Ticking brake pad.

The Rovering Member

The Rovering Member

Well-Known Member
I had a ticking noise appear from the front offside of our V8 & on investigation it turned out to be the outer brake pad moving up & down. They're new pads & the pins seem o.k but I have some new ones to try & more new pads too.
Anyone else had this. It's annoying more than anything else. :angry:
 
Mine just have a horrendous squeal when I brake - However far more effective at getting people out the way than the klaxon!
 
zebedee37,
clean the stainless shims behind the pads (assumming that you have them fitted) and apply Coppaslip grease to both sides of them when re-fitting. Has always worked for me!
Regards, John.
 
I have an offside front brake that squeeks until you apply light pedal pressure, I have cleaned it all once but to no avail - will need to have another go some time!
 
This discussion brings back a memeory of my Dad's '65 sc. (I think just into Girling but not sure?). We had sqealing brakes and the garage assured us this was normal and that if we were unhappy they would execute the factory recommended "fix". This involved their test driver taking us out to a nearby quiet road and working it up to about 85 and then doing an emergency stop. Father showed no emotion, the teenage me enjoyed immemnsly; Mother went a funny shad of grey. And she let Dad buy a TC next time! And then a V8!!!

Chris York

PS the fix worked!
 
I haven't done anything about the ticking yet as we've been using the P4 (re-rubbered the leaking master cylinder but it still leaks a bit. A doddle to remove though so easy to replace) to shuttle about in. It sounds as though the other side has started ticking too now. Very strange. I'm wondering if they're slightly the wrong shape though they seem to fit fine. I'll try a new set of retaining pins first. I think the V8's master cylinder needs new rubbers too as every now & again the pedal dives for the floor but instantly pumps up. Not too bad but not as easy a job as on the P4 unfortunately.
 
If your pads are a loose fit in the caliper , you could try spreading the pad backplate slightly with a big hammer to make it a tighter fit
 
I'll maybe try that as a last resort when I get round to doing something about it. I've just serviced the P4's carb so will be refitting & attempting to tune that today.


.............Success! A lovely slow even tickover & hopefully, improved economy too.
 
Well! A new set of pins seems to have cured the ticking pads for the moment. There is wear in the old pins but only very slight. You wouldn't think it would make any difference. Just shows to go ya'!
Now the nearside rear brake is stuck on. Suspect the piston & hope that a bit of cleaning & lubricating in situ will cure the problem as I don't want to have to remove & strip the caliper if I can help it. Other than the piston I suppose the handbrake linkage could be at fault. Anyone had that problem before?
 
You need to establish if it's the piston in the caliper that's stuck or if the caliper is stuck on it's pivots and holding one pad against the disc. I had the latter problem
A bit of careful lubtrication should fix it (don't get any on the disc)
Dave
 
I was under the car a few weeks back & I checked for caliper movement so I don't think it's that though it's possible of course. I'll unbolt the 1/2shaft & remove the disc anyway as It's a quick & easy way to get 100% better access to the caliper. Unfortunately rain is forecast for Saturday which is when I was hoping to do it.
........Typical!
What do you know. Just as I wrote that, it started raining. :laugh:
 
It didn't rain Saturday & I got the job done. The piston was the culprit so I cleaned it, wound it back in & replaced the pads as they were very low on that side. The other side had very little wear but I changed those too. The handbrake linkage was a bit sticky so I freed that off as well. It all seems to be working fine so far.
It's the first time I've changed the rear pads with the diff in place & I can't see what all the fuss is about. It's dead easy as long as you drop the inner end of the halfshafts & discs. I know some of you fiddle around with the discs in situ but it can't be worth the hassle as you get all the access you could want for 10 minutes work which is how long it takes to remove one. Plenty of room to clean & grease the piston & the piston winder goes on a treat & works fine (I've seen complaints about them on here). You can see what you're doing instead of doing it by feel. A decent set of ramps & a cushioned trolley to lay on are essential (just got the trolley, £20 at Makro & it's dead comfortable) & a way of getting your jack high enough to reach the back-block with the car on the ramps as you'll need to raise the body to allow the halfshafts to fall out of the discs. I used two piles of bricks which is safe as you're only raising the body, not supporting the car. The ramps are doing that. From cracking the disc bolts to tightening them back up you can have one side completed in 30-40 minutes or less if you want to time yourself. Anyone who hasn't tackled this job themselves, take heart. Those legendary, notoriously difficult brake-pads are a doddle. Anyone who does the job with the discs in place, take them off next time. I've not tried it with everything in place but laying there & looking up I can see it would be awkward.
I've recommended removing the discs before on here & repeat the advice for your comfort & recreation, if laying under P6's is your idea of recreation. :;):
 
Put some petrol in it & drive the bl**dy thing. :D
I think a lot of us take such satisfaction out of working on them ourselves, we forget what the ultimate purpose of a car is. Go for a picnic & bask in your own self-satisfaction.


By the way. I wondered why the piston wasn't moving out when the footbrake was operated. A call to Clive Annable sorted me out. The pistons are adjusted by operating the handbrake for those who don't know (like me). Thanks for that Clive.
 
If the piston doesn't come out (even slightly) when you put your foot on the footbrake , how do the pads get squeezed onto the disc ? The piston must push one pad out and the reaction causes the caliper to swivel on it's mountings and force the other pad against the disc.
Did you suffer from neck / back ache after doing your pads ?
Dave
 
The piston was moving out slightly, then returning which is what operates the brake. But it wasn't moving the piston from the fully wound-in position out to where it needed to be for the pad to make contact with the disc. The handbrake operates the automatic adjuster which is what compensates for pad wear & this is what you use to place the piston after winding it in.
No back or neckache at all. As I said, the trolley is very comfortable & well worth the money. Beats laying on a board any day.
Unfortunately though, I think the front pads are starting to tick again so I may try a change of pads but I'm not sure that will have any effect as they must be the same size. I might see if I can get some sort of sleeve on the pins where they go through the brake pads as the holes are elongated, even on new pads.
 
You do need to use the handbrake a good few times to bring the piston out after fitting new pads unless you wind the piston out far enough so you can just slide the new pads in.
I put a chamfer on the edge of my new pads as otherwise the new pad would have only made contact with the unworn, rusty part of the disc
I needed my pads to bed in quickly as the first priority was to get an MOT
 
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