[Cordi2005]

I replaced the original from brake pads and rotors at 87,xxx miles on my '05 EX-L with Raybestos Advanced Technology parts. I made sure to clean the pins, clips, caliper brackets, etc and lube all with the proper high temp brake lube. Everything went fine and the new parts work great. However, now when going over bumps in the road, I can hear clunking from the front end on both sides. I checked over my work and everythig looks right and tight. I took a close look at the pads sitting in the clips and it seems there's a gap there. I think the pads are floating in there too much and moving around when I hit bumps in the road. That movement is probably causing some slapping of metal parts and causing the clunking noise.

So, are the aftermarket pads to blame? Maybe they're a bit smaller that the oem's? Should I have stuck with oem's?

Or, should I have replaced the clips? Maybe they're worn?

Please share your comments and suggestions so I can eliminate the annoying clunking.

Thanks!

 

[jimijam]

so you got the wrong size pads?

 

[RickBlaine]

Cordi: Us '05 EX-L guys gotta stick together....

IF your pads are smaller, you will encounter what is known as "pad slap". That clunking noise will always happen when you first brake (but not as you continue to press the brake pedal) and when you finally stop, AND when you reverse (the pads will be "slapped" into the other direction), AND when you go over bumps as the lube helps them move around.

I am assuming that everything was properly lubed and torqued down to specs....

Sometimes brakes need a few miles to seat properly. I've done 10 brake jobs this year (neighbors, friends, cousins, niece) and the last Accord I did had me worried....I was hearing all sorts of hell and second guessing myself until, after about 20 minutes, they became perfect.

Look, first thing you need to check is the pad specs. If the ears on the new pads don't line up with the old, or are not snug into the clips, then the pads are at fault.

 

[t-rd]

- Did you install the shims?
- Did you get the right pads?
- Did you take off the pad retaining metal clips but put them back improperly?

Aftermarket pads is not the problem.

 

[RickBlaine]

- Did you install the shims?
- Did you get the right pads?
- Did you take off the pad retaining metal clips but put them back improperly?

Aftermarket pads is not the problem.

Excellent point! The Honda pads came with metal shims on the back, some aftermarket pads don't use them as they have a rubber backing.

 

[Cordi2005]

Cordi: Us '05 EX-L guys gotta stick together....

IF your pads are smaller, you will encounter what is known as "pad slap". That clunking noise will always happen when you first brake (but not as you continue to press the brake pedal) and when you finally stop, AND when you reverse (the pads will be "slapped" into the other direction), AND when you go over bumps as the lube helps them move around.

I am very familiar with the "pad slap" when changing direction and applying the brakes for the first time. I actually cured mine on the original pads with lube.

I am assuming that everything was properly lubed and torqued down to specs....

Yes.

Sometimes brakes need a few miles to seat properly. I've done 10 brake jobs this year (neighbors, friends, cousins, niece) and the last Accord I did had me worried....I was hearing all sorts of hell and second guessing myself until, after about 20 minutes, they became perfect.

It's almost a week now and the noise is still there.

Look, first thing you need to check is the pad specs. If the ears on the new pads don't line up with the old, or are not snug into the clips, then the pads are at fault.

I plan to tear everything down again this weekend and compare the new with the old. I know the new pads are floating in there a bit. I can take a very small flat blade screwdriver and move the pad around in the clip. I think this is the problem. Either the clip is worn or the pads are not the correct size.

- Did you install the shims?

Yes, the ones that came with the new pads. I did notice there is a difference from the OEM's. The Raybestos has one shim for each side of the pad where the OEM's have two on the piston side of the caliper. Could this be the issue?

- Did you get the right pads?

Yes, I reconfirmed this with Rock Auto.

- Did you take off the pad retaining metal clips but put them back improperly?

I didn't remove them from the bracket. All I did with them was clean and lube them.

Aftermarket pads is not the problem.

The jury is still out on this one.

