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Now I still don't know if I'm getting my vette back or if it'll be totaled. But a small problem I've had with the car was that the brakes would click or chatter on every bump. I couldn't find any "wishbone" springs that were missing or anything. I believe it's rotten bushings keeping the calipers together but if anyone is a 1996 brake guru plz chime in. Thank you
You probably would not head a click if the calipers were stuch as you'd most likely feel a pull or a rub.
The Click you hear on bumps means something is loose. You need to put the car up and start checking bolts around the brake AND suspension.
I had what I thought was a brake noise on my '82 until I looked more closely and found a loose shock nut. I quick tighten and off I went.
I've had a couple chances to look at all the brake stuff from taking the wheels off. But upon checking for anything wiggling I found nothing. And the clicking/chattering comes only from bumps in the road and they chatter wether I brake or not. My hypothesis is maybe worn out bushings where everything comes together
If you do that and the noise happens you have suspension issues.
no sounds came from rocking the car. My dad said it was from the "wishbone" springs not being there but I didn't see anywhere they could go. Real head scratcher here. Sadly I can't even look at the car it's in the body shop waiting on a totaled or fixed verdict:/
Now I still don't know if I'm getting my vette back or if it'll be totaled. But a small problem I've had with the car was that the brakes would click or chatter on every bump. I couldn't find any "wishbone" springs that were missing or anything. I believe it's rotten bushings keeping the calipers together but if anyone is a 1996 brake guru plz chime in. Thank you
Hi
I bet you are missing the spring clips that attach to the brake pads, it will make a loud rattle over every bump unless you put a little pressure on the brake pedal.
corvette central have the pin and springs you need.
You can see the spring clips on my brakes.
Link to corvette central for the part that you need
Hi
I bet you are missing the spring clips that attach to the brake pads, it will make a loud rattle over every bump unless you put a little pressure on the brake pedal.
corvette central have the pin and springs you need.
You can see the spring clips on my brakes.
Link to corvette central for the part that you need
Seems like I have the same issue on my 1996: When driving over speed bumps I get a loud "metal on metal" clunking noise. It disappears with a little pressure on the brake.
With the wheel free to spin I can move the caliper by turning the wheel, see video:
If is is not perfectly visible in the video: The movement is NOT between the brake pads and the caliper but the caliper itself does move.
Can this movement be caused by missing/broken pins/springs/spring clips?
If the caliper guide pin that holds the caliper to the bracket (the pins with C-clips on the end) is missing, that would sure cause it. I can't see clearly enough from your video if it's in there or not. Or maybe the C-clip came off and it's partially in but working its way out? It's part #30182 in the picture:
That's my best guess. The bracket itself does not appear to be moving, so it isn't a matter of tightening the bracket-to-upright bolts. There's not much else that could allow the caliper to move around like that. Maybe the lug on the other end of the caliper where it seats in the bracket is worn away and allowing more movement than normal?
Get that wheel off and really take a good look. Don't drive the car like that!
Last edited by MatthewMiller; Jun 19, 2018 at 08:28 AM.
Many thanks! So the caliper guide pin goes from inside out and the C-clip is outside, i.e. should be visible from outside? Sure I will take the wheel off and check. Now I know what to look for. Thanks!
Many thanks! So the caliper guide pin goes from inside out and the C-clip is outside, i.e. should be visible from outside? Sure I will take the wheel off and check. Now I know what to look for. Thanks!
It's the other way around: the pin should have been inserted from the outside and the E-clip (my bad, not a C-clip) is on the end of it on the inside.
So I checked the Pin and it is there but the washer is on the wrong side and it moves a lot, see video:
What should I do? Get a new pin?
Wow, yeah, that is not right. The end-to-end fit of the pin (the fact that the pin seems too long) is probably not a problem. But it shouldn't be loose in there and allow that kind of movement. In your video, the pads appear to be attached to the caliper and move with it - which is how they should be. But the pads should NOT be able to move around in the bracket the way they do. There are very few things that could be allowing this. The only things that hold the pads/caliper snug in there are the pin on the bottom end and the cutout for the pad lugs on the top end. Somewhere in those things is a bad fit that allows way too much play:
The pin could be a problem if it's too small a diameter. Not sure how that could have happened, or if there even is a different pin made for some cars. But if it is too small in diameter that would cause these problems.
The pads could be the wrong ones, with lugs that don't make for a snug fit in the bracket and pin somehow. My money is probably on that being the cause. Maybe you have the larger J55 brakes and someone ordered pads for the smaller brakes?
The notches in the bracket for the pin or the pad lugs are worn much larger than they are supposed to be. This would require a new bracket. Luckily, it's probably the least likely explanation. I don't know how such a wear pattern would even be able to occur.
Is this problem happening on both sides? If not, you could take apart the brakes and compare the pin, pads, caliper, and bracket to the parts on the good side to see which part doesn't look the same. If both sides are doing the same thing, then I'd look closely at the pads and see if they are the wrong part number.
Last edited by MatthewMiller; Jun 23, 2018 at 02:17 PM.
Wow, now this is narrowing it down!
=> Yes, it happens on both sides, left side a bit louder but the problem is on both sides.
=> Yes, I have J55
=> Of course I will check the parts number tomorrow! Great!
I did a bit of checking, and all the 1988-1996 front pads are the same, regardless of whether the car had the larger J55 brakes or not (1996 cars only came with J55). So it seems very unlikely that the wrong pads would have been installed, but check anyway. They should have the universal shape and dimensions of the 412 pad, like this:
I don't know how to find the dimensions of the correct pin. If you can't find anything else wrong, I'd buy two new pins, E-clips, and washers and see if that helps. Good luck!
Hmmm, seems like I have the correct pads, they are marked with
DB9387FF
1312P412
The pin is 7,9mm throughout the whole length, no visible wear where the pads rest.
Unfortunately my sliding caliper is a bit too short to measure the pad length exactly. The edges of the pads show minimal wear but I would consider this a normal for brake pads.
So wait a moment - every pad should have a clip, right? There is no clip on the outer pad, could this cause the issue?
Sorry, I've been away from home and computer for a couple days. Still will be for a week longer, but I can check in occasionally.
It does appear you have the correct pads, yes. When you talk about the "clip" that is missing from the outer pads, do you mean the wear sensor? That is just there to squeal on the rotor surface when the pads wear out enough that they should be replaced. The only clips are the round ones - two on each pad - that fit snugly into the two holes on each side of the caliper. Those are important in locating the caliper, but it looks like they are on the pads you have. Are they in good condition? Do they fit snugly into their holes? Also, try fitting each pad into the caliper bracket without the caliper. Is each pad a good fit into the bracket, with minimal play or movement allowed?
Brake question
