After 10,000miles (started at 5k) i was so annoyed by the brake squeal that i decided that i just had to do something. I also had the low speed snapping noise there was a tsb issued for but i decided to do it myself rather then bother the dealer.

Materials are the same for both Jobs:

3-4 rolls of paper towels
Gojo for you hands
Torque Wrench
CRC Multi purpose Lube
CRC Anti Brake Squeal GOOP! not spray on stuff.
Greased Lightning Degreaser
#100 Sand Paper
21mm and a 12mm sockets.

Low Speed Snapping Noise

Step 1
Jack the car up into the air, remove the Lugnuts i suggest a nice torque wrench for this you can purchase a decent one for $40 and the better ones run $80, you'll need it later anyway. Lugnuts are 21mm sockets. REMEMBER which rim goes to what wheel, chalk on the tire works RR LR etc..


http://www.polakgraphics.com/images/DIY/Rusty%20Hub.JPG

Step 2

Place 2-3 layers of paper towels on the ground and Spray CRC Penetrating Lube to dissolve the rust.

http://www.polakgraphics.com/images/DIY/Brake%20Penetrator.JPG

Step 3
Take #100 sand paper and rub the hub vigorously. Then spray on a Degreaser and wipe off.
http://www.polakgraphics.com/images/DIY/Degreaser.JPG

Step 4
Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the back of each wheel. CRC first then degreaser... Wonder how much unsprung weight i took off :p
http://www.polakgraphics.com/images/DIY/DirtyRear.JPG
http://www.polakgraphics.com/images/DIY/CleanRear.JPG
http://www.polakgraphics.com/images/DIY/DirtyFront.JPG
http://www.polakgraphics.com/images/DIY/CleanFront.JPG

Step 5
If your not going to do your brakes then remount your rims, and torque the lugnut to 108ft-lbs using a torque wrench. I did mine to 120ft-lbs and they were fine as well. Make sure each nut is equally torqued, if their not they could warp the rotor causing irreversible squealing.

Stopping Break Squeal

Step 1
Jack the car up into the air, remove the Lugnuts i suggest a nice torque wrench for this you can purchase a decent one for $40 and the better ones run $80, you'll need it later anyway. Lugnuts are 21mm sockets. REMEMBER which rim goes to what wheel, chalk on the tire works RR LR etc.. Demount the caliper, the NOTE: bottom nut works better then the top nut the socket is 12mm.
Remove the pads and clips that hold them in and use the degreaser on the caliper and wipe.
http://www.polakgraphics.com/images/DIY/Remove%20Caliper.JPG

Step 2
Lay out the pads on a paper towel and clean out the dust vent in the actual pad with a flat head screw driver. Then use the penetrating lube and degreaser on the pads and shims, basically make them new again.
http://www.polakgraphics.com/images/DIY/Dirty%20Pads.JPG
http://www.polakgraphics.com/images/DIY/Clean%20Pads.JPG

Step 3
Apply CRC Brake Disk Quite to the surfaces the shim applies too wipe off any excess that comes out let dry for 10mins before reinstalling.
http://www.polakgraphics.com/images/DIY/Shim%20adheasive.JPG
http://www.polakgraphics.com/images/DIY/Shim%20Adheasive%202.JPG

Step 4
Remount your rims, and torque the lugnut to 108ft-lbs using a torque wrench. I did mine to 120ft-lbs and they were fine as well. Make sure each nut is equally torqued, if their not they could warp the rotor causing irreversible squealing.

Nice DIY post. It should be upgraded to the DIY section.

Please, do keep us up to date if the squealing or snapping comes back.

I tried similar brake goop first and it did not work. Then hi temperature caliper grease was suggested, so I cleaned all the goop off to put the grease on. My brakes still squeal.

If I recall correctly, the squealing did stop for a very short time after each fix was applied.

I have not heard the snapping noise from my car, so I've not bothered with the fix - but now I know the DIY solution to fixing it :).

rx8cited

Yes, great DIY. Keep us posted on the results (if, and when, the sounds come back).

Nice work, great write-up!

and torque the lugnut to 108ft-lbs using a torque wrench. I did mine to 120ft-lbs and they were fine as well. Make sure each nut is equally torqued, if their not they could warp the rotor causing irreversible squealing.

Only one warning - the TSB recommends 108 ft-lbs for the lugs to eliminate the low speed snapping noise, BUT that is at the very upper end of the spec range for the lug stud bolts. 120 ft-lbs is too high - you'll be close to exceeding the elastic limit of the lug studs, which means permanent stretching of the lugs, which could actually result in the lug bolts loosening, or the lugs themselves snapping (off)! Too much torque is worse than too little; when Mazda advised using 108 ft-lbs, that really is the upper limit.

Regards,
Gordon

Nice DIY post. It should be upgraded to the DIY section.

Please, do keep us up to date if the squealing or snapping comes back.

I tried similar brake goop first and it did not work. Then hi temperature caliper grease was suggested, so I cleaned all the goop off to put the grease on. My brakes still squeal.

If I recall correctly, the squealing did stop for a very short time after each fix was applied.

