# Brake clicking and thumping loud, please help!!!



## Banditt007 (Oct 23, 2002)

I'm gonna take a look at this tomorrow, i have experienced this problem a couple months ago, alot more mild and only a couple times.
then it went away for awhile
Now its back and really loud
When i apply the brakes i feel through the floor boards a clicking that seemingly happens once for every tire rotation. the harder i hit the brakes, (more front end dive, stock suspension) the louder the clicking/thumping noise is its really bad, it sounds like something is binding a poppping, i feel like if i hit the brakes HARD like ABS hard, something is going to get stressed so much its going to sheer off.

I took a look last time it did this, when it was much more mild than it is now and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

PLEASE HELP


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## Banditt007 (Oct 23, 2002)

*Re: Brake clicking and thumping loud, please help!!! (Banditt007)*

well i took a look, nothing obviously wrong....i took apart the front drivers brake system, removed the pads, greased the guide pins, blah blah blah just basically took it apart cleaned everything and put it back together...the noise is gone.......really strange, it sounded as if something was seriously loose..........


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## jermarlang (Mar 26, 2000)

*Re: Brake clicking and thumping loud, please help!!! (Banditt007)*

Thanks so much for posting your problem and solution. I have the exact same noise, with an added "Click" near full stop. I wonder what makes that noise. Now I can take mine apart "Audi TT".


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## Banditt007 (Oct 23, 2002)

*Re: Brake clicking and thumping loud, please help!!! (jermarlang)*

i really have no clue what makes the noise, i mean everything looked tight and perfect, and i felt like it was almost pointless to disassemble everything and put it back together, but i did, and the noise is gone...who knows, post up tell me what your results were.


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## EuroStyle (Jun 24, 2000)

*Re: Brake clicking and thumping loud, please help!!! (Banditt007)*

I have the same issue...it jsut started last week. When I took the wheel off, there was nothing wrong...I grabbed the caliper and shook it to make sure it did not move, and it was fine. Put the wheel on and it was fine. Then, Friday nite we went out in it, and on the way home same thing...when applying the brake, the front left makes a click sound every rotation, and it almost sounds like metal is flexing, like the heatshield or something. I have Willwood 4 piston calipers up front with slotted Brembos...and am lost...

Sean


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## Banditt007 (Oct 23, 2002)

*Re: Brake clicking and thumping loud, please help!!! (EuroStyle)*

okay some one help us out this is drivng me crazy, its back in full force now, definitly the drivers side front, its a metallic clicking, that dosent sound too tinny, that makes noise once every rotation of the tire, and the harder you step on the brakes the louder, more forceful it sounds. Also i notice now that sometimes even not under braking it makes the noise until i tap the brakes then it goes away. I think it has something to do w/ the brake pads, ferrodo ds2500 that they are kind of loose in the caliper.

also i get a metallic "clink" short and quick when hitting small sharp bumps in the road, i think it is the pads shifting and hitting the calipers b/c it wont do it when i'm even lightly on the brakes. pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaase help!!!!!!!!!!


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## jermarlang (Mar 26, 2000)

*Re: Brake clicking and thumping loud, please help!!! (Banditt007)*

Banditt: My noise was like yours in every detail. I took the caliper & pads out, added new pins,and lubed pins well. Noise is gone! I found nothing loose or hitting, but one of the pins were marked and slightly chipped. I later added the Tyrolsport kit and all is quiet. I still have much too much pedal travel before the brakes begin to work. Does anyone have a "high", "firm" brake pedal?


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## Banditt007 (Oct 23, 2002)

*Re: Brake clicking and thumping loud, please help!!! (jermarlang)*








Good thing its nothing serious. anyway my pedal is not high and firm it sinks down alittle bit before the brakes bite, i have to flush the fluid though its 2 years old and fades quite easily, i think from now on i will do it every spring.


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## EuroStyle (Jun 24, 2000)

I took the wheel off, and everything is on there tight....the pads have lots of life left...but the noise is really bad now...and also only the left front. I dont have guidpins, the cotterpin holds the pads into my Wilwoods, and that's it. Anyone else have some ideas? I am going to try a different set of brake pads...someone said it might be because the EBC greenstuffs are a soft pad, and under heavy use tend to gum up and transfer some material to the rotor, causing a warped sensation...I dunno, I am gasping at straws here....
Sean


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## Banditt007 (Oct 23, 2002)

