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I recently replaced the front brake pads on my 1977 R100/7 and they squeak like crazy. They are actually worse when not being applied so i'm guessing I have too much drag... Either way, should a little to much drag squeak like that?
Also, can the drag be adjusted by the brake lever end of cable? At the caliper? Or can it ONLY be adjusted at the master cylinder? Trying to avoid this as my fuel lines are on so tight i don't want to mess with them but i'm willing to do whatever it takes.

I cleaned the disc with scotch brite and brake cleaner and it fixed the squeak but only temporarily.

Thanks in advance

Brake cable? Does that have hydraulic disk brakes or cable drum brakes?

Disc in front and drum in rear.

Two things here.

Often squeaky brakes can be cured with Permatex anti-squeal on the back of the pads.

But...

In your situation, when you put new pads in and your brake pads squeal even when they are not applied, that usually means that there is corrosion between the piston and caliper. The flex of the seal is supposed to pull the pads back from the disc just a few thousandths of an inch when you release the brake, but, if the piston doesn't more freely enough in the caliper, it won't retract that fraction, and the pads will stay touching the rotor when you release the brake.

This is, unfortunately, a common problem when putting in new pads, and the only solution is to live with very irritating brakes, or get new seals and rebuild the calipers (which really is a very easy job). There is, however, always the possibility that you will discover the corrosion will bad enough to need new pistons. But, if they aren't leaking now, there's a good chance that won't be an issue.

Edit: I suppose the other possible solution would be to grind the pads down part way and get the piston travel further out where the corrosion doesn't hang up, but that's a really poor solution.

Major Softie wrote:Edit: I suppose the other possible solution would be to grind the pads down part way and get the piston travel further out where the corrosion doesn't hang up, but that's a really poor solution.

Sort of like what a pilot says...nothing as useless as:

- altitude above you
- runway behind you
- gas in the truck

Kurt in S.A.

Kurt, you must be a pilot, a good pilot. Some pilots never learned those simple rules.

Duane Ausherman wrote:Kurt, you must be a pilot, a good pilot. Some pilots never learned those simple rules.

Duane -

No I'm not, but my Dad is/was. He's one of those pilots that could be named a Superior Pilot:

"A superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid situations that would require the use of his superior skills."

Kurt in S.A.

Try a real good scrub with a Stainless steel pad and scouring powder.

Then give the brakes a good heavy workout to get them bedded into the disk /drum.
Repeat

You didnt say what sort of pad/ linings you used, but some pads work better with OEM disks/ drums, and some need the disks really cleaned to get rid of the previous pad material.

JeramyN wrote:I recently replaced the front brake pads on my 1977 R100/7 and they squeak like crazy. They are actually worse when not being applied so i'm guessing I have too much drag...

Just a thought....

If the eccentric bolt at the base of the caliper was not adjusted properly, the outer brake pad would not be squared up to the brake rotor. Even if the piston seal released when the brake lever was released, the braked pad could still be cocked.

Have you tried adjusting the eccentric bolt for the least amount of brake pad drag on the rotor?

Ken just went through the very best method of adjusting the eccentric bolt and it isn't for the least amount of brake pad drag on the rotor. It may result in the least drag, but it isn't done that way. I think a search would do it, or go to my website for the method. My genius mechanic, Bryon, discovered it in the first couple of months on the 74 models that just came out and didn't stop worth a crap.

It centers itself as one gently pulls the brake lever. It has a "sweet spot" so to speak.

I would start with MS suggestion. I would also try to slightly champher the edges if the paste failed.