I have not heard the snapping noise from my car, so I've not bothered with the fix - but now I know the DIY solution to fixing it :).

rx8cited
Thx i plan on moving it over there once it sits here for 2 weeks just so it get some views as teh DIY section doesn't get to many.

So far i haven't had squeaks in 400miles.

PoLak,

Still free of brake squealing and wheel snapping noise I hope ;).

Do you know what your wheel lug nuts were torqued to before you did the brake squeal fix?

I'm wondering if the torquing the lug nuts to the higher value specified in the "Wheel Snapping Noise" TSB is a factor in make the brakes stop squealing. If you (or anyone else) were already at 108+ ft-lbs and and experienced squealing, that would be a data point to negate my idea. I'm reluctant to torque my wheels to 108 ft-lbs.

rx8cited

If it had anything to do with the torque of my wheels it would have to be that they are all torqued evenly. I've already gone down to 108ft-lbs as per Gord's opinion.

And yes still no squeals.

Gord quick question whats the formula for figuring out how much lets say 1lbs is at 15mph.

PoLak,
Lemme try again ;).

Do you know what torque setting your wheel lug nuts were torqued to before you did the brake squeal fix (i.e. when you last hear them squeal) ?

rx8cited

FYI:Mazda says brake squeal fix to be available in October. (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=38126)

rx8cited

PoLak,
Lemme try again ;).

Do you know what torque setting your wheel lug nuts were torqued to before you did the brake squeal fix (i.e. when you last hear them squeal) ?

rx8cited Not a clue what they were torque too but most defiantly not evenly. Because prior to buying a nice torque wrench my method to determine what 100ft pounds was applying 100lbs of my body weight on the 12inch bar.. :o(i know i know)

Nice little DIY! Moving this to the DIY forum.

Step 2
Lay out the pads on a paper towel and clean out the dust vent in the actual pad with a flat head screw driver. Then use the penetrating lube and degreaser on the pads and shims, basically make them new again.

Probably not what you meant but people might get the idea that you're saying to spray the pads with penetrating oil. You should never get oil or oily products in contact with the pad material. Even if you subsequently use degreaser, the oil will have soaked into the pads.

Interesting that you mentioned cleaning out the slot in the pads. It's hard to tell from your photo -- how well packed with dust were the slots when you removed them? Were they completely filled? The one common element for a lot of people who get the squeal is that it didn't start for some thousands of miles. I'm wondering if enough brake dust is accumulating in the slots to where it's compacted and having something to do with squeal...

Probably not what you meant but people might get the idea that you're saying to spray the pads with penetrating oil. You should never get oil or oily products in contact with the pad material. Even if you subsequently use degreaser, the oil will have soaked into the pads.

Interesting that you mentioned cleaning out the slot in the pads. It's hard to tell from your photo -- how well packed with dust were the slots when you removed them? Were they completely filled? The one common element for a lot of people who get the squeal is that it didn't start for some thousands of miles. I'm wondering if enough brake dust is accumulating in the slots to where it's compacted and having something to do with squeal...
I felt a difference because of the penetrating compound in break feel. But it wore/rubbed off after 100miles, the product says spray on friction surfaces to prevent squeals.

They were packed; probably 80% full, I put the degreaser spray nozzle right in the grove to blast out the crap.... it was pretty cool

Ah, I guess if the product is brake-specific it may be cool. Just didn't want someone making assumptions based on the description of "penetrating oil" and dousing the things with "liquid wrench" or WD40...

Squeal is back on a consistant basis, mileage without squeal 1000-1200.

Squeal is back on a consistant basis, mileage without squeal 1000-1200.

DAMN! Sorry to hear this after all the work you put in, but the same thing happend to me too. I was hoping yours would not come back since you used different brake goop.

Thanks for the update,
rx8cited

Yeah I have that low speed snapping noise. i took it to the dealer twice to get fixed! The first time they told me that it was a common problem and that Mazda had posted "Bulletin #2" to fix this issue. Well I didnt correct the problem so I eneded up bringing it back to them a few days later and they still couldnt fix it! So they then told me that the low speed snapping noise is common and that I "just need to break the brakes in". Personally I think they all full of it and just dont have a solution to resolve the issue. Have any of you guys addressed this issue to the dealer? And if so what did they do and did they fix it?

The new models, starting with the 05 have different front rotors. Per the parts dept. the new rotors won't wont fit the oler Rx 8's.

I wonder if he's full of it or if they actually tried the new rotors on the older 8's.

I dont mean to take anything away from this write up it was a great post, but I just wanted to note. Your not really supposted to use a torque wrench to loosen nuts or even to start tightening them. When installing a nut your suppost to use a wrench until they starten to tighten up, then use the torque wrench to tighten to specs.

I installed my winter wheels yesterday and the constant squeal that I've been living with completely abated. Ideas?

I installed my winter wheels yesterday and the constant squeal that I've been living with completely abated. Ideas?
Unevenly torqued wheels can cause it to squeal but I was under the impression that once they are like that for a while it won't go away simply by correctly torquing or changing wheels.

