Grand Am Brakes

[kuminkoskia]

I have just purchased a 1999 Grand Am SE, it has new brakes on it.
The front disc brakes squeak like all get out, and there seems to be a slight grinding sound. I touched the rims and they are heating up around the calipers. I have read consumer reviews that brakes are not this cars strong point. Aside from break noise, I love the car. Does any one have a similiar experiance and the fix...

[bmtphoenix]

Originally Posted by kuminkoskia

I have just purchased a 1999 Grand Am SE, it has new brakes on it.
The front disc brakes squeak like all get out, and there seems to be a slight grinding sound. I touched the rims and they are heating up around the calipers. I have read consumer reviews that brakes are not this cars strong point. Aside from break noise, I love the car. Does any one have a similiar experiance and the fix...

There's no squeak grease and no squeak brake pads. From my experience, Grand Ams just need them if you don't want squeakies.

[kuminkoskia]

Thank you for your technical advise I will look into purchasing the "anti squeak pads and grease".
I still have the rims around the caliper area heating up pretty warm.
Had a Camaro years ago I had to replace the front brake calipers to fix that.

[bmtphoenix]

Originally Posted by kuminkoskia

Thank you for your technical advise I will look into purchasing the "anti squeak pads and grease".
I still have the rims around the caliper area heating up pretty warm.
Had a Camaro years ago I had to replace the front brake calipers to fix that.

My Grand Am always heats its rims up. Always has. If you think you need new calipers, replace your calipers. But I know from experience that you can rebuild the entire brake system and still have hot rims and squeaky brakes.

[kuminkoskia]

I appreciate the technical advice, you most likely saved me some time and money chasing a wild goose.
If you replaced the brakes and they still squeak and heat up, with no adverse effects on the performance and or components, my GA must be the same characteristics.
The car brakes just fine, I will just turn the stereo up a little over the squeaks.

[bmtphoenix]

Originally Posted by kuminkoskia

I appreciate the technical advice, you most likely saved me some time and money chasing a wild goose.
If you replaced the brakes and they still squeak and heat up, with no adverse effects on the performance and or components, my GA must be the same characteristics.
The car brakes just fine, I will just turn the stereo up a little over the squeaks.

You should be able to apply the anti-squeak grease on the pads without taking anything but the wheel off. Personally, I can't stand squeaky brakes.

[jeffreno]

This is a known problem with 99+ grand ams. The problem has been posted many times at another site, www.grandamgt.com. The piston inside the caliper is made of a different metal than the caliper itself, and, over time, the piston warps and the 2 do not mate properly, resulting in the piston pressing on the brake pads, pushing them at an angle (not much of an angle), and thus your brake PADS are then scraping against your rotors. I know all about this - mine have been doing it for about 6 months now. The brakes still function properly - its just ya have to deal with that freaking squeek.
I have changed my driving habits lately to where I'm not pushing my 2000 GT to extremes like I used to. By doing this, it hardly ever squeeks. and if it does, it's not obnoxiously loud like it used to be.
I haven't really looked to hard into fixing it - lack of funds... I'm wondering if ya can just rebuild, or replace the piston, instead of the entire caliper, cause that's $$$.

[kuminkoskia]

Thank you for your response, I thought there had to be a technical issue with these doggone brakes. I agree the new calipers would be expensive. In 1999 there was a new brake design introduced thus the new problem. If there is a recall on them that would be great I do not think there is a significant enough of a problem for GM to recall, it would be nice.
I will keep on squeaking by for now until I decide to open up my wallet for new parts..

[Flatrater]

Originally Posted by jeffreno

This is a known problem with 99+ grand ams. The problem has been posted many times at another site, www.grandamgt.com. The piston inside the caliper is made of a different metal than the caliper itself, and, over time, the piston warps and the 2 do not mate properly, resulting in the piston pressing on the brake pads, pushing them at an angle (not much of an angle), and thus your brake PADS are then scraping against your rotors. I know all about this - mine have been doing it for about 6 months now. The brakes still function properly - its just ya have to deal with that freaking squeek.
I have changed my driving habits lately to where I'm not pushing my 2000 GT to extremes like I used to. By doing this, it hardly ever squeeks. and if it does, it's not obnoxiously loud like it used to be.
I haven't really looked to hard into fixing it - lack of funds... I'm wondering if ya can just rebuild, or replace the piston, instead of the entire caliper, cause that's $$$.

