[bung]

After picking up my new S in July I noticed the front brakes making a very loud squealing sound. I took it back to the dealer and they agreed that there was a problem. They installed new pads and rotors and all was fine for a few days but the squealing started again. I picked it up again after its second trip to the dealer and they told me that they changed the pads again. The squealing is gone but I think it may return in a few days like it did last time.

There is something going on with the right front caliper and I think this may be causing the squealing. When I roll it out of the garage in reverse, apply the front brake and then release, it makes a very loud clacking noise. It sounds like something is binding in the caliper. If I let off the lever slowly I can hear 3 or four distinct "clacks". That leads me to believe that there may be a problem with the pistons. It doesn't do this when stopping forward motion, only rearward.

I have tested all of the other Ducatis at the shop to see if they have the clacking problem and they do not. The S has to go back tomorrow anyway for an oil leak so I'll tell them that they are probably going to have to get into the caliper to solve the brake issue. What do you guys think?

 

[dave2riff]

My Hyper S doesn't have the squealing issue, but it does make a distinct
"clack" when suddenly releasing the front brake while rolling it around in the
garage. I can't really hear it with the engine running, but I was told the
clack was normal. The 3 or 4 distinct clacks you hear when releasing the lever
slowly may be from the individual brake pistons retracting into the caliper.

There have been other threads about brake squeal on this forum. Some fixed it
with different compound pads, some with the special lube on the pad backing
plate, some fixed it with cleaning up the disc with Scotch-Brite and Brake-Kleen.
My rear brake had a bit of squeal, and the cleaning up the disc fixed it (there
was some kind of build-up on the rotor).

 

[MTScott2]

I regularly "test " the brakes .always blow dry after the infrequent washing of bike then a good ride , by testing - jam them on as if in a panic stop ,drag them infreqently just to warm them up , Stop just using the rear every now and then ,
Them cheapy auto stores have a digital infra red, pyro meter (thermometer ) buy one and take the temps after some heavy brake usage to get an idea if things are in balance ,

Emergency brakes (cars) get screwed up mostly because of lack of use...

Do the basics and if in doubt , dealer time ... ask the service manager lots of Questions ....good idea to know your brakes ..How else you gonna learn!!

Hey where is your oil leak coming from? This is all info , some of us are interested in sos we can be aware of any potential problems with our rides ...Shared info may and will usually help some others avoid problems ,and maybe save you a trip to the dealer and down time for you and dealer back log ,It may just be a simple fix you get the satisfaction of fixing yourself if you choose...Hope its minor

 

[bung]

The arrows show the location of the leaking.

 

[BeHyper]

I have the same problem with my S (7,500 miles). When I brake, the front brakes start making noise right before I arrive to a complete stop. More than a squeal, it's and howling sound. And the vibrations are transmitted to the handlebar. It's like the sound of a garbage truck. So you can imagine the vibrations...

I'm working with the dealer on this. There was a lot of back and forth with DNA but hopefully we'll soon get to the bottom of it, because I almost got myself in an accident because of this problem last week.

What we have tried so far is:

1) Bead blast the rotors (unsuccessful)
2) Sand the pads (unsuccessful)

What they are going to try tomorrow is:

1) Replace the Brembo set of pads with new ones (although they have a lot of life left)
2) Check the rotor's screws (they said something about the screws being able to correctly expand under the heat)

I seriously doubt this is going to work because I already tried with a different set of pads (EBC, not the $350 Brembo) and it didn't work.

But at this point I think we should go by exclusions.

Please keep me posted on that! I'm really curious how they are going to fix it for you!

Francesco

 

[disgo duc]

+1 on rolling around hear howling and vibrations at slow speeds...-1 on clacking.still stop good havnt took back to dealer though.

 

[NYSport]

Do you notice any change in the effectiveness of the brakes between the times that you have the noise and those times when there is no noise?

 

[BeHyper]

Do you notice any change in the effectiveness of the brakes between the times that you have the noise and those times when there is no noise?

Yes. Definitely. Because the noise is produced by vibrations. When you ride in the traffic and you have a lots of stops and go, it does affect the effectiveness of the brakes. In fact, I almost got myself in an accident last week, because of this.

Hopefully DNA will solve the problem once and for all very soon.

 

[kaligrown]

I have been having the same problem with my S, pulled the pads and the right rotor has been putting grooves into the pad.
thought it might of been a rock that got into one of the holes in the rotor and screwed up the pads so replaced them. helped for a few weeks until the rotors grooved the pads again.
Scotch brighted the rotors, another set of pads and it helped for a 100 miles or so but the vibrations and sounds were back.
Thinking now that new, non-brembo rotors are going to do the trick. Galfer waves are next.
If you have ever ridden a bike with iron rotors these feel the same. vibrating and making the sound close to stop that would make you think that you are on a set.

