mohrt

I've read quite a few threads on squeaking breaks on this forum, and I thought I'd try to summarize the general consensus on the matter and my own adventures in addressing the issue.

First and foremost, squeaky brakes are a typical byproduct of high performance brake components. You are not going to find a guaranteed cure! However, you do not necessarily have to live with squeaky brakes, you just need to address the problem now and again.

Some people have had luck upgrading their brakes to racing brakes, or replacing the factory ones. That should certainly stop the squeaks, but only for a period of time before the squeaking acts up again.

Me, I fixed mine by cleaning them. It's not hard to do, and it is temporary. You'll need to do this now and again. I will include a step-by-step instruction for cleaning out your brakes. I have only had to clean the front brakes, so that is what these instructions are for. The back breaks should be similar though.

*) apply the emergency brake (for safety)
*) Block the back wheel on the opposite side you are working on (for safety)
*) But a jack under the car on the frame behind the front wheel you are working on. The Mazda manual points out these locations. The screw jack that comes with the car will work. I used my own pump jack.
*) Jack up the car so that the weight is off the tire, but it is still touching the ground. Now loosen all the lugnuts with a 21mm tire iron. (You will need your wheel lock.)
*) Jack the tire up off the ground. Remove the lugnuts and tire, set them off to the side.
*) The brake assembly is held in place with two 14mm bolts coming from the back side of the rotor. Remove these two bolts, and slide the brake assembly off of the brake pads. The rubber brake line will still be attached. Leave that attached, and set the brake assembly aside. A one gallon paint can works well to set them on.
*) The brake pads (one inside and one outside the rotor) are held in place by some metal clips. The pads should slide out pretty easily, the clips just keep them from slipping.
*) Clean the brake dust out of the groove between the pads. I did this by sliding a screwdriver down the groove several times.
*) Use some brake parts cleaner (I used CRC non-chlorinated from O'Reilly) to clean off all the parts: pads, rotor, brake assembly.
*) Time to reassemble. slide the pads back into place, install the brake assembly and tighten the 14mm screws
*) Install tire, hand-tighten the five lugnuts. Use the 4-way to snug them up (not all the way tight yet.)
*) Let the jack down just enough so the tire touches the ground, with very little weight on it.
*) Tighten the five lugnuts in a star-shaped rotation to ensure even tightening. Make sure they are nice and snug, or use a torque wrench to get them perfect.
*) Let the jack down all the way.

*) Rinse, Lather, Repeat.


Take the car out and use the brakes softly a few times, make sure everything is working OK before you hit them hard. If you still hear any squeak, do a couple quick and hard stops to clear them out a bit.

Hope that helps! Feel free to make corrections or helpful additions

swoope

iTrader: (5)

i find if you just bed them in right the problem never happens..

beers

kors-jan

Thanx Mohrt for the detailed DIY. My front brakes squeaked VERY LOUD after 14K miles. Took my 8 to Mazda Service along with the Mazda brake TSB and they replaced my pads and other parts for free. No more squeaks -- at least for the past 800 miles. I suspect they eventually will start squeaking, too, so I've printed off your DIY instructions and probably will do the cleaning to see if that helps. Or, if not, I'll buy Hawks. Thanx again!! Kors-Jan

mohrt

There is a TSB for the brakes, although mine didn't squeak until after the 1yr/12k mark, and the service place would not honor the TSB after that. Sounds like you got lucky with yours!