back in the day when i served my time as a mechanic i was taught to grease the back of the pads, it was to stop squeal, but modern brakes and pads dont need any, except the sliding pins.
Got to say i have never had issues with noise so far, touch wood....
Here is Chat GBT's take on it:
Brake pads are a bit like teenagers: they’re fundamentally fine, but when they’re under pressure they can scream, rattle, and generally make their presence known in a very undignified way. The little smear of lubricant on the back of the pad is there to keep the whole braking opera from turning into a squealing violin solo.
Here’s the physics, stripped down and friendly.
When you brake, the pad doesn’t just press against the disc. It also vibrates. Those vibrations travel straight into the caliper pistons and then into the caliper body. Metal-on-metal at those interfaces acts like a tuning fork. That’s the squeal. The backing plate acts as the bridge that couples the vibration into the rest of the system.
A thin smear of proper high-temp brake grease on the back of the pad acts like a mechanical duvet. It damps (reduces) the vibration transfer between pad and piston/caliper. It’s not lubrication in the traditional sense; nothing’s sliding. You're adding a layer that interrupts vibrational energy.
A few practical notes, since you’re deep in Elgrand lore:
• Only ever put it on the pad backing plate where it contacts the piston(s) or the carrier “ears,” depending on design.
• Never get any on the friction surface—pads hate that like cats hate baths.
• use a high-temperature product designed for brakes (copper grease, ceramic brake grease, or silicone-based grease depending on the application). The modern favourite is ceramic because it’s friendly with ABS sensors and doesn’t mess with rubber.
There’s a second reason as well, more mundane: it reduces the chance of the pad “chattering” or moving slightly in the carrier, especially on floating-pad designs. Again, all about damping vibration.
But the headline truth remains: smooth braking is quiet braking, and that tiny smear is doing the heavy lifting in the acoustics department.
Right, let’s talk Elgrand E51 brakes properly — because Nissan, in their infinite late-90s wisdom, built a system that works beautifully as long as you help it along in the right places.
1. Where your E51 calipers tend to chatter or squeal
The E51 uses a floating caliper front and rear. That means:
• The pads sit in a metal carrier and are meant to slide freely.
• The inner pad rests directly on the piston face.
• The outer pad rests against the caliper body through the carrier.
Where things get noisy is usually one of three spots:
A) The pad backing plate → piston contact face
This is the big one. When the pad vibrates, the piston becomes a loudspeaker. Lubricant or a proper anti-squeal compound damps this vibration.
B) The pad “ears” → carrier abutments
If the pad ears corrode into the carrier (or the stainless shims get crusty), the pad moves with a start-stop “stick-slip” motion. That creates chatter and squeal. A tiny amount of ceramic grease here works wonders after you wire-brush the abutments clean.
C) Caliper slider pins
If these dry out, the caliper can hang slightly, causing uneven pad pressure and intermittent squeal. The E51 sliders are particularly susceptible because they live low and salty.
2. Which grease behaves best for the Elgrand
You want three different products for three different jobs. Using one “does everything” grease is the usual cause of problems months later.
A) Back of the brake pad → Anti-squeal compound or ceramic brake grease
Ceramic brake grease is the best all-rounder because: • It stays stable up to around 1,400°C
• It isn’t conductive → safe near ABS sensors
• It doesn’t swell rubber
• It resists wash-off far better than copper grease
Copper grease works, but it’s 1990s tech and can interfere magnetically if it ends up where it shouldn’t (ABS sensors do not appreciate copper glitter).
Look for: Liqui Moly Ceramic Brake Grease or Mintex Ceratec.
B) Carrier abutments (pad ears)
Again, ceramic brake grease — a microscopic smear. The point here is prevention of corrosion + damping of chatter. You do NOT want it dripping anywhere near the disc.
C) Slider pins
This is a different job entirely.
The E51 needs a high-temp silicone-based caliper grease, because the slider boots must not be attacked by petroleum-based products.
Perfect examples: • ATE Plastilube
• Carlube Silicone Brake Grease
• Permatex Silicone Extreme Brake Parts Lubricant
This stuff stays jelly-like for years and won’t vanish, melt, or harden.
3. Why low-mileage Elgrands jam sliders more often
It’s counterintuitive, but low mileage is worse than high:
• The sliders don’t get warm regularly → moisture stays longer.
• The caliper barely moves for months → grease dries in place.
• Boots age faster when static because micro-cracks form and let in water.
Your fix is simple and proactive: strip/clean/regrease sliders every 12–18 months regardless of mileage. That’s the secret to never having a dragging caliper again.
4. The best “anti-squeal” method for the E51
If you want the trouble-free setup:
1. Polish the carrier abutments with a file or Dremel until bare metal shines.
2. Ceramic grease (microscopic smear) on pad ears.
3. Ceramic grease (pea-sized amount spread thin) on the pad backs where the piston meets.
4. Silicone grease on slider pins.
5. Make sure the anti-rattle clips actually spring properly — they get lazy with age. If they don’t bite the pad firmly, replace them.
This combination gives you: • silent braking
• even pad wear
• no sticking
• no hot discs
• no early bearing/ABS sensor death-by-heat transfer
).
Suggested usage strategy (with these greases)
