first time posting...

basically my brakes make a clicking sound as they are pressed all the way down. i can press them gently down about half way and they are fine. it's almost like it's sticking (or needs to be oiled?). it's not a driving thing...it still happens when the car is not moving (it's off) and i press them. it almost seems like it has something to do with the brake pedal. any thoughts?

thanks...by the way, sorry to hear how many people share in malibu repair misery...

first the "malibu repair missery" I have and there are a lot of ppl that do not have that and our Malibus are trouble free.. It is just like a doctor saying " all i see is sick people"
what size engine , how many miles.... etc
so the brakes make this clicking noise, with the car standing still and the engine of and both on ? how far can you press the pedal down ?
have you ever had the brakes serviced ?
is the check engine light on or anti lock breakes,,, or any other lamps?
did you check your brake fluid level ?
how does the car run overall ?
does it start and accelerate smoothly?

thanks for responding.

"first the "malibu repair missery" I have and there are a lot of ppl that do not have that and our Malibus are trouble free.. It is just like a doctor saying " all i see is sick people"

right, well the point was many who post here share in similar "misery" when it comes to malibu repairs. obviously not every malibu is the same. sorry if i came off as a 'bu basher.

what size engine: 3.1 i believe

how many miles: around 50k

so the brakes make this clicking noise, with the car standing still and the engine of and both on? yes. it's not a like a constant click, like a clock; more like how a door could creak when opened, the brake does as its depressed fully down. but it does has a distinct click sound.

how far can you press the pedal down ? maybe about half way, before it starts to click.

have you ever had the brakes serviced? twice.

is the check engine light on or anti lock breakes,,, or any other lamps?
no, sir.

did you check your brake fluid level? did not check that.

how does the car run overall? the car runs great.

does it start and accelerate smoothly? absolutely.

so does anything ring a bell?
thanks!

can you tell if the noise is from the front or the rear?

sometimes, the hardware where the pads meet the caliper bridge needs lubed with brake lube. the pads will stick and make noise.

if its from the rear and more of a screach sound, same deal. where the shoes rub against the backing plate is a source of noise. also, a little brake lube works wonders. also, get some spray brake cleaner and clean out all the brake dust then adjust the shoes while you are there.

the sound is definately coming from the front...and definately not a
screaching sound. thanks for the suggestions, that's probably what it needs, some sort of lube or something. i just have no idea how to do that type of thing (i'm not much of a mechanic).

hopefully at my next regularly scheduled maintenance the mechanic can help out... and hopefully not rip me off!

thanks!

can you tell if the noise is from the front or the rear?

sometimes, the hardware where the pads meet the caliper bridge needs lubed with brake lube. the pads will stick and make noise.

if its from the rear and more of a screach sound, same deal. where the shoes rub against the backing plate is a source of noise. also, a little brake lube works wonders. also, get some spray brake cleaner and clean out all the brake dust then adjust the shoes while you are there.

its from the rear and more of a screach sound, same deal. where the shoes rub against the backing plate is a source of noise. also, a little brake lube works wonders. also, get some spray brake cleaner and clean out all the brake dust then adjust the shoes while you are there.
I would not spray brake cleaner on good pads

Just completed this job. :banghead: You are describing exactly what mine was doing.
It is not the slider pins, as some sites/people will tell you (GM slider pins are famous for making noise I understand...a GM friend told me people were using supplied lube with brake kits that contained cheap lube that burned off quickly and the pins would start making noise in a hurry). The seals around your caliper have let moisture into the piston assembly and it is on its way out. The only way to see this is to remove the caliper itself off the caliper bracket and check the seals. I also discovered the infamous inboard brake pad problem while fixing this (inboard pad worn down on both sets).
Replace both calipers with re-manufactured units (Cheaper) or new if you like; and for the price of the rotors and pads, I changed them out as well.
Be careful not to overtighten the bleeder assembly when changing over the parts from the old caliper to the new. Make sure you follow the torque specs for all bolts (caliper bolts 23 ft/lbs; caliper bracket bolts 85 ft/lbs & Bleeder valve 115 ft/lbs according to alldata). Feel free to turn the steering wheel as you work on each side for easier access (You've got the whole front of the car up on quality jackstands and safety blocks in case of jackstand/surface failure, right?).

Hope this helps.

(P.S.: You may be able to just unbolt the calipers (with the car up) and sneak a look by tilted the caliper off the rotors and not have to compress the piston back into the bore with a c-clamp. Have a clamp handy just in case anyway.)