Hello,
I drive a 97 Camry and I haven't inspected my brakes completely yet, but when I drive and apply the brakes, and then depress the brake pedal quickly, I hear a small squeak. The squeak isn't consistent. It stays silent for a few minutes when I start the car up and stop and go, and then starts squeaking once I release the brake pedal a certain amount of times. The brakes do not squeak at all when I press and depress them with the parking brake on. Is this brake pad wear or the possibly the drum brakes being dry?
Thanks,
Is the sound coming from the brakes or from the pedal itself? Maybe squirt a little WD40 on the break pedal pivot shaft to see if it's just dried out.
It sounds like the squeak comes from outside, underneath the body of the car, since the squeak sound is muffled.
Is the pivot shaft reachable from the driver's seat?
Yes, up under the dashboard, the brake pedal is attached to a pivot shaft. You'll have to get into Yoga Position 43B to get a look at it, but you can push the pedal down with your hand to see if it's making any noise there. Does it make the squeaking noise only when the vehicle is moving or stationary or both?
Only when the car is moving. I can have the car in drive with the emergency brake pulled (no moving) and pump the brakes up and down with no squeak.
brakes will squeak. It's what they do.
It's a good excuse to inspect them and make sure everything is ok.
This squeak is so slight and annoying it will will make me replace the whole assembly. Wondering if I could save time and parts if anyone had a good idea to exactly what it is
I don't have a crystal ball. I can't give you a "good idea" just from a squeak
why would you replace the whole assembly?
Just take off the wheel and look.
Maybe it's the squealers on the pads, telling you that they're worn out.
Maybe it's a just a a buildup of dust, or maybe they're just junk pads or rotors.
You could have had it figured out by now if you used your eyeballs instead of keyboard.
I'd rather use a keyboard before performing the job to make best use of my repair time while the car is in service. I live in an apartment complex, no garage.
I see. So somebody already already has the car on a lift where the problem can be solved in a single glance, and you're asking people to diagnose an issue over the internet from thousands of miles away with no pictures, videos, or nuthin. 👍
No, I'm asking anyone who knows there stuff about conditional squeak's that I'm talking about concerning brakes. You are turning this into something your thinking about that doesn't exist in reality. I simply want to work on my car efficiently without sinking in time to every component. Your comment about brakes squeaking being normal reflects your expertise in this area already, and I'll pass on the rest of your info.
I thought "while the car is in service" meant you took it in.
OK pop the wheel off and the first thing you're going to do is check pads to see if there's still material on them, and it's not down to the squealers. If the pads are glazed then scuff them up.Spray down the pads with brake cleaner.
Spray down the calipers, aided by a wire brush or old toothbrush, making sure to get in all the nooks and crannies, and removing any buildup. Finally, spray the front & back of the rotors, and wipe off with a fresh clean rag.
Then you're going to make sure the caliper slides are lubed, and the stainless steel pad guides are seated and clean (this part will depend on your. I don't know what yours look like) Apply anti-seize or brake grease to the back of the pads, where they touch the piston.
Reassemble, and test drive.
If it still squeaks then I would be inclined to live with it and ride it out. But if it really bothers you then replace the pads and rotors.
So, the noise comes when the vehicle is moving. You'll have to pull off the wheels and check the condition of the pads as they may be worn out.
What you have described sounds like your front disc brake pads are worn out and the squealer tabs are contacting the rotors, alerting you it's time for replacements. This will only happen when the car is moving, the brakes don't necessarily have to be applied to hear the squeak. Drum brakes usually make a grinding noise when they are worn. You may only need to replace the front brake pads, but with a car that old there could be other issues as well. Good luck.
I was thinking squeaker tabs, I just wasn’t sure if they should only squeak when driving and if they should squeak all the time or not when that low. If they don’t squeak all the time, that might be due to the brake pad wearing unevenly or the rotor being a little warped?
Yes, or it may behave differently when hot or cold if it it just starting. If it's a squealer tab it will continue to worsen pretty quickly. You should take a look asap.
Check the brake pads. As mentioned by @rth3rth3, it could be the squealer tabs, replace them in that case. It could also be because of some brake dust, if your pads are not worn enough, happens with my car sometimes. Either way, you could replace them with ceramic brake pads. They are very quiet.
