My son thinks its a good idea to put gease on new pads (on th pad portion itself) when installing new pads. I know for several reasons its not a good idea. Is there something new I don't know about?

An overheated brake pad is likely to have a different coefficient of friction than a good pad but the reason the brake is weak might have more to do with the reason the pad overheated than the pad itself.

Squealing from brakes when applied (and sometimes even when not) is a common issue with many vehicles. There are a number of reasons for it, most often it is the brake shoes/pads themselves. Most manufacturers today install ceramic brake pads as OEM parts, but due to their cost, most drivers opt for semi-metallic pads when replacing them. Most manufacturers recommend anti-squeal shims and/or compound be applied to brake pads for disc systems, but they are often ignored and not installed. Older, sticky calipers can also cause poor release of brake pads, resulting in drag and noise. Lastly, worn, warped, and thin rotors can add to noise issues. Having well serviced, quality brake parts and using proper installation techniques will usually remedy brake noise issues. Just as a side note, residual dirt and grease from the installation itself can cause noisy brakes for a few days/weeks after first install until it is worn off and the pads break in. If you have issue beyond the first two weeks, and you have had them installed professionally, take it back and have them verify that the pads were installed properly.

No idea -- because I have no idea how
you do your brake work or what you did,
until you explain it

No reason for any grinding, if your put it
together correctly

I have never in 50 years had or seen where
you could assemble brakes wrong,if you can,
then you don't work on vehicles

No brakes,how so,if the rotors,pads & calipers went on,
as they came off & they side nice before you bleed the
system,then they were not bleed correctly

You have to remove the caliper and then the pad holder install your new pads inthe holder put it back on squeese the pads against the rotor compress your caliper in re-install and make sure you pump the brake pedal several times before driving.

On rear brake shoes there are two different size shoes..one small and one big (PAD).

The SMALL pad goes towards the front of the vehicle. The BIG pad goes towards the back of the vehicle. This should help you...

If you look at each brake pad you will see a difference between the outer and inner pad. The outer pad has a metal squealer part that sticks away from the pad material. Each squealer is intended to rub the Rotor when the material on the pad is worned off.

I think you may have both outer pads on the left side. Looking at your grooved Rotor, you should be able to see what is sticking out and hitting it. The new Caliper can be sticking, and if it is defective, you should be compensated new pads for the damage it caused and a Rotor.

Now when you decided to replace the Caliper, there must have been a reason. Did you check the front hub bearing when the Rotor was off? A bad bearing will cause a Rotor to run tilted or offset if there is enough play in it. You are going to check the pads, you should check the CV joint and the Hub bearing for roughness.

The idea of a bad brake line is not impossible. The theory on them is that your Brake line has several thousands of pounds of pressure to expand the Caliper piston and only Gravity and suction to take the pressure off. In theory, the brake line is like a one way valve if it is failing.

I would like to know how you made out on this. I had a time with my personal truck brakes. A broken front brake line led to $700 in parts and my own labor. Every brake line on my truck broke on one end, so I know what you mean about added expenses. You just have to keep going until the vehicle is right.

you will want to use a C-clamp for this. Take the c-clamp and an old brake pad, put the pad against the piston and the non-mobile end of the c-clamp on the back of the caliper. Turn the moving portion of the C-clamp in until it pushes the pad into the piston, and pushes the piston completely into the caliper. I hope this helps.

Don't know about what is reasonable in something other than USD, but pads are cheap and replacing them *can* be cheap - but remember it's always a good idea to re-surface the rotor when replacing pads (or the drums when replacing shoes on rear wheels).

If you don't, the new pads will quickly wear into the current grooving of the disc and lose a lot of useful life pretty quickly.

For stop-start city usage, it's not uncommon to require brake servicing after 30,000-35,000 miles (automatic trans) (or 48000-56000km).

-Ben

The hard part is pressing the caliper piston abck into the caliper so you can get the new, thicker pads over the rotor. A large C Clamp works best.

SECTION 206-03: Front Disc Brake 2001 Villager Workshop Manual
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION Pads —Front Disc Brake Removal

1. Remove the wheel and tire assembly. For additional information, refer to Section 204-04 .

1. Remove the front disc brake caliper bolts. torx bit. T20?

1. Support the front disc brake caliper from the front strut and spring assembly using mechanics wire.

1. Remove the front disc brake pads.
   1. Remove the outboard front disc brake pad.
   1. Remove the inboard front disc brake pad.

Installation

1. CAUTION: Make sure the master cylinder reservoir does not overfill and spill brake fluid while retracting the front disc brake caliper piston.
   NOTE: It is necessary to fully retract the front disc brake caliper piston in the bore before installing the front disc brake pads.
   Install the front disc brake pads.
   1. Install the inboard front disc brake pad.
   1. Install the outboard front disc brake pad.

Caution. The outer pads are left and right. put left on driver side.

1. Position the front disc brake caliper on the front-wheel knuckle and install the brake caliper pin bolts.

1. WARNING: It is necessary to depress the brake pedal several times to position the front disc brake caliper piston before driving the vehicle.
   

Nothing more special than a basic metric socket set, a good size C-clamp, and maybe a screwdriver. Remove the wheel and unbolt the caliper from the hub (two bolts on the backside, I believe 17mm). Remove the brake fluid reservoir cap. Slide the caliper off the rotor and remove the outer pad. Use the C-clamp against the inner pad to compress the pistons back into the caliper to provide clearance for the new, thicker pads to clear the rotor. Do the same for the outer pistons. Install the new pads, remount the caliper, and put the wheel back on. Replace the fluid cap, pump up the brake pedal for pressure, then take it out and bed the pads in with several back to back stops from 30mph with steady, even pressure on the pedal. You'll be good to go at that point.