Well thats news to me!! I work at a GM dealer and never heard about this problem! NOw what makes the psiton warp??

Ok your rotors are made of metal and most brake pads have metallic linings. What do you get when you scrape metal against metal? The new Grand Ams have composite pads that have no metal in them.

Now lastly the job of the brakes is to change the energy created by your car moving into energy to stop the car a by product of this is heat. Heat is a major loss in energy the engine produces. If you could take that heat and turn it back into energy you would have a great increse in fuel mileage. BUt at this time the cars cannot do that so the rotors have to depend on the cooling fins in the rotor and the mass of the rotor to reduce the temps. In other words its susposed to be hot!

[kuminkoskia]

Well,, I am surprised that a company man with your years of experience has not had any exposure to the notorious Grand Am brake system.
Before I purchased my GA I did a little research into Car reviews by both Automotive journals and consumer reviews. One repetitive problem that was published by Grand Am owners was brakes, excessive heat and noise squeaks and grinding. I had a heads up prior to my purchase. After the purchase I experienced the grinding , squeaking and heat around the brake area. There is a few articles on this website if you look about the same subject. One reader posted the dealer refused to replace the warped rotors on her low mileage"new" Grand Am.
I have owned everything from a 1969 Harley Sportster to a 1995 Chevy pick up, I too have been in the maintenance arena for over 27 years.
Brakes are designed to do one thing stop the vehicle. When you apply the brakes they should not make a grinding noise and they should not squeak if they do it is wrong. When you drive a few miles in the city at a moderate pace (not fast) with no heavy braking and you get home and the rims are too hot to touch and it smells like a frying pan thats been left on the stove with the burner on high too long that is not right.
Any one that thinks that they should be may want to try another line of work.
You should be able to go into the dealer service section data base where you work, ask your supervisor, and click into the historical data section and you will see Grand Am brakes.
I appreciate your expert opinion.

[jeffreno]

maybe I'm wrong, Flatrater, with the brake pads grinding on the rotor - I DO KNOW excessive noise is occurring somewhere in the brake system. I will have to research further as to why the sound happens - possibly the piston grinding inside the caliper making the noise, because the piston is aluminum and the caliper steel??? All I know is that freakin noise happens to me and thousands others with junk GM parts on these Grand AMs and many other GM products...
I too have noticed the excessive heat coming from the front wheel wells. Of the other vehicles I've owned, including a 1997 Ram Air TA, 1998 Cavalier, 1998 C5 Vette, none of these had the brake problems, squeeks, heat, etc. that my Grand Am GT has.
I agree with you, kuminkoskia, some expert opinion!

[crackur]

mine was doing the same thing the other day ....I had to replace the brakes, rotor, and the calipers

that was what was causing the squeeking noise and my wheel rim to heat up!

[kuminkoskia]

Crackur,
I have the same problem with the brakes, did you use original equipment replacement parts from a dealer or did you go aftermarket and what is the ballpark figure for the repair? Parts and labor.
thanks

[crackur]

I just went to a mechanic, I told him my brakes squeek when I turn to the right.......he didn't know what the problem was until he went and looked at the wheel and he saw the rotor rubbing against it. I left my car there and an hour later he called me and said I test drove your car and then I put it on the rack......the wheel is hot and I can barely turn it with my hands.....its the calipers and hose etc on the right side. He got parts from the auto store right next to I think. I also had my radiator flushed at the same time though
a total of 175 bucks
approx 125 for the wheel/brake stuff

[eaglesrealm]

Grinding noise is a VERY well documented problem with the Grand Am. My 2001 Grand Am and 2000 Alero each have had all the same problems, driving me to finally do something I said I would never do....buy a foriegn vehicle.

The grinding now can be fixed with a new set of tires. GM tried fixing this problem for about 3 years before the tire change was made and the problem was resolved.