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MG MGA - Brake Squeal!

Front discs have started to squeal really bad. Frightening other motorists as modern cars almost never do this. What to do?
Barry.
Barry Gannon

Clean the pads, and sand the friction surface. Chamfer the leading edge of the pad 45 degrees. Apply Brake Quiet (or equivalent) on the back of the pad to glue it to the caliper piston. If that doesn't stop the squeal, bin the suckers and look for softer pads.
barneymg

How worn are they Barry? Mine wear with a taper due to different relative speeds across the disc.
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

Barry
I fitted some Mintex anti-squeal shims under the pads and this stopped the noise.
You can get them on ebay, not expensive.
I thought that they may make the brake pedal a bit softer but, apart from stopping the squeal, the brakes were just as good as before.

On a set of new pads you may have to sand the friction material down a few thou to make room for the shims, but if the pads have been used for a while, there will be plenty of space.
Cheers
Colyn
Colyn Firth

Barry
I simply clean all the dust from the calliper recess and pad etc, (with aerosol "Brake and clutch" cleaner) then put a smear of 'Copaslip' on the rear of the pad where it faces the piston.

Regards
Colin
Colin Manley

Thanks for all your replies. I have ordered a Permatex product and will report results when it arrives.

Barry
Barry Gannon

Barry

A couple of years back I tried all the tricks above. All would initially seem fine then the squeal returned. Turned out to be badly assembled (damaged) seals in the calipers by the supplier. The pistons were not readily returning to their correct at rest position. Result was over heating pads and discs. Discovered it when trying to spin the wheels when raised off the ground after a run.

Got new calipers and all was well. Photos somewhere in the archives.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Thanks for your input, I have just returned from a short run and with no brake squeal!

I used "Permatex Brake Quiet", essentially a blue glue, easy to apply to the back of the pads, just a thin film, and no more squeal.

Discovered one of the pistons very hard to retract but got it back far enough to refit the pad so may have to look into that at a later date. Braking is even and effective so I assume all is well.

Barry.
Barry Gannon

This thread was discussed between 07/03/2018 and 27/03/2018

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This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.