*Re: (EuroStyle)*

well the problem me and eurostyle have i cant say i've figgured out but i shut it up once again.....the clicking when hitting the brakes....i took apart the brake system, everything was tight as anything but i still took it apart. re-lubed the guide pins, but some squeek stop on the back of the pads, and reinstalled the anti-rattle clip. Tightened everything up, popped the wheel on, noise is gone again, just like last time







tomorrow hopefully i will have time i'm stopping down at tyrol sport in queens and picking up their brake caliper stiffening kit, b/c it DEFINTILY has something to do w/ the pins/rubber bushings they insert into.
Now this is a different noise, that i've had for months, that i mentioned briefly in my previous post. After doing the above mentioned the small quick clanking when hitting sharp bumps went away for about 2 minutes and then came back, but still only about 70% as loud. seems like the other side is starting up w/ the same sound, which was always quite. The noise goes away when hitting the same bumps that would make the noise, when the brake is even lightly applied





















Hopefully the tyrolsport caliper stiffening kit will cure this once and for all. I always though it was the suspension but iapparently not. Also this sharp quick mettallic "clink" was MUCH louder, w/ my 195/65/15's contis ompared to my 225/45/17 azenis. seems like the balloning (possibly adding more spring type action) of the 15's made the noise reproduce on smaller bumps, was louder and was slightly longer in duration compared to the extreemly quick sharp and less noisy "clink" w/ the 17's.







I dunno..........


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## 1.8t man (Nov 21, 2001)

*Re: (Banditt007)*

i have the same exact sound is there a 100% fix yet........


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## Banditt007 (Oct 23, 2002)

*Re: (1.8t man)*

which sound are you talking about the quick sharp metallic "clink/clank" when hitting bumps, or when the brakes are applied the clicking every revolution?
I have the tyrol sport brake upgrade kit sitting right next to me, i'm going to install on both sides of the car tonight hopefully and i will get back to you guys and tell you whats up.


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## Banditt007 (Oct 23, 2002)

*Re: (Banditt007)*

well i installed the driver side tyrolsport brake caliper stiffening kit. You can find it at http://tyrolsport.com/Products.htm scroll all the way down. Anyway i installed the driver side and the metallic clanking when going over bumps on the driver side IS COMPLETELY GONE. The brake clicking which this thread was orginally started for was gone after remomval and reinstallation of the stock parts last night. so the tyrol kit will ELMINATE YOUR CLICKING WHEN BRAKING, AS WELL AS A SHARP METALLIC SOUNDING CLANK WHEN HITTING BUMPS!!!!!!!!!!
I am so happy its unbelivable, i've had numerous people look at the suspension since thats where it sounds like its coming from, as well as my self looking at it and found nothing. I was particularly pissed when i replaced nearly everything in the front suspension and the noise was still there. So yeah.......i'll update this once i get the pass side in, and drive around for a few weeks, i think this is the PERMANANT fix we've all been waiting for. 
http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## EuroStyle (Jun 24, 2000)

Really....I will be curious to see what happens in a few days, with both sides installed. What is your exact caliper set up in the front again? And where does the stiffening kit go, between the spindle and the caliper adapter?

Sean


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## Banditt007 (Oct 23, 2002)

*Re: (EuroStyle)*























>>>>>>Well i installed the passanger side tonight, and guess what the metallic clanking when hitting bumps is still there







So i suppose i should not have counted my chickens before they hatched....grrrrrrrrrr.....Well i'm glad in a way, that i know its definitly from the brakes, and there is nothing thats going to "fall off" my car if the sound continues its more of just an annoying noise. 
My new theory is that the outboard pad is getting banged against the caliper carrier. w/ the liquid squeek stop it takes like 8 years to dry so does anyone know where i can find a double sided tape like squeel stop. So i can basically glue the pad in place on the caliper. Also i've noticed the inboard pads that are go into the caliper piston, they have like three thin metal prongs that you kind of bend so they hold in snugly, well those are not nearly as tight as they once were. So next thing i'm going to try is bending those prongs out so the inboard pad is really tight in the piston, as well as somehow glueing the outboard pad to the caliper, b/c i'm thinking its the little bit of play in the pads clanking against the caliper/carrier. 

Now dont ask me how the noise stopped, and has still been stopped on the driver side that i did earlier today b/c i didnt mess w/ the inboard pad at all nor the outter, however come to think of it i DID USE SQUEEK stop on the driver side on both inner and outter pad, but not on the passanger side







I promise i will get to the bottom of this.........


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## Banditt007 (Oct 23, 2002)

*Re: (EuroStyle)*


_Quote, originally posted by *EuroStyle* »_Really....I will be curious to see what happens in a few days, with both sides installed. What is your exact caliper set up in the front again?
Sean


Its the stock MKIV gti set up. stock single piston caliper, w/ stock 11.3" vented rotors, non-cross drilled, non slotted.