 

[kaligrown]

Do you notice any change in the effectiveness of the brakes between the times that you have the noise and those times when there is no noise?

I notice the noise and the sound but the braking power seems the same. I have no problem coming to a stop just as quickly or getting the back end of the bike off the ground. just have some noise and vibrations to go with it.

 

[BeHyper]

I notice the noise and the sound but the braking power seems the same. I have no problem coming to a stop just as quickly or getting the back end of the bike off the ground. just have some noise and vibrations to go with it.

You are lucky. My handlebar vibrates a lot, hence it's difficult to control the bike or to figure out when and if the front tire is going to lock.

This is why the dealer is working with DNA to fix the issue under warranty.

 

[dave2riff]

The arrows show the location of the leaking.

This is a common issue with the original green-colored valve cover O-rings.
The O-ring was superseded with a new part number, which is black. Many of
the OEM green O-rings started leaking after a few thousand miles. There are
two different size O-rings that are used for the various valve covers. For
the leak you have, it is the smaller of the two: P/N 88640602A ($3.42/ea).
The larger O-ring is P/N 88641381A ($5.38/ea). Again, these are replacement
part numbers for the problematic O-rings.

 

[Roulette]

Vibration while braking would usually mean warped disk/s. I know that this is covered under warranty and I remember reading about a few guys who had warped disks. Some of the earlier models suffered from this, cheap disks???

 

[PedroHM]

ok firstly..

when new pads are installed DON'T for the love of god jam them on doing emergency stops. you need to give them at least 50 miles of nice gentle wear to bed in and fit to the disk.

vibration whilst braking is either caused by a. warped disk (unlikely) b. a warped pad (more than likely) c. front wheel not aligned correctly.

a / c are easy to check, get the front of the ground and spin the wheel, you'll see a warped rotor and will hear the bind/release of disk on pad. also release the pinch bolts on the free leg and relesase the axle bolt, bounce bike up and down to align leg and do up pinch bolts then axle.

to check for warped pads (I've had this a few times) take pads out (easy) and lay the backs together, see if they rock against each other.

The 'clack' as you describe is just beause its a floating rotor and the pads move about in caliper. you'll notice a clack the first time back and the first time forward and no real noise the second time. this is normal AND STOPS THE DISK WARPING

Now if by whining you mean there is a humm when you brake this is quite normal but it prob should not be a screetch.

if this does not solve your prob buy some EBC HH pads and try them out. they are better than the grabby brembo ones I believe.

 

[hooptygoo]

The arrows show the location of the leaking.

Does yours look like this?

Been in twice now. Might have to go back.

 

[johnchypermotard]

i just threw up a bit in my mouth.

Does yours look like this?

Been in twice now. Might have to go back.

 

[MTScott2]

OOOOWWWHH thats just Icky... Go wash ...

 

[dave2riff]

You know, if someone's been to the dealer twice and the oil leak is still
happening, it makes me wonder what they are doing at that dealer. Make sure
they are using the right new O-rings (part numbers in my previous post above).
There is a very snug fit into the cylindrical machined area on the head for the
O-ring to slide into. If done "dry" (with no coat of grease on the O-ring), it is
possible to shred the O-ring material (even if not obvious to the eye) while
inserting the valve cover. Also, rather than hammer the cover on with a
mallet, you can use the attachment bolts to gradually and evenly apply
pressure to the cover and its sealing ring, drawing it straight into the head.

To me, the difference between a good mechanic and a hack is all the little
things they do during a job to make sure the bike is as good as it can be,
whether that means as good as new or in some cases better than new.
In my experience, a very significant percentage of failures on vehicles is
due to the hack mechanics who have worked on them. Which is not to
excuse Ducati for using poor quality O-rings in the first place.

 

[MTScott2]

I agree ,, I usually take about three times as long as a normal person would take to do something the first time , I will take the time and go inside and look things up ,take it apart half way thru to make sure it is right . Get half ways done say forget it go buy the proper tool next day ,what ever it takes to do it the right way,,
Always look over the bike before leaving the dealership ,even moreso with cars don't pick it up just before they close ,and if its wrong say when do you plan on finishing it , What can't you wipe off the oil you spilled or clean the excess Grease off , Hey you got a rag and I'll do it and then don't go back...

Good mechanics are worth the Money you pay them...

 

[dave2riff]

Get half way done say forget it, go buy the proper tool next day, whatever it takes to do it the right way,,

Heh, very good... been there, done that too. The right tools do make the job
quite a bit easier. Of course, new tools do cut into your do-it-yourself savings,
but who doesn't like buying tools?