I have been doing a lot of work on this little Stratus and one thing that I need to get some opinions on is the clatter in the rear. After everything is done I drive around my neighborhood and on the little bumpy road every once in a while I hear a clatter. I took off the rear tires and checked, everything looked like it was in really great shape especially considering how bad the front was. I hit the caliper with my had a few times and could hear what I believe to be the problem. The back brake pads (factory original) have about 1/16" of play in them and if you hit or vibrate the rear suspension you can hear it hit the caliper.

Testing this theory:

Only happens when going slow - likely because of the friction between the disk and pads keeps it from vibrating when going at faster speeds. The resistance pins the pads to one side eliminating the clatter

Stops if you drag on the pedal a little bit - when driving slow on slightly bumpy roads the noise goes away when holding the brake slightly.


I have heard cars in the past with the same noise and always wondered what the heck it was. Is this just design or could this be something else? I banged on everything back there with a rubber mallet and nothing made noise except the brake pads. They look to be installed correctly and work fine. Any help is appreciated.

 

Sounds like your caliper is stuck or is sticking which will cause only the inside pad to make contact with the rotor. As that pad wears down that will increase the space you are seeing. Confirm that by looking through the peep hole on top and see if the pads have uneven wear. I would also check the slide pins to see if they froze from lack of lubricant. The pin's rubber boot may have came out of it's seat to let water and dirt get into the pin cavity. That can corrode the pin and make it freeze up. Also there is a rubber seal/collar on the inside ends on the pins and some times with the dirt getting in it causes them to get hung up and come out of their recessed slot on the pin shaft creating a mushrooming effect. That can cause the pin to make the caliper not slide also.

 

Now that you mention it....that is the half of the car that has been getting the major dust for the last 9 years. I didn't think that was supposed to be like that. I will yank it apart and lube up the slide pins...should take care of it.

Thanks for the info.

 

I only bring that up cause I just got done with a brake job on an 04 and it's boot was not seated and open to the elements. I had to beat the pin out with a wrench and hammer. The pin's shaft was dry (no lube) and full of rust. I cleaned up the rust and put on some CRC brake grease and made sure the pin slide in and out freely. Then made sure the boot was tucked into it's seats.