Brake pad anti rattle springs

[true2north]

Hello all. With the rebuild complete, I am thoroughly enjoying the drive with one exception - brake pad rattle. Any slight pothole or sharp bump results in rattling pads.

I see from the manual that anti-rattle springs could be fitted. Having done a search of the forum, Wadhams and internet in general, I am struggling to find anything that resembles the springs shown in the manual.

Any ideas?

[lagain]

They are not springs but shims, put 'Rover P5 front brake shims' into ebay and 2 should come up. Wadhams has them in 'Brakes Calipers and Seal kits' fit them with the arrow pointing up.

[true2north]

Yes, thanks, I have the shims fitted, which I thought were more anti-squeal than anti-rattle. The manual definitely shows some springs fitted to the front brake pads (section N page 5), but nothing shows up online.

[true2north]

Sorry, I have just realised I have posted in the wrong forum - this should be in the P5B forum - Mods?

[ricky8664]

Are you sure it's the brake pads rattling?

Having just completely rebuilt the brakes on my saloon, it is noticeable that the pads are still in contact with the brake discs even when the foot is off the pedal, so rattling should be unlikely unless a bolt or something else has slackened off.

Check the calipers are correctly bolted on and that the pins retaining the pads are a fairly tight fit or haven't slipped out partly.

Failing that, jack up the car SECURELY on stands and try to rock the wheel up and down to replicate the noise, which could be something other than your new brakes. (i.e. could be upper or lower suspension ball joint wear) or even steering ball joint wear, though that is usually betrayed by a tendency to wander around on the road! 

[ricky8664]

Also, if you fitted new brake disks, check the front wheel bearing adjustment, as you may have not done them up tight enough after putting on the new disks though, again, that would probably be betrayed by vague steering too. Check the disk bolts are still secure.

Other than that, could be something loose, like exhaust bracket or spare wheel carrier, or worn shocks or rubber bushes on the shocks or anything else that tightens up and may have loosened!!!

[true2north]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Yes, my initial fear when the car was back on the road was that it was suspension or handbrake mechanism, but it is a noise I am familiar with and can reproduce by, as you suggested, rotating the wheel when off the ground. The pads are correctly installed with shims and pins, but there is room to fractionally move them vertically, giving the telltale knock. If I brake slightly over a bump - silence! By coincidence, I mistakenly left the rattle spring off my old Passat when changing disks and pads. Exactly the same noise, cured by fitting the spring.

I would have thought that if they appears in the manual, they should be available somewhere, but it appears not.

[Phil Nottingham]

There used to be anti rattle clips in addition to the squeal shims but these have disappeared now. I have them on out our P4 and P5B but not the P5. Coating the shims with Copaslip works just as well for a long time. This assumed the pins and holes in the calliper holes are not worn

[true2north]

If they are no longer available for the P5B, then it is as I feared. On the upside, it causes no damage or wear, it is just annoying. I might try a different supplier of pads, in case these are undersized - especially if other P5B owners are not experiencing problems. Thank you for all the comments.

[lagain]

I didn't know about the springs, but my pads rattle a little from time to time. At least if they rattle they are not seized.