Squeeky Brakes

bwilms · Post by **bwilms** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:56 pm

Probably around 3500 miles I started to notice a little squeek in the rear brakes on harder stops. I am now at 4875 and today I started to get a *squeek* *squeek* *squeek* as I slowed down to a stop. Something tells my Buddy Lightning is trying to tell me its brakes are going, but I had service at 4K and not a word was mentioned to me on brake status - they said everything checked out.

Anybody have any thoughts on this? Is anybody experiencing the same? Has anybody had to replace their brakes yet? I guess I'm just wondering if this is something I should be worried about or if it is just an annoyance. The braking power is still great, so that leads me to believe I am still okay.

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 12:08 am

There are a number of things that can cause brake squeaking that don't necessarily mean your brakes are going out. We've had intermittent squeaks from the Buddy since something like 300 miles due to some dust getting in somewhere or some such thing (according to our dealer, who was more specific than my memory allows me to be).

If they're still smooth and have full stopping power, I'd guess they're okay. Often the squeak will just go away. You may want to give your dealer a shout just to make sure a brake inspection was included in the last service.

sunshinen · Post by **sunshinen** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:26 pm

Try wiping off the disc. That's eliminated squeaks for me.

MrNatural · Post by **MrNatural** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 7:17 pm

Try buying a cat.......Preferably a good mouser!

jetboy · Post by **jetboy** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:09 pm

bwilms - Do you have an update on this symptom? Seems that mine has started doing it as I slow to a stop.

Anyone else? Is there some way to clean the brake dust out if that is the cause?

-jetboy

peabody99 · Post by **peabody99** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 11:38 pm

mine just started to at 1800 miles on Buddy II. they work fine though...

vitaminC · Post by **vitaminC** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 12:46 am

sunshinen wrote:Try wiping off the disc. That's eliminated squeaks for me.

The back is drum, not disc.

Google says:

DRUMS

One of the leading causes of brake squeal in drum brakes is brake dust inside the drum. Removing the drum and cleaning the brakes, therefore, may be necessary to eliminate this kind of noise. Use an aerosol brake cleaner or brake washer to clean the brakes. Never, ever blow out the drums with compressed air because doing so blows zillions of microscopic fibers into the air, which you certainly want to avoid if the vehicle has asbestos linings.

Another cause of brake noise in drums is poor contact between the shoes and drum. Heel and toe contact between the shoe and drum is often the culprit, and the cure is to either replace the shoes with new ones or to resurface the drum slightly to increase its inside diameter. New shoes are ground with a slight eccentric to compensate for drum wear. This moves the point of contact away from the ends of the shoes toward the middle. In the old says, mechanics used to arc shoes to match their shape to the drum. But with the concerns about asbestos, shoe grinding is pretty much a thing of the past (though it might make a comeback if and when asbestos is totally out of the picture).

Other causes of drum noise can include weak or loose hardware (replace it), and vibrations between the shoes and the raised pads on the backing plates (apply brake grease).

thepezident · Post by **thepezident** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 1:22 pm

Just noticed I have a squeak coming from the front end. I have 6.5 miles on the Buddy

Macpherson · Post by **Macpherson** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 2:02 pm

i've got one as well. it's not from the brakes from what i can tell. i notice it when i've got the engine off and i'm walking it back and forth.

KidDynomite · Post by **KidDynomite** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 3:16 pm

I have the same issue. For me, it seemed more like it was the brake cable that was squeeking--since it squeeked even when standing still. I finally got so tired of it, I amply used WD-40 to spray the back cable and drum....etc.

After working the rear brake several times and spraying the WD-40, the sqeek went away.

CAUTION!!!!! My rear brake was so lubed up, that it was nearly worthless at first. (maybe 10 stops before it reclaimed full braking power).

All in all, my brake works spectacular and the brake cable no longer squeeks.

bwilms · Post by **bwilms** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 4:18 pm

jetboy wrote:bwilms - Do you have an update on this symptom? Seems that mine has started doing it as I slow to a stop.

Anyone else? Is there some way to clean the brake dust out if that is the cause?

-jetboy

When I took it in for service a couple weeks back, they said that often times there is a buildup in the drum brake. The recommended fix was to perform hard, fast stops using the rear brake, to break away the buildup.

I have done the recommended fix and it still squeaks. I'm also getting squeaks from what seems to be my shocks. All that being said, I haven't noticied a difference in the braking power or the ride and have pretty much decided to "live with it" at this point.

Tbone · Post by **Tbone** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 5:00 pm

Eric and I have the LX Vespa's. NOTORIOUS for squeeks! As long as I'm braking when I want to...I let it be. I'll address it at my 1st service soon but from what I hear, it happens.

Buddy_wannabe · Post by **Buddy_wannabe** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 5:07 am

I would load the brake drums/disc with some real good grease , that should stop the squeek .... unfortunatly it will also stop stopping

(disclaimer ....just kidding ... dont try that)

kmo2771 · Post by **kmo2771** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 4:19 am

Does anyone else notice their front brake grinding when the brakes aren't applied?