I installed my winter wheels yesterday and the constant squeal that I've been living with completely abated. Ideas?
same thing. ive been squeal free since thanksgiving.

polak, great diy and super pics. sorry it didnt solve the squeal for longer than 1500 miles :(

The thread that wouldn't die!

BTW, I've noticed that the squeal goes away completely in the winter time, when the windows are up and the music is loud...

...when the windows are up and the music is loud...
yea THAT got me a $500 speeding ticket!!!! lol

this snapping sound does it sound like a rough spot in a rotor when your under light braking at low speed cause i have one that sounds like that and it kinda has a binding sound to it hell i'm gonna try the fix this weekend it can only help

this snapping sound does it sound like a rough spot in a rotor when your under light braking at low speed cause i have one that sounds like that and it kinda has a binding sound to it hell i'm gonna try the fix this weekend it can only help
not at all the snapping nosie the wheel physically hopping on and off the hub, it has notthing to do if your braking or not.

I installed my winter wheels yesterday and the constant squeal that I've been living with completely abated. Ideas?

The winter wheels must change the resonant frequency of the wheel/brake system thus damping the squeal. The winter wheels must clamp the brake disc better than the stock wheel. Come to think of it, the popping sound seems related and implies that the wheel isn't securely clamped to the disc. And by securely clamped I don't mean the lug nuts aren't tight enough. I mean the mating surfaces between the wheel, disc and hub aren't true to each other which results in not enough friction to keep the pieces from sliding relative to one another. Since the winter wheels fix the problem, the solution must be with the stock wheel (not machined flat enough?). Note: Changing to a ceramic pad is supposed to get rid of squeal.

could it have anything to do with that nylon gasket that is on the stock wheels?

The new models, starting with the 05 have different front rotors. Per the parts dept. the new rotors won't wont fit the oler Rx 8's.

I wonder if he's full of it or if they actually tried the new rotors on the older 8's.


When I went to my dealer to get the brake squeal fixed, they said it was because my rims were dirty and it was dust. I told them that I knew it was a common problem with rx8's and that there was suppossed to be something they could do. The guy said he would check on it, and when I came back later that day he said the only thing Mazda said was that he was allowed to change brake pads on 04's only. There was no fix for the 05 model, so he cleaned my breaks instead, which made the squeal go away...for about two hours. I left the dealership, washed my car and my rims. About an hour after I washed it, squeel all over again.

The winter wheels (#) must change the resonant frequency of the wheel (#)/brake system thus damping the squeal. The winter wheels must clamp the brake (#) disc better than the stock wheel. Come to think of it, the popping sound seems related and implies that the wheel isn't securely clamped to the disc. And by securely clamped I don't mean the lug nuts aren't tight enough. I mean the mating surfaces between the wheel, disc and hub aren't true to each other which results in not enough friction to keep the pieces from sliding relative to one another. Since the winter wheels fix the problem, the solution must be with the stock wheel (not machined flat enough?). Note: Changing to a ceramic pad is supposed to get rid of squeal.Well temp. is huge when it deals with resonance. Being a musician, i noticed that the temp might have something to do with the resonance in the brake disks. The constantly cooler air keeps the metal cooler and thus for resonance to occur it has to happen at a different frequency then when the disks are much hotter.

Had new brake pads installed, problem came right back. Nowdays I get a very high pitched hiss in my front brakes after doing a lot of braking during high performance driving. What seems to help is to apply some Brakleen followed immediately by some hard braking. Helps to shut up the brakes for a bit so that it's not happening every single time I brake. But fact of the matter is, looks like squealing with the OEM brakes is a terminal problem with RX-8s.

Did everyone at least bed-in their brakes when they got the new pads/shims? THAT makes a huge difference!

Materials are the same for both Jobs:

3-4 rolls of paper towels
Gojo for you hands
Torque Wrench
CRC Multi purpose Lube
CRC Anti Brake Squeal GOOP! not spray on stuff.
Greased Lightning Degreaser
#100 Sand Paper
21mm and a 12mm sockets.



I'm going to replace my front brake pads but I've never done this before. I chose a CRC spray over the red squeeze tube. Why do you say don't use the spray?

RotaryRider, I know this is a bit late, but just in case you're still dealing with the issue. I have an early 05 and my vin was within the range. Print this out and take it to the dealer if your vin is within the range.

http://www.finishlineperformance.com/rx8/docs/pdf/04-006-04-1369b.pdf

I haven't had any squealing at all since I had the TSB done.

I'm going to replace my front brake pads but I've never done this before. I chose a CRC spray over the red squeeze tube. Why do you say don't use the spray?
I've heard that the spray stuff doesn't work nearly as well as the tube, but thats just somones opinon im voiceboxing. BTW you could always just get a free set of pads from Mazda that don't squeek.......

I've heard that the spray stuff doesn't work nearly as well as the tube, but thats just somones opinon im voiceboxing. BTW you could always just get a free set of pads from Mazda that don't squeek.......

But my brakes never squeaked. I just want to replace front pads because I'm at 50,000 miles on my original ones. I just want to make sure my new pads don't squeak. So I don't think i'm eligible for the free pads.