My front brake pads and particularly the drivers side one screams like a banshee when I apply the brakes lightly and at slow speeds. I can't remember if I had metallic or semi metallic ones installed but for some reason metallic comes to mind. I hate the thought of going to the dodge dealership to buy a new front set but the squeal is driving me up the wall. Any recomendations and thanks in advance.

 

Brake squeal is usually caused by the pad vibrating in the caliper. Usually the outside pad.

Remove the pad, and clean the backing plate and the caliper mounting points with a wire brush and then some brake parts cleaner.

Reassemble, using some Permatex Disc Brake Anti-Squeal (blue goo). Let it sit overnight, and that should solve it.

I used to drive a '01 Dakota. I had to do this every year or so.

 

boB is correct and i would add to take some sand paper and sand (deglaze) the rotors and then spray clean with brake parts cleaner. Should fix your issues!

 

they also have tell tales that screach when the pads are worn out, so I would check them before the rotor`s are scored.

 

Usually, they have that tapping noise from the tells when the brakes are not applied and they quit when you do brake. These only do the squeal when you lightly apply the brakes like in block to block stopping. If I apply the brakes harder it doesn't happen at all. I've taken it back to the mechanic that did the brakes and he's cleaned the pads and rotors and applied that brake silencer but within a couple of weeks, it comes back. I went to the dealership to inquire about new brake pads and the valulines were about 80 for the front pair and the oem's were about 180 which I thought was a bit to much.

 

I bought Hawks from Autoanything, think the green box for towing, they dont dust or make near as much noise as the stock pads did.

 

One of the tricks is to let the brakes set over night before using them. When I do it that way, it lasts a long time.

If you want new pads, I suggest getting them from Autozone. High quality, medium to light dust, and very quiet. And, they have a lifetime warrenty.

 

I just did the brakes on mine and used the Autozone Gold something something with lifetime warranty. About 500 miles so far and zero dust and not one bit of noise. I have used these pads on other vehicles with no issues and many thousands of miles.

 

How far or how much should you sand them down?

 

I have been told be a mechanic that the leading and trailing edge of the pad should be beveled to stop the squeeling. I did notice that my replacements are beveled.

 

You're just removing the glaze (Discolor) so not really removing any actual material. I use an air drill with the sanding disc and can do a rotor in about 30 seconds a side.

 

You don't need to sand them very much, just enough to take the glaze off. Put some 120 grit sandpaper on a flat surface (like a plate of glass), and rub lightly on a circular motion.

Placing a slight bevel on the leading edge also helps. Not much of a bevel, though. You don't want to remove too much material. Most pads come with a bevel on both edges, so you can install them on either side of the disc.

 

Where exactly does the anti-squeal go? I assume not on the front of the pad that touches the rotor?

 

Put it on the metal side of the pad where it makes contact with the calipers.