Squeeky Brakes

[slimco]

I have a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am 6 cylinder.

Every time i press on my brakes, i hear this squeaking sound. I don't know what it could be. If i get my brakes changed then the sound goes away for a little but then comes back. I think i have had this on all of my Pontiac cars that I have owned (like 3 or 4). The sound usually starts only after a couple of weeks or a month or so, after getting a brake job done. I can't believe I have already worn out my brakes that quickly.

I also took the car back to the garage i had the work done at and told them about it and after they looked at it they said my brake pads were fine and that they would shave the rotors some and even out the distribution of the brake usage. I guess the front were doing more work than the back. After this the squeaking was gone for a few days/weeks, but is now back. Is there anything that I can do to keep this sound away? Its annoying to here it every time I have to stop at a stop sign or stop light.

[xeroinfinity]

Thier are a couple different things that could cause this.

Could be the slide pins are not working right, need cleaned and regreased.
Or you need some brake squeak stuff if the pads are whats causing the noise.

[C man]

Yeah, It could be the brake pads themselves. They could be putting on cheap brake pads. I made the mistake of buying Autozone duralast brake pads and rotors and It was a nightmare. Warped them in 2 months flat on two occasions. They squealed all the time and caused heavy brake dust. Finally went and bought some Bendix rotors and Wagner Quiet Stop brake pads and it's like night and day . Yet to hear a squeal and leaves little brake dust. VERY RELIEVED.

[xeroinfinity]

My GA SE has had duracrap rotors for over 70k miles and I havnt had any troubles with those. But you cant beat Bendix or Wagner components.

What warps rotors the fastest is over torquing the lug nuts, or very uneven torque.
Lugs should be torqued to 100 FT Lbs.

[C man]

My ? is, If you use a 4-way to torque your lug nuts how do you know when its tight enough? I'm pretty sure somewhere along the way I have over tightened my tires.

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by C man

My ? is, If you use a 4-way to torque your lug nuts how do you know when its tight enough? I'm pretty sure somewhere along the way I have over tightened my tires.

You won't know using a standard 4 way lug wrench. You need a torque wrench. For wheels I use a simple 1/2" drive wire indicator torque wrench rated at up to 100 lb-ft. Or I can use my better clicking torque wrench which can go up to 250 lb-ft. Plus the wheel nuts should be torqued in a star pattern.

[doctorhrdware]

I was going to ask what I should torque the lug nuts to. Now I have my answer.

[xeroinfinity]

I was going to ask what I should torque the lug nuts to. Now I have my answer.

It is in your manual that should be in your glovebox.

Also another problem with brakes on these 99+ GAs is the pads go with the wear indicator on the inside of the rotors.
Otherwise you'll have several strange problems arrise.