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Front brake/suspension noise under braking?

1036 Views 7 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  steve s
We are getting an intermittent grinding noise coming from (what sounds like) the left front under braking. I just removed all 4 wheels, and everything seems fine...plenty of pad left on the fronts (new OEM rotors/PBR metalmaster pads) and rears. The rears occasionally squeal, but it's a very different sound than this. The calipers are tight, as is all the suspension stuff. Any suggestions? This is the 2nd time I've checked it and found nothing obviously wrong, yet the noise persists.
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Are you getting a groove in your rotor? Maybe you have a small stone or something lodged inbetween your pad and rotor. That's not too common but can happen...
I've had the same issue with PBR pads. I went back to the OEM Volvo pads for the sake of keeping it simple. Also, it helps to keep plenty of the silicone goo on the backs of the pads to isolate them (as much as possible) from the nasty vibes. Lastly, make sure that you have the shims and rattle clips in place too.

Cheers,
Prospero
Interesting. These pads weren't my choice, actually--I don't care for Metalmasters--but its what IPD reccomended.

I didn't actually remove the caliper to look @ the pad surface...perhaps that's worth doing. The rotors have no obvious grooving on the front/rear surfaces that my fingernail can detect. The car doesn't pulse or pull under braking at all, so it's not warped rotors, I don't think.

Perhaps the answer is to resurface the rotors and swap back to OEM pads. Are they a dealer-only item, or are they available as an aftermarket brand (e.g., Pagid, ATE, etc)?
quote:

Originally posted by SeattleGLI:
Interesting. These pads weren't my choice, actually--I don't care for Metalmasters--but its what IPD reccomended.

I didn't actually remove the caliper to look @ the pad surface...perhaps that's worth doing. The rotors have no obvious grooving on the front/rear surfaces that my fingernail can detect. The car doesn't pulse or pull under braking at all, so it's not warped rotors, I don't think.

Perhaps the answer is to resurface the rotors and swap back to OEM pads. Are they a dealer-only item, or are they available as an aftermarket brand (e.g., Pagid, ATE, etc)?

Brake pads can actually glaze over if your a light touch. These pads sound fairly new though... maybe go to an empty parking lot and lock it up once or twice? (use your safety judgment on this one!)
When my mom had a 240 she seized the brakes because she didn't use them hard enough. Maybe a good stomp would free it up. Does it only grind from after a stop? Maybe the cylinder in the caliper is partually seizing
and slow to release...
I've tried some spray on aerosal brake cleaners directly on the rotor with marginal success for noise in the past.
I'm probably way off on all accounts, but hey doesn't hurt to try. Better than the spend $1000 on new brakes suggestion!
If you are going to go through all of the labor to inspect your pads, then you should just install new ones while in there. The front pads (from the dealer) are less than $40.00. The silicone goo can be had for $3.00 or so. Regarding brakes, just keep the OEM pads in. I've done many mods to my 850, including power slot and drilled rotors. The OEM pads worked the best of all that I've tried. (Including PBR) If you ever have an issue with the brakes in the future, at very least you will have the peace-of-mind knowing the right pads are installed. Don't take too many chances with the brakes, stick with the Volvo pads. They are one of the things that were done right!

Prospero
i have the pbr pads and get the same noise. when they wear out i will be going back to volvo pads. the pbr's do grab nice though.
nathan
could it be ur hub/wheel bearing going? ...i've had two replaced (although the first time did not require braking to generate grinding noise)
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