Loud banging noises

[davidewanprice]

Hi guys, i had my car serviced and they seem to have done a good job (MOT, service brakes, gear linkage, Sealled slight leak in exhust and rocker cover, and general TLC) but since its come back the suspension REALLY bangs over rough sheffield roads. Whats even more odd is that when i put the brakes on nearly all this noise dissappears? Any ideas.. Im gonna take it back but i really cant afford any more work to be done at the moe.

[Lennart Sorth]

had my car serviced and they seem to have done a good job (MOT, service brakes ...

could it simply be that they forgot to fit the small springs on the brake-pads?  that would make them rattle quite a lot on rough surfaces.

Does it click when you apply the brakes as well ? - and the handbrake ?

/Lennart

[macaroni]

Mine does similar, but it isn't a banging noise as such, more a click like Lennart says.

It goes when I put the brakes on, or drive with the handbrake slightly on. Try that and if it stops it, they have forgotten to replace the anti-rattle springs or they have lost their tension.

Hope this helps.

[davidewanprice]

You could be right, I phoned the garage and ive to take it back for them to look at early next week. As far as i can tell it goes completely when the brake pedals pressed. I must say as a whole the breaks work a lot better that they ever have and they have done a good job on everything else.

[davidewanprice]

Its sorted! Its like driving a different car! all four anti rattle springs were missing, it was hell!

[lewisman]

where did you buy the springs?

[michaltalbot]

where did you buy the springs?

These pads with springs are similar as on some types of older Renault, Fiat and maybe other cars.

[davidewanprice]

I got the springs from Will, £16 posted, not cheap for 8 clips but hey! Im guessing the clowns at the garage binned the old ones at my expense! I tried my local brake factors who said they couldnt get any, it looked like they were the same as the monte carlo and maybe beta (but i guess there will be more) if my memory is correct.... It make the world of difference and its a pleasure to drive now! People only hear the engine and not a rather embarising banging and cluttering! I am stil slightly concerned about the front pads? and a small ridge forming (2ml) thinking they may be rears as theres a small section not hittting the disc, if this is the case, can i take these out and use them as spare rears or has that ridge made them unusable?

[davidewanprice]

Oh and just to check, you only need one anti rattle clip per pad, correct?

[roy4matra]

Oh and just to check, you only need one anti rattle clip per pad, correct?

Correct.  8 should be enough for the whole car.

If the whole of the front pads are not sitting on the disc, it sounds like you have rear pads in the front.  See my FAQ pages - there is now a link to an image showing what the fronts and the rears should look like and how the mounting lugs are 4mm differently placed.  So rears in the front will be 4mm further out and off the disc. (front pads cannot fit in the rear as they would need to be 4mm further in and will foul the hub)  The page also has all the correct pad numbers for all the sports cars.

If they are rears and you rub the pads down on some emery on a flat plate so the surface is flat again, you could keep them as spares for the rear.

Roy.
P.S. the FAQ pages have been updated recently in case anyone has not visited for a while. :-)

[davidewanprice]

good on ya Roy! Will check it out, David

[davidewanprice]

OK more brake questions! I looked at the front brakes and found that some time ago (when my dad owned the car) someone fitted rear pads to the front brakes! I noticed this as the pads were over hanging the disc.  I bought some genuine front pads off Roy and fitted them. When I looked at the brakes when they were banging i noticed on the rear the pads were not using all the disc... You know whats coming! .... Yes i had front pads fitted to the rear brakes! So the other day i fitted my spare set of rear pads to the rear brakes so i now have all the correct pads in the correct places.

So my question is ....  As my rear pads are used and im not sure used. Are rear pads thinner than fronts? As this seemed the case. Im gonna have to bleed the brakes and reset the calipers as the rear ones are banging AGAIN as im guessing the caliper is used to a fatter set of pads and are allowing the pad to move as a result.

[roy4matra]

... Yes i had front pads fitted to the rear brakes!

I don't know what you had in the rear but it was not Murena front pads David.  They simply won't fit.  They would foul the hub before you could get them anywhere near fitting in the caliper.

So my question is ....  As my rear pads are used and im not sure used. Are rear pads thinner than fronts?

When new the front and rear pads are the same thickness 14 or 15 mm (can't remember which at this moment).  If you fit part worn pads to the rear, then the piston self adjuster needs to be reset.  This takes up the free play as the pad wears.  All you need to do is make sure the handbrake is fully off so that the levers are fully back, then pump on the brake pedal hard.  This will bring the pistons out until the pads are tight on the disc and the mechanism should self adjust. (this mechanism is inside the piston and has to rotate around the centre pin, and it should have a non return ratchet so that when it has rotated it cannot go back).  When you release the pedal, the piston now can only release a tiny amount and the system is adjusted.

As this seemed the case. Im gonna have to bleed the brakes and reset the calipers as the rear ones are banging AGAIN as im guessing the caliper is used to a fatter set of pads and are allowing the pad to move as a result.

You don't have to bleed the brakes at all.  As you should see from the description above, the self adjusting mechanism has nothing to do with the fluid system.  Did you fit the pad anti-rattle springs correctly?  Were they holding the pads tight in the forward direction?  (rear springs go on the bottom, front springs go at the top).

Roy