_Quote, originally posted by *EuroStyle* »_And where does the stiffening kit go, between the spindle and the caliper adapter?


http://tyrolsport.com/Install%...s.pdf <---------------Shows the install by the man himself w/ pics.


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## Banditt007 (Oct 23, 2002)

*Re: (Banditt007)*

Well i took apart the passanger brakes AGAIN......







And bent the clips out that go on the inboard pad into the piston of the caliper. so that was nice and snug. I bought a sheet of the adhesive backed squeek stop backing, which is basically like a paper gasket w/ a sticky back to it. i cut a ring of that and put it on the ring of the piston that contacts the backing of the inboard pad, as well as put liquid squeek stop on the back of the pad. The outboard pad i cut out some of the paper squeek stop and put it on the back of the outboard pad, and then put liquid squeek stop on the back of that as well as liquid squeek stop on the caliper where the outboard pad rests.
Well the drivers side seems to be holding up fine, not a hint of noise from that. the passanger side however, makes the same clanking when hitting bumps, only the bumps have to be pretty big/sharp for it to do it. It used to do it on very small sharp bumps but now it is completely silent until you hit a bump that is on the medium/larger side of things. So far that noise seems to not happen when i hit the brakes, but we will see, i still need to test it out a bit more.


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## timetravel (Dec 14, 2002)

*Re: (Banditt007)*

i just started getting a noise on my passenger side. it really acts up when im turning left, but turning right its silent. i was assuming that it was my axles. basically, im not sure if this is the same sound that everyone else is hearing, but i thought id add another possible culprit. my noise gets louder under braking and turning. i cant hear it under acceleration, but that certainly does not mean that its not there. 
i might consider the tyrolsport fix, but im pretty certain that my problem is in the axles.


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## VWsuperhero (Jun 17, 2001)

*Re: (timetravel)*

Bad CV joints possibly? They tend to click when they go bad, and can click more on a right vs. left turn or vice versa...


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## EuroStyle (Jun 24, 2000)

*Re: (VWsuperhero)*

You sound like an axle issue...my sound is only under breaking in a straight line. The click is every rotation....and I had that loud clanking sound over bumps....but it went away when I did the new motor mounts. It seems to be back now, so it must be related. I have Wilwood Dynalite 4 piston calipers, and Brembo slotted rotors up front.....
Sean


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## jamesn67 (Nov 15, 2001)

*Re: Brake clicking and thumping loud, please help!!! (Banditt007)*

I IM'd you the link, but here is a bump to get your update.
Thanks!


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## jermarlang (Mar 26, 2000)

*Re: Brake clicking and thumping loud, please help!!! (jamesn67)*

For those with clicks, I would try new guide pins. Even though they cost $24.00 each at the dealer. It's the only thing that worked in my case.


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## Banditt007 (Oct 23, 2002)

*Re: Brake clicking and thumping loud, please help!!! (jermarlang)*

yup the click, that i desribed when braking, that sounded like a binding and popping and got so bad when hitting the brakes hard that it sounded like something was going to break off my car.......new caliper guide pins cured it. Even though when i removed them there was seemingly no damage to them







Anyway i opted for the tyrolsport caliper stiffening kit. It not only fixed the problem but also was a small but noticeable pedal feel benifit. As well as having my brake pads now wearing much more even.


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## jamesn67 (Nov 15, 2001)

*Re: Brake clicking and thumping loud, please help!!! (Banditt007)*

That's f'd up that the pins seemed to be fine. I mean I looked at
mine when I greased them and they seemed ok to me. Maybe if
I roll them on a flat surface I'll see if they are out of round. 
And $25 per pin







That right there says buy the Tyrol Sport
kit for sure!!!


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## doN_R6 (Sep 6, 2000)

*Re: Brake clicking and thumping loud, please help!!! (jamesn67)*

I had the same popping/klonking noise from the front driver side when braking after installing my koni coils. The noise would only happen when coming to a full stop. I took it to tyrolsport...and mike unbolted my front strut and retightened it. That seemed to solve the problem for about 4 months. Recently, the sound came back once or twice. I took it to mike and he said it's most likely the brake. I want to get the tyrolsport caliper stiffening kit, but I have the wilwood dynalite calipers. Now I'm looking for alternatives.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

*Re: Brake clicking and thumping loud, please help!!! (doN_R6)*

i have an A3 2.0L with wilwood billet dynalites.
i get that click every now and then when braking, mostly at low speeds(maybe i can only hear it at low speeds).
i just ignore it. its not always, but every now and then.
i always figured it was an axle/balljoint/wheel bearing issue


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