to say that if you don't double check the routing of your brake lines post servicing, then there is every chance you will now have a mark on your mudguard where it has rubbed against it. D'oh!