well yeah its a special "grease" or gel that you put on the pads. i didnt mean just any old grease. what springs are you talking about?
---------- Post added at 10:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:14 AM ----------
has anyone tried to use the shims and shim covers for aftermarket pads? mine got thrown away a long time ago and infiniti said they usually wont fit aftermarket pads. however, they keep the noise down that these vehicles are notorious for. didnt know that
I realize this is an old thread, but nice work by Prelude48 on posting the photos. I threw away the factory shims and used the brake grease that will be in the carton with any decent brand of pads. As SanDiegoMarine pointed out, the brake grease (poly butyl cuprysil silicone-based grease) should go between the backside of the pads and the caliper pistons and all around the steel inserts or brackets that position the pads. This got rid of cold start brake squeal on my FX45 that prevailed from the day we drove it off the dealer's showroom in 2005. Most often the "grease" is bright red to help prevent using the wrong lubricant with pad replacement. I think Infiniti used the shims because the cheap OEM pads were prone to squeal. My pads came with another lube for the shoulder bolt on which the calipers float or slide (see illustration attached herein).
I regret that I did not replace all four rotors because rotors are relatively cheap in the grand scheme of a brake job. My rotors had very little (visible) wear, but I now have some brake shudder that was not there with the old pads. I'll replace the rotors when the weather warms up. Eventually I learned that most modern cars should have rotors turned while on the vehicle to avoid run-out. However, the cost of new rotors is probably not much more expensive than turning the rotors while on the car. Some folks say that even NEW rotors should be checked for run-out by tightening rotors to the hub with wheel nuts at 40 ft lbs and checking with a dial indicator. Those same folks will tell you to mark an index point whenever removing a rotor from a hub - because the original rotors were most likely turned while on the vehicle at the factory. I discovered my original Corvette rotors were turned at the factory, and it was critical because GM allowed only 0.002" run-out on this car. Had to buy all four corners - and those puppies weigh about 23 pounds each. The cost escapes me at the moment but that's why I made the earlier comment about FX45 rotors being "cheap."
I would echo the earlier post about never compressing pistons into the caliper without opening the bleeder valve because that will always be the dirtiest brake fluid in the system. It'll be dark and nasty every time. You do not want to have to go back later and overhaul or replace calipers due to contaminated brake fluid. I'm the pot calling the kettle black because I should have used my Chinese dial indicator on the original rotors whereupon I would have likely observed run-out that is causing moderate shudder on my FX45.
I think the "springs" someone mentioned are the steel clips that position the pads. See parts 17 and 18 in the photo attached herein. The factory shims that I threw away are indicated with red arrows. Use brake grease liberally on 17 and 18 to prevent squeal, but be careful to avoid getting grease on the braking surfaces of the pads.
For whatever it's worth, I went with ceramic pads because I grew weary of cleaning the brake dust off of my factory optional chrome wheels. It's a lot easier to keep the wheels looking nice with ceramic pads. What little dust they generate is off-white. I also converted to ceramic pads on my Z51 C6 Corvette. Life is much easier with ceramic, and they stop as good as the semi-metallic pads that they replaced - unless you are racing a road course circuit.
When I put brakes and rotors on the Vette, I bought the Chinese dial indicator for less than $40, which is how I determined the old rotors were beyond the GM allowances for total run-out. The guy who turned my Corvette rotors on a free-standing brake lathe ruined all four rotors because his lathe spindle bearing was worn out.
Maybe someone else can benefit from my mistakes.
