Olds Van Loud Click From Front

[Don Radvan]

Hi all! Long time ETCG youtube viewer now in need of personal assistance.

I have a 2000 Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan with 214,000 km on it. I recently went on a 10 day trip through the Rockies and the van has developed a loud single click from the driver’s side front wheel area but only when the brake is applied. There may (or may not) be another click from the passenger side when the brake is released. It is most noticeable in urban traffic but doesn’t happen 100% of the time. Service history in reverse order is thus:

– new sway bar link ends
– new lower control arm bushings (front)
– new struts
– new shocks
– brake pads done last year

When I did the control arm bushings, I checked the ball joints (original) and they seem solid enough with no play. Sway bar looked solid when I did the link ends.

Topic

[Andrew Phillips]

Try lubricating the caliper guide pins and where the pads slide on the calipers with some silicone paste or brake lube. I had that happen when I had my Silhouette. The ”click” is actually just the sound of the pads and caliper realigning to the rotor when the brake is applied. It’s more noticeable with aftermarket pads due to larger clearances in manufacturing (wider gaps = louder noises). The lubrication dampens the noise.

[Don Radvan]

Thanks for the tip. I applied some brake grease to the pins and reseated the pads with some grease where they contact and I still think I hear a faint click but its noticeably less. I suppose it may take a few braking cycles to get everything to settle. Hopefully that will be the last of the noise.

[Don Radvan]

Still no joy I’m afraid. Click remains as before.

EDIT June 24: Well, click is now almost gone so it must have taken a few days to work the grease everywhere.

[Don Radvan]

Click has returned and is louder than ever. Can it be the anti-rattle clips are too loose? The pads seem to slop around in the callipers quite a bit. Can the clips be shimmed up?

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