I need help please

Tiny
AURORADAWN10
  • MEMBER
  • 2003 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY
  • 123,000 MILES
I have a Chrysler town and country 2003, well in March or April I had my brake pads changed on the front drivers side. Around the end of April I started to feel a dragging feeling and hear a knocking noise and a creaking noise so around the 1st of May I brought it to brakes plus and had them check over my whole van. They told me that my brake hose was really bad and about to go and that the creaking noise was because my brake pads and my rotors needed to fit themselves together where I just changed my brake pads. Well I had my brake hose replaced. It's now been 2-3 months since I had my brakes changed and it's still creaking when I turn left or right and don't know if it's normal for it to be doing it this long. Also I started hearing a low squealing noise when stepping on my brakes but when I brought my van into brakes plus a month ago to have them look at the whole van a month ago they told me my brakes were fine so I don't know what it could be. I need help please! I have two little ones and can't risk having problems with my van.
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Sunday, June 3rd, 2012 AT 1:33 AM

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Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,699 POSTS
You really need to find a real repair shop, not one of those over-priced specialty shops with inexperienced mechanics.

New brake pads do need to seat themselves to match the brake rotors that were just machined because they will have small grooves in them, just like a phonograph record, but they shouldn't be making noise. Most mechanics perform specific maneuvers on the final test drive to help the new pads seat, otherwise that can take about 100 miles. Professionals also know many things to watch out for that do-it-yourselfers do to cause noises, and they do a number of things to prevent noises. Not saying the guys at your shop don't know and do those things, but they can get overlooked.

Creaking noises are a different story. If you're hearing that while stopped in traffic, it is likely from the brakes allowing the van to creep ahead a little. The noise will stop if you hold more pressure on the brake pedal or if you shift to neutral. That is common and normal. If you only hear the noise when turning the steering wheel, that is not related to the brakes. That is due to a tight lower ball joint, a lower control arm bushing, an anti-sway bar bushing, or possibly an upper strut mount. Some of those things are not safety issues but noises should never be ignored. Have a steering and suspension system inspection done at a tire and alignment shop. Many of them do that for free. Some do it for free if you have needed work done there.
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Sunday, June 3rd, 2012 AT 2:13 AM
Tiny
AURORADAWN10
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Thank you! Any ideas what the squealing noise may be? That's another thing I've been baffled about as I was told my brakes were fine. Also, brake pads were done by a friend
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Sunday, June 3rd, 2012 AT 3:30 AM
Tiny
AURORADAWN10
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Sorry about replying twice. Only meant to once
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Sunday, June 3rd, 2012 AT 3:37 AM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,699 POSTS
If it's a rather high-pitched squeal, that is a common result of using the newer higher-quality linings. It's better material but it is prone to making noise, especially in humid weather. The noise usually subsides when the linings get hot.

There are a lot of things professionals do to reduce and prevent noises. One common trick is to bevel the edges of the new pads to eliminate the "fingernails-on-the-blackboard" screeching. Special high-temperature brake grease is used on all contact points between the pads and calipers and on the caliper mounts. It is extremely important to not get any type of grease on the friction surfaces. That includes fingerprint grease. If there is grease on those surfaces, it must be washed off before the linings go through their first heating cycle. That grease will soak into the porous cast iron rotors and brake linings and never come out. That is a common cause of a squeal. The surface finish on machined rotors is important too. New rotors already have that finish and don't require machining.

If the new linings aren't broken in properly they will become glazed. Braking power will be reduced, you'll have to push harder than normal on the brake pedal, and the pads may chatter or squeal. Most mechanics start the break-in process for you but they usually fail to tell you what to do after that. They will test-drive your vehicle to check for proper operation and noises, and along the way they will perform a few harder than normal stops while giving time for the linings to cool down in between. Those hard stops help the new linings wear down to match the microscopic grooves and irregularities in the rotors' surfaces. Until that is done, braking performance WILL be reduced because the pads aren't making full contact yet, (microscopically). If you just throw new pads on and go out driving like normal, you will have to push harder than normal on the pedal and that will lead to overheating the linings. That will melt some of the binders in the material leading to glazing. Think of that glazing as a thin layer of varnish. As the linings get hotter, they lose their "coefficient of friction" which means they don't grab very well. In response you have to push harder on the pedal and that makes the linings get even hotter. Eventually no matter how hard you push, the vehicle just keeps on going. At that point the remedy is to let it sit for a few hours so the linings can cool down, then go out and drive it like normal. The pads will be fine once they cool down. All of this can be avoided by simply going easy on the brakes for the first 100 miles. Some shops even have information tags they hang from the rear view mirror that spell out the break-in procedure.

That is more of a problem for people who pick up their car from the repair shop, then do a lot of city driving right away. That is what really gets brakes hot. People who drive to the country, on highways, or for short distances don't develop much heat in the brakes so that brake fade and the potential for glazing isn't a problem.
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Sunday, June 3rd, 2012 AT 4:29 AM
Tiny
CJ MEDEVAC
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,004 POSTS
DIFFERENT FELLER (MUCH MORE HANDSOME. LOL)

LOOKING FOR A DECENT SHOP. NOT A RIPPOFF. GOOD WORK?

PEGGY SUE AND BETTY LOU (YOUR BUDDIES) KINDA MIGHT NOT DO SUCH GOOD RECOMMENDING. AS THEY MOST LIKELY ARE IN THE SAME BOAT AS YOU ARE WHEN IT COMES TO INSPECTING SOMETHING THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT!

SO HERE'S A POSSIBLE ROUTE FOR YOU. TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT!

GO TO YOUR POPULAR AUTO PARTS STORES (MORE THAN ONE MIGHT MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER) ASK TO SPEAK TO THE "COMMERCIAL SALES MANAGER".

MOST LIKELY AS HE HAS MADE IT THRU THE RANKS, HE HAS VISITED MANY OF THE LOCAL SHOPS AND HAS DELIVERED PARTS TO THEM FOR QUITE SOME TIME. JUST FROM SEEING THESE OPERATIONS, HE MOST LIKELY WILL KNOW WHO DOES GREAT WORK, IN A TIMELY MANNER, AND POSSIBLY AT WONDERFUL RATES.

YOUR KEY QUESTION TO ASK, JUST BEFORE YOU LEAVE IS: "WOULD YOU SEND YOUR MAMA THERE?"

IF YOU HAPPEN TO TRY ANOTHER STORE. SEE IF THE SAME NAME(S) COME UP

DO LET US KNOW YOUR OUTCOME

THE MEDIC
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Sunday, June 3rd, 2012 AT 5:09 AM

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