[jm]

Hello,

We have a -93 9000CDE 2.0LPT. When driving it i noticed a squeaky metal sound coming from the rear left wheel.

Took the wheel off and saw that the brake pad is snug against the disc (yeah, p-brake disengaged . Seems the caliper is somehow stuck.

I'm not much of a car DIY but consider myself somewhat handy. That being said - is there something i can do to fix this myself or should i just take it to Saab? If so, what would i be looking at in repairs?

Thanks in advance for any and all comments!

 

[cdcarlsson]

Hi jm,

Do you mean the metal backing plate of the pad is snug against the disc? If so this will be the cause of your noise. Replace them with good quality pads, not the cheapest and your problems will be over. Takes about 45 mins a side if it's your first time, much less with practice.

Other than that you would expect the pad to be snug with the disc as it only moves by say half a millimeter (or less) when you depress the brake pedal.

HTH.

Nick.

 

[jm]

Thank you for your reply cdcarlsson,

Yes, the pad is snug against the disc, and i'm quite sure this is the source of the noise - i can turn the disc with handpower but it doesn't go as easy as it should (and it squeaks a lot).

Discs and pads were replaced by Saab about a year ago, and the pads have their logo, so that should be quality stuff, right?

Not really knowing what i'm talking about here, but i get the impression that the caliper piston doesn't "go back" when the brake pedal is released, and it can not be forced out by pulling it.

 

[cdcarlsson]

Get a friend to press the brake pedal slightly while you turn the disc by hand, it should stop with very little movement at the brake pedal. You should be able to see the piston and pads moving out and back slightly with the operation of the pedal.

If the piston is sticking out then winding the handbrake adjuster back and forth will move the piston in the caliper which may free its' movement up.

There are options of stripping the caliper down to its' constiuent parts, but if you're unsure of DIY it's probaly better to buy and fit a new or reconditioned caliper.

Nick.

 

[1989agoodvintage]

It does sound to me like the symptoms of caliper failure. I had both passenger side calipers fail on my Carlsson within the space of a year, so I know the problem fairly well. It may just be that the caliper is dirty and it may become free if properly cleaned.

But ... more often that not a garage will offer you an exchange caliper as this will be cheaper than refurbishing the old one. They aren't cheap things, around £140ish if memory serves.

 

[jm]

Thanks for all the comments guys. £140 doesn't sound all that attractive, but i think i'll get the car to a garage to get a quote anyway.

If it's too high i might be going for something like this:

(found on google):
http://216.78.172.244/brake_folder/rearbrakewebrake.htm

I'll let you know how it works out.

 

[billj]

Originally posted by Jason (currently without 9000CD):
[qb]They aren't cheap things, around £140ish if memory serves.[/qb][/b]

About £60+VAT from Euro Car Parts, plus a £30+VAT surcharge, refundable when you send the old one back.

If you succeed in pressing the piston back into the caliper, you'll have broken the adjuster mechanism. It's adjusted with a screw, and this must be used to retract the piston when fitting new pads and must be adjusted back towards the disc afterwards.

It is possible that it is the inboard pad that is rubbing, which may indicate seized slider pins. It may be possible to fix it just by taking them out, cleaning them and lubricating with copper grease.

See here for details.

 

[jm]

Took the car to the garage today...turns out the problem was some dirt & rust between the disc and the "shield" behind it. In their words they "bent it [the shield?] away and used a screwdriver to clean it out", all free of charge.

In other words...i was wrong about the snug part, the missounding contact was not between the pads and the disc so cdcarlsson was right from the beginning. I guess this is why i'm a computer technician and not a car dito

 

[cdcarlsson]

Thankyou for your comment, but in my first reply I was thinking of a brake pad that was worn down to its' backing plate!!

Glad you had a simple and cheap fix.

Nick.