ramenth
Gratis persona
Seriously, guys, I'm gonna post this, simply because it boggles the mind how many people out there don't know this stuff exists.
Gonna go on a little rant first. One of my wife's co-workers brought his car to me for starting problems and wanted me to check the brakes, too. It was done not to long ago by one of those "professional" brake and exhaust chains stores popular here in the Northeast. The pedal was spongy as all get out. Could tell right away that nothing was moving properly, before I even got the tires off.
Got the tires off and sure enough, rotors and pads weren't too old, but caliper pins were stuck in the front calipers so bad I had to replace them. The previous "mechanic" ripped the boots off the pins, never lubed them, and put 'em back together. To make matters worse, the previous guy never cleaned the anchors of rust and just through everything back together.
The rears were the same way, but the calipers were in good shape. The rear anchors were so rusted that the inside pad wasn't moving, just the outside pad. The outside pad was worn twice as much as the inside pad. And as a result the inside facing of the rotor was starting to show rust.
I know some guys who use Never Seize or White Lithium grease. I guess if you have nothing else on hand, then that's okay, but they aren't designed to take the heat like brake silicone. They will also wash away with time, whereas brake silicone is...well...silicone. This stuff usually only comes off with brake cleaner. I also know guys who use the idiot "anti-squeal" stuff, but that's nothing more than RTV, and what good is gluing everything together when everything is supposed to move freely?
Not to offend anyone by pointing out the basics, but disk brakes work by the piston pushing the inside pad and, through the caliper, pulling the outside pad. Together they squeeze the rotor. In order to achieve maximum wear and maximum braking everything has to move as it should. This means the anchor has to be clean of rust and kept clean. It's amazing how brake silicone will keep the rust from building on the anchor.
The drum brakes need to move, too, with the shoes moving out against the drum. Take a look at the backing plate and you'll see the shoe lands, where the shoes ride. Lube these, too. Lube the thread on your adjusters. If it's supposed to move, lube it. It doesn't take much silicone, just enough for a film and I guarantee, if you use the right stuff, that it will still be there the next time you need pads or shoes.
I buy mine from the Ford dealership, Motorcraft part number XG-3-A. A little pricey, but I do a lot of brakes. (It's also a dialetric grease.) NAPA has tubs of black synthetic brake grease and usually Auto Zone, Advance, Checker, etc. sells little packets of the stuff at the counter.
Yeah, I know, this reads like the old VD films you used to watch in high school health class, but you'll be surprised at how much better pedal feel you'll get from using this stuff, how much better brake wear you'll get out of it, and how much longer your brakes will last. I'm posting this, simply because it amazes me how many pro's out there don't use it. It's cheap insurance!
I'm posting a pic of the rear anchor on my wife's co-worker's car, all cleaned and lubed, ready to go back together, just for reference. It's the left rear of an '02 Dodge Intrepid, but prenty typical for any brake anchor.
Gonna go on a little rant first. One of my wife's co-workers brought his car to me for starting problems and wanted me to check the brakes, too. It was done not to long ago by one of those "professional" brake and exhaust chains stores popular here in the Northeast. The pedal was spongy as all get out. Could tell right away that nothing was moving properly, before I even got the tires off.
Got the tires off and sure enough, rotors and pads weren't too old, but caliper pins were stuck in the front calipers so bad I had to replace them. The previous "mechanic" ripped the boots off the pins, never lubed them, and put 'em back together. To make matters worse, the previous guy never cleaned the anchors of rust and just through everything back together.
The rears were the same way, but the calipers were in good shape. The rear anchors were so rusted that the inside pad wasn't moving, just the outside pad. The outside pad was worn twice as much as the inside pad. And as a result the inside facing of the rotor was starting to show rust.
I know some guys who use Never Seize or White Lithium grease. I guess if you have nothing else on hand, then that's okay, but they aren't designed to take the heat like brake silicone. They will also wash away with time, whereas brake silicone is...well...silicone. This stuff usually only comes off with brake cleaner. I also know guys who use the idiot "anti-squeal" stuff, but that's nothing more than RTV, and what good is gluing everything together when everything is supposed to move freely?
Not to offend anyone by pointing out the basics, but disk brakes work by the piston pushing the inside pad and, through the caliper, pulling the outside pad. Together they squeeze the rotor. In order to achieve maximum wear and maximum braking everything has to move as it should. This means the anchor has to be clean of rust and kept clean. It's amazing how brake silicone will keep the rust from building on the anchor.
The drum brakes need to move, too, with the shoes moving out against the drum. Take a look at the backing plate and you'll see the shoe lands, where the shoes ride. Lube these, too. Lube the thread on your adjusters. If it's supposed to move, lube it. It doesn't take much silicone, just enough for a film and I guarantee, if you use the right stuff, that it will still be there the next time you need pads or shoes.
I buy mine from the Ford dealership, Motorcraft part number XG-3-A. A little pricey, but I do a lot of brakes. (It's also a dialetric grease.) NAPA has tubs of black synthetic brake grease and usually Auto Zone, Advance, Checker, etc. sells little packets of the stuff at the counter.
Yeah, I know, this reads like the old VD films you used to watch in high school health class, but you'll be surprised at how much better pedal feel you'll get from using this stuff, how much better brake wear you'll get out of it, and how much longer your brakes will last. I'm posting this, simply because it amazes me how many pro's out there don't use it. It's cheap insurance!
I'm posting a pic of the rear anchor on my wife's co-worker's car, all cleaned and lubed, ready to go back together, just for reference. It's the left rear of an '02 Dodge Intrepid, but prenty typical for any brake anchor.
