Caliper grease between shim and back of pad??

[Mossyoakglock]

Would it be a bad idea to put a very thin coat of caliper grease between the shim and the pad itself? I'm not sure but I think this might be where my squealing is coming from.

 

 

Or should I just regrease and put it where the pad shim and caliper meet?

 

 

I'm currently using Syl-Glide but I'm wondering if the Permatex will be better. Is that safe for the rubber boots and won't cause them to swell? Any particular grease that GM recommends on their brake calipers, etc?

[NitroCherokee]

I was a GM Dealer tech for many years and only use Syl-Glyde still to this day. Yes I would not hesitate to put a thin layer between the shim and the pad

[Mossyoakglock]

Thanks, Nitro.

 

Is Syl-Glide what GM uses at the dealer, or something equivilent?

[NitroCherokee]

GM does have a caliper grease, I and most tech I worked with prefer Syl-Glide. The GM stuff was pricey for the label and IMHO was not as good of a product

[Mossyoakglock]

Great. I'll stick with Syl-Glide then.

 

The pads are Akebonos and the rotors are Powerstop Slotted. I might switch to either Raybestos or AC Delco Durastop solid blanks if the noise doesn't go away. I read that the slotted rotors can have some bad harmonics due to the slots.

[Mossyoakglock]

I was a GM Dealer tech for many years and only use Syl-Glyde still to this day. Yes I would not hesitate to put a thin layer between the shim and the pad

 

 

One last question. Did you use the syl-glide on the guide pins and also where the caliper contacted the shims as well?

 

 

[NitroCherokee]

 

 

One last question. Did you use the syl-glide on the guide pins and also where the caliper contacted the shims as well?

 

 

Yes, every metal to metal contact point and on all slides and bushings

[stagrlee]

Sil-Glyde!

[amc31b]

I use the Napa brand syl-glide for the slide pins and boots but lately I am preferring anti-seize on the brake pad ears and caliper mating surfaces. I put some anti-seize on the face of the piston where it presses on the shim and also all around where the outer pad fits into the caliper fingers. I then use a q-tip to put a layer of anti-seize on the new brake pad ears. The anti-sieze compound seems to last longer and not attract as much brake dust and grime as syl-glide in those locations. Also, you don't really want to lubricate anything but the caliper slide pins anyways, you just want all the mating surfaces to not rust or seize together. I have seen alot of brake pads seized between the brake pad ears and the caliper mounting bracket. This causes the brake pads to push into the rotor unevenly and wear out prematurely, give poor braking performance or chew up the rotor.

 

This brake lubrication topic is a highly debated topic on the internet and everywhere else. I always use and recommend sly-glide for the slide pin bolts and boots but for the other areas you mentioned, I am less impressed with sly-glide. I now recommend you either keep them clean and dry or apply a little anti-seize to all the caliper to pad contact areas. Obviously, some brake pads like Akebono use a special treatment on the backs of the pads, don't add anything to those. Just follow the manufacturers instructions.

 

Everybody seems to do this part of a brake job a little different and they all seem to work well enough.