Excellent point! The Honda pads came with metal shims on the back, some aftermarket pads don't use them as they have a rubber backing.

Like I stated above, the new pads have a different set of shims compared to the OEM's.

Thanks for the replies and help. I may just return the Raybestos pad set and buy an OEM set with new shims and clips. I did the rear set on my car a few years ago. When I did those I used the Raybestos rotors with OEM pads and didn't have any issues at all.

 

[t-rd]

Different shims are ok as long as the overall thickness is roughly the same as stock. I understand the stock ones have 2 layers of shims. I installed Hawk HPS pads and each front pad had only 1 shim, but it is a thicker piece of metal shim.

I think what's going on with your pads is that they are rocking back and forth. If you still have the original pads, compare your aftermarket ones to the original.

Lastly, are you sure the noise is coming from the brake pads? It might just be by chance that you had the car jacked up while working on the brakes then a suspension component decided to go. This is how I found a bad rear shock when I worked on mine 2 years ago.

 

[Cordi2005]

Aftermarket pads is not the problem.

Aftermarket pads IS the problem.

I took the brakes apart and found that the Raybestos pads move up and down in the bracket quite a bit. I reinstalled the original pads to compare them to the Raybestos and they also had "some" movement but no where near as much as the Raybestos pads. I could actually make a loud clanging or clunking noise while moving the Raybestos pads up abd down in the bracket...I couldn't believe it.

So, the Raybestos pads are going back to Rock Auto and I am going to install OEM pads and new pad clips as well as soon as they arrive from Bernardi Honda.

Thanks for all the replies and help. I'll report back as soon as I install the OEM parts.

 

[frenzal]

Before changing the pads, you'll have to resurface the rotors or change them...

 

[t-rd]

You shouldn't be getting Raybestos in the first place. That's a manufacturing tolerance issue that you should bring up to Raybestos. I've never had issues with aftermarket pads, of course, I don't ever get Raybestos either.

 

[Cordi2005]

Changed out the pads, shims, and clips today with genuine Honda parts. Problem solved. Thanks again for all the replies.

 

[BLCKFLSH]

Before changing the pads, you'll have to resurface the rotors or change them...

If the rotors don't have a lot of wear, or deep grooves, there is no need to re-surface them.

 

[Cordi2005]

If the rotors don't have a lot of wear, or deep grooves, there is no need to re-surface them.

Correct!

 

[71Rcode]

I'm still running the original rotors (100k) on our '06 EX-L (2nd set of pads on the front / 3rd one rear). How long have you guys run the stock rotors before replacing them?

I've not measured the rotor thickness - and have not experienced any issues.

 

[WDHewson]

My 2003 Coupe I4 M5 has 200 000 km, and still has the original rotors in all 4 corners. But the second set of pads in all 4 corners.

I think the M5 cars are easier on brakes since your not stopping against the pull of an automatic for every stop.

 

[frenzal]

Normally, if you change the brake pad material, you should resurface the rotors.

If same brand and/or material of brake pads, then it is not needed.

 

[Wazari]

You resurface rotors if you have a run-out issue. Changing from one pad to another is not a reason to resurface rotors. You want your rotors to last, have them cryogenically treated prior to installation. I have a set of rotors that have been treated on a Jag (heavy car) with over 120,000 miles, 4 sets of pads (all different makes) that are still in spec and have less than .002 run-out.

 

[71Rcode]

Changing from one pad to another is not a reason to resurface rotors.[/I]

I agree. And these days, it's pretty difficult to find places to "turn drums" -- little old-school phrase for the geezers like me.

 

[t-rd]

I ran the original front rotors and pads for a whopping 156k miles and I still had 2mm left on the pads, however, they started to wear in a slanted pattern due to insufficiently lubricated slider pins.

You should always just change out the rotors to new ones instead of resurfacing the old ones. Resurfacing rotors is useless and the labor cost is almost the same as new rotors these days. Resurfacing also takes away material that helps with heat dissipation.