Squeaky Brakes

Have you been lately subjected to the discordant chords of squeaky brakes which have been affecting your peaceful penances at the driving wheel? Then you need to do something about it soon! To go to the root of the matter, you need to understand what are the causes that lead to squeaking of brakes and what can be done to take care of this problem.

Squeaky brakes on cars are quite a common phenomenon. Noise of any kind generated by a car is mostly due to friction and vibration. Car being a complex machine and having a plethora of moving parts inside, is bound to cause noise of some or the other kind due to friction and vibration at high speeds.

Causes

What leads to squeaky brakes while driving? Here are some of the basic causes:

Metal Resonant Frequency
The main culprit behind squealing of brakes is the resonant frequency of the whole braking system that generates noise through vibration. Asbestos was the material used for making brake pad material earlier and it was considerably less noisy. However, asbestos was found to be carcinogenic and was subsequently banned by the United States government. Now most materials used are semi metallic composites which are bound to cause some noise due to their inherent resonant frequency of vibration which falls in the audible range. Here are some of the prime causes of that may lead to squealing brakes.

Distorted Brake Rotors
One of the main components of a braking system is the brake rotor. If it is bent or distorted in shape, it can causing a misalignment with brake pads and lead to squeaky disc brakes.

Brake Pad Wear & Dust
The brake squeaking can be a plea to change the worn brake pads. Worn brake pads can expose the brake pad wear indicators that are metal plates inserted below the pad material to make identification of wearing out easier. The contact of these metal plates with the rotors can lead to squeaking brakes. Also the dust lodged between brake pads and rotors along with excessive vibration can lead to squeaking noise.

How to Fix Them?

When you are faced with a problem, the solution is usually found when you attack the root cause. Here are some of the ways in which you can fix squeaky brakes:

Spray Disc Brake Dressing
A disc brake dressing spray is available which can reduce the squeaking noise by covering up brake pads from behind and aiding their retrieval by the brake pistons. This ensures that the pads do not come in contact with the rotor when they are not in use. Spray the dressing on to the rear of the brake pads by spraying it into the central part of brake calipers. Take care that you do not spray the material onto the brake pad sides or the brake rotor.

Drum Brake Shoe Replacement
Replacing the drum brake shoe can arrest the squeaking noise as worn out shoe material can accumulate and lead to squeaking. Make sure that all the fallen debris due to worn out material is cleared out after brake shoe replacement.

Brake Pads Replacement
If a worn brake pad is the culprit that is causing the brakes to squeak, then replacing the brake pads is the solution to silence the brakes. This can effectively neutralize the squeaking brake sound in most cases.

Wash Brakes & Check Fluid
Wash the whole brake assembly with a water hose at high pressures to clear out all the particulate debris that might have accumulated. Check brake fluid level and go for a brake fluid flush in case you find it to be murky instead of pure golden. The incomplete retraction of calipers that causes squealing due to insufficient brake fluid levels and heat problems can be arrested by fluid replacement.

A certain occasional amount of brake squealing will still remain due to the internal resonant frequency of the material at high vibration and high speeds.