RL911

04 986 base. Installed new powerstop evo front pads and rotors a few months ago. Have noticed a clicking sound when at a stop and I lift off the brake pedal. Checked the front brakes and the pads are a little loose as I can move them with my finger against the spring. believe this to be the source of the clicking. The pads were bedded in and have maybe 300 miles or less on them. Is this something I need to be concerned about or anything I can do short of replacing the pads with a different brand. don’t really notice any difference in performance. Thx

Nickshu

I'd say something is off here w/ the pad size if you can move them w/ your finger. They should not be that loose. However the OEM pads had an adhesive backing w/ inserts that went into each caliper piston to stop movement/noise. Most who run aftermarket pads ditch this backing and just run the pads as you have. In my experience it only knocks when going from forward to reverse in that case. If it's knocking the pads around just going forward then it seems to me that the pads may be undersized.

RL911

yeah, unfortunately, I think you are right. They were cheap powerstop pads. Think I’ll pick up a better set.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...t=1684&jsn=421


edit: I took the brake pads out and reassembled, bled the front calipers, everything seems pretty normal. Took it for a test ride and I still hear a clicking noise when I let off the brake, mainly when coming to a slow stop. . It seems to be coming from under the car in the area of the master cylinder, but lower down, closer to the front left wheel. Is there anything in that area that would cause a loud click? Brake switch maybe? I’m going replace the pads anyway to rule that out for sure. I haven’t been able to generate the noise in the garage so it’s tough to pinpoint.

teejerdude

RL911, I replaced my front & rear brake pads with new Textar pads on my 2003 Boxster S in later December 2022, and I also get a clicking noise coming from the front brake pads when I lift off the brake pedal. As Nickshu mentions, I do not have the brake pad backing plates that stick into the caliper pistons, so the pads have enough play in them to make the clicking sound. I've run the same set up with no backing plates on two other Porsches (2006 911S & 2002 Boxster) and did not have the clicking noise. Looks like sometimes you get the noise and sometimes you don't. It's a bit of a trade off: don't use the backing plates and get an annoying click, or use the backing plates to firmly seat the pads into the calipers but you then have to remove the entire caliper to replace your brake pads next time. Since I know why the clicking noise is happening, I haven't worried about it. However, I don't put many miles on my Boxster, so I'll likely break down and remove my front calipers and install some backing plates on the front pads since it should only take about an hour to do...plus it's a great excuse to turn some wrenches on a Porsche!

RL911

thx for your response. my car didnt have the backing plates and I was on original brakes. My new akebono pads arrived today and I’ve some new crc lubricant I’ll use so we will see if it is the pads when I change them out tomorrow. Suppose I could always add the backing plate, but if it’s just a click/clunk with no harm/no foul, I’m fine with it. For me, I’ll never likely put enough miles on this car to have to replace the brakes again so I might invest in the backing plates.

My main concern was just understanding the cause and making sure it’s not a safety issue.

removing the calipers is pretty simple, I’m sure you know. Just an extra few mins.

teejerdude

RL911, your post inspired me to get off my lazy you-know-what and address my clicking front brake pads. I went ahead and purchased four URO Parts brand backing plates (also called dampers) and installed them this morning. With everything cleaned, installed and put back together, the adhesive on the backing plates is sticking to the brake pads, and there is now no more annoying clicking noise every time the brake pedal is released, and the brakes are quiet as they should be. I should have done this months ago and probably wouldn't have made the effort to address this issue if I hadn't seen your post, so thanks for posting this issue.