brake rattle

[DannyW]

I just had my first brake job done with 147k+ on the original set. And I was expecting the rattle in the front brakes to go away with all new parts... . but it didn't. Broken pavement at 30mph produces a rattle that makes my teeth grind, until I put pressure on the brake pedal. Then all is quiet. What the %*(^# could that be??! The bearings are OK, and I can't find anything loose. I did notice that the wheel stud holes in the new rotors are a full 1/8" bigger than the studs, so that there is slop in the rotational direction with it up on the jacks. But it doesn't seem like the motion of suspension travels over the bumps would cause that slop to make a noise, since there's no slop between the rotor and the bearing housing. Any ideas?

 

[Prairie Dog]

Unless your certain it's in the front brakes, about the most common cause of noise in our front ends is bad sway bar end links. If you haven't replaced them yet then I can guarantee they're bad (you have to remove them to check for slop). Dodge Cummins Diesel Truck Accessories - Geno's Garage are a better replacement that's reasonable and works great unless you do very aggressive off-roading.

Good luck.

Scotty

 

[blacksheepdiesel]

Had that noise in my '05. Replacing the broken sway bar links didn't help. Finally removed the calipers and installed new rubber inserts in the caliper mounts and the new bolts that came with them. Problem solved. Hope it works for you.

Godspeed,
Trent

 

[DannyW]

Rubber insert? If I go look at a parts drawing, is it obvious part that is? Or is that not a stock part?

 

[blacksheepdiesel]

I misspoke slightly. What you need is the sliding pin and the rubber bushing the sliding pin fits into. Buy a brake hardware kit at your auto parts store and it should contain enough parts to do one axle.

Godspeed,
Trent

 

[DannyW]

Removed stabilizer bar..... same racket. I guess it's back to the shop that did the brakes.

 

[Blakers]

It's probably your calipers rattling. Maybe the stainless shims are getting warn or the bolts are loose? If the stainless shims are not tight up against the pads, put some silicone sealer behind them to take up some of the clearance.

 

[Alan Reagan]

When I had my 05, it was the shims. I had the same problem. Rattling especially on dirt roads.



I found it by tapping the calipers with a rubber hammer. When I replaced the brakes and put in new shims, it stopped. I replaced my with the Wagner pads and the new shims seemed to make the pads fit a little more snug.

 

[DRyder]

Are you sure it is coming from the front? My '04 is doing the same thing, sounds like a nickel in a tin can whenever I go over anything remotely bumpy, goes away after applying the brakes. I think I've isolated mine down to the right rear, think something came loose in the park brake, linkage is very loose through the backing plate compared to the other side. Mine you can actually duplicate the sound by wiggling the cable. Don't ask how applying the brakes would make it go away, it just does. Haven't had the chance to open the rear rotor up and investigate yet.

Dave

 

[JCockerill]

Removed stabilizer bar..... same racket. I guess it's back to the shop that did the brakes.

danny, any luck finding the rattle? i have a very similar problem and still haven't been able to pin it down.

 

[blacksheepdiesel]

The front brakes on my '05 rattled when I hit bumps but would quit instantly when I pushed on the brake pedal. What I discovered was that the rubber insert had swollen which caused the sliding pin to become stuck. As the brake pad wore a little more it began to rattle because the caliper couldn't make the pads stay close to the rotor because the sliding pin was held tight. There was enough give in the rubber to allow the brakes to stop well but when the brake pedal was released the caliper and pads would go back to the position were they were stuck. This made a gap between the pads and rotor which caused the rattle when hitting a bump. Installing a new brake hardware kit which consists of the rubber and the sliding pin completely eliminated the problem.

Godspeed,
Trent

 

[DannyW]

Trent nailed it. Back to the shop for rework... . my mechanic said the rubber bushings that came with the reman calipers were crap. They fixed that AND reinstalled my stabilizer bar with my new links from Genos, all for no charge. Great little shop. Ahhhhhh... . no rattle.

 

[blacksheepdiesel]

Glad to hear you got rid of that annoying rattle Danny!

I think it is a good idea to install a new hardware kit at each brake job.

Godspeed,
Trent

 

[BIGNASTY]

same

As stated above the new brake pads that I put on a while back I didnt like the hardware that came with them. And they did the same thing rattle untill I touch the brake and it would stop. I jacked up the front end had the wife smack the tire with a rubber mallet and sure as hell the second I touched the caliper it would stop. NEVER will I buy NAPA brake pad again. IT DRIVES ME NUTS

 

[Alan Reagan]

As stated above the new brake pads that I put on a while back I didnt like the hardware that came with them. And they did the same thing rattle untill I touch the brake and it would stop. I jacked up the front end had the wife smack the tire with a rubber mallet and sure as hell the second I touched the caliper it would stop. NEVER will I buy NAPA brake pad again. IT DRIVES ME NUTS

The rubber mallet works wonders finding things that rattle.