lexusben

iTrader: (3)

So i have been having a clanging noise coming from my rear driver side brake for a long time now. Every time I go over a bump it clangs, the more rigid the bump the louder and longer the clang. However, when I compress the brakes the sound disappears. If I hit the bump while braking: no sound. If I hit the bump without braking and it clangs I can compress the brake and the clang comes to an immediate stop.

Today I took a look at the rear driver brake myself. I took off the sliding pin and squeal clip and pulled out the pads. Everything looked fine. I greased up the shims on my pads (which are aftermarket Akebono ProActs). The Akebonos only have 1 shim per pad, so 2 shims in total per side compared to the 4 shims (inner and outer for each pad) with the OEM Pads. I'm not sure if these Pads are attributing to the noise or not, but everything looked fine.

I even greased up the squeal clip and slide pin.

I went on a test drive. At first everything went well. I hit a few bumps and didn't hear anything. However, after a bit the clang returned. I don't have any squealing anymore, which is nice, but the real problem, the clanging, still remains.

What are your opinions, guys? Anyone have experience with the Akebono ProActs? I have the Direct Fit ones here. I see that there are also OEM Fit one Here. Do you think the problem could be that I got Direct Fit instead of OE Replacement? Do you guys think the pads are even responsible for the sounds?

Any help is appreciated. Atleast I got rid of all the squeals.

lexusben

iTrader: (3)

I forgot to add I was looking at the Pad Replacement DIY and there is a part about Pressing in the Pistons. What exactly does that mean?

raytseng

1) Akebono proacts are fine. search on it and find out that they are fine.

2) If you don't know what the terms in the DIY means, perhaps you should find someone to help you do this who has done a brake job before, as brakes are a safety issue and if you mess up it is bad news. If you are serious about learning about this without instruction, borrow a real textbook on automotive repair and read it, don't depend on a DIY you found on the internet. The lexus/toyota brakes are pretty standard

3) I would say you should replace the clips if it is a clang and not a squeal. You should actually do this every brake job for our car. The parts cost about $10-$20 at most and is known as Brake Hardware, or Fitment Kit if you get it from toyota.

lexusben

iTrader: (3)

Can I take out the pads from my driver side and still drive normally without damaging the rotor or the calipers? Do the brakes compress uniformly on both sides? So that my passenger side rear brake pads would come to contact with the rotor and that would stop the bare driver side calipers from touching the rotors?

Scratch that.

I need a way to figure out if it is actually the pads or not.

Raytseng I know what the pistons are I just didn't understand what they meant by pressing them in. They actually meant to press the pads into the slots.

I did this DIY based on a Lexus Service Manual.

I have found a lot of fixes for this problem I am just looking for a place to start. Some people have bought new Fit Kits. However, I am not sure that a fit kit will work for my Akebono Pads. Other people have simply tightened the caliper bolts. If I could prove that the pads were not responsible for the noise I would move on to that step.

Another option I read about was to use silicone on the back of the Pad to basically glue it to the caliper. This would prevent the pad from moving around and possibly rattling.