Might be a sticky pad. I've had it happen where aftermarket pads are just a touch out of spec. Where the pads rest on the calipers gets a bit of rust causing the pads to freeze up. The caliper is actuating correctly by pressing the pad toward the rotor but the pad just doesn't back off when releasing the brake.

The fix: Remove the pads, file the ends down just a tad, grease the tab rests and re-assemble.


P.S. Dust shield also keeps snow/mud from getting packed in directly above the caliper. I think it helps reduce corrosion to a certain extent, even though my rear calipers are still rusty as hell.

 

1) Make sure that the tab on the pad is lined up correctly in the caliper. Otherwise you will get uneven wear and screeching prematurely.

2) Make sure you grease the back of the pads. ALWAYS.

3) Make sure the pins move freely when you reinstall the caliper.

The dust shield could bend and cut the rotor, you should be able to diagnose that by lifting the car and spinning the wheel. If you hear "whoosh whoosh whoosh" as the wheel is turning from a light scraping, there is some contact.

 

Hey thanks for the replies. Dust shield's gone on that side because I kinda snapped the bolt while taking it off.

It does make the whoosh sound when the wheel's free (I tried it when it was on a lift during an oil change). newgsr, what do you mean with "pins are free"?

 

im sorry, if this problem has already been corrected, but i was bored, and reading old threads that i missed, and felt that i should also ask...was only one side of the rotor being scratched...becuase if it is...it might be siezed caliper slide bolts...could just cranking them down, and not using torque specs cause that...??? just a theory, and sorry if this problem was already rectified.