What have you done to your Elgrand today?

[Richard Fox]

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

Wow that's along read! lol

 

[Bazildog]

Wow that's along read! lol

 

[LeStempy]

Chat GPT is about as reliable as Facebook for factual information.

 

[Highway Dave]

I never heard before about putting any kind of lubricant on the pads

lol , on the back of the pads.
As already said , some modern aplications don't need it as they have shims, sometimes multiple shims etc'
i still use grease on the rear of pads as besides lubrication it also stops the contact surfaces between pad and piston fron rusting which causes other problems (plus it's a habit lol)

 

[Toni]

I took my Nissan Elgrand E51 off-roading, challenging a course typically reserved for true off-road vehicles. As expected, the low-profile bumpers were too low, resulting in damage. While I appreciate the Elgrand's sleek aesthetic, I realized practicality was more important to me. Consequently, two months ago I modified the vehicle: I removed the rear bumper to weld on a hitch receiver (for when I go camping) and chopped the front bumper to significantly increase ground clearance. Since these modifications, I've returned to the same challenging location twice, and climbing the terrain was noticeably easier than the initial run.
I'm very happy that I can reach further places now that the ground clearance is higher.

Ramp Rock · Kent, British Columbia

maps.app.goo.gl

 

[RuskinStreet]

Wow that's along read! lol

AND a load of AI shite. WTF does AI actually know about Elgrand ownership? FFS, Eurocarparts thinks I drive a 350Z

 

[ELSib]

Hi! The power steering return hose burst in -40°C weather. I spent 20 minutes replacing the hose and refilling the fluid outside.
Incredibly quick job!

 

[WhatsThisFor]

Hi! The power steering return hose burst in -40°C weather. I spent 20 minutes replacing the hose and refilling the fluid outside.
Incredibly quick job!

Rather you than me, no wonder it was a quick job.

 

[Edorwyn]

Cut, polished and waxed the whole van. Here’s the reflection.

 

[Richard Fox]

Cut, polished and waxed the whole van. Here’s the reflection.View attachment 118624View attachment 118623

Great result!!!!

 

[kfgas]

Had these 3 pairs of Bassface 5,25 inch component speakers delivered yesterday that I decided I was going to buy a couple of weeks ago.







They were already a really good price as they have been discontinued but managed to get a bit better deal on them as I was buying 3 pairs and paid £120 including 24 hour delivery for all 3 pairs

The 6 mids and 6 tweeters will all be going in the rear camper units facing out

Part of the reason why I went with these apart from the price is that they have a very high sensitivity rating of 97db meaning that are very efficient at converting the power from the amps so although they are rated at 200 watts per speaker my 150 watt per channel 4 channel amp and 250 watt 2 channel amp will be capable of running them at virtually there full potential if wanted even if wired at a 4 ohm load on the amps without having to resort to more complex wiring so the amps see a 2ohm load to get more power from them which as they will be used in the open where a lot of the sound gets lost I thought would make sense.

They also have a very decent crossover between the mid's and tweeters with a dip switch with 3 settings of -3db 0db and +3db which are usually only found on quite a lot more expensive speakers and hopefully will give me more options between the mid's and high's when setting up along with the 13 band EQ in the head unit and amps without having the extra cost of a DSP.

This should be the last outlay that I need to make apart from maybe cables although I have quite a bit lying around that I could possibly use.

When these are fitted along with the bits I have already bought and some already fitted I am hoping that this will give me a decent sounding and quite powerful system for not too much money.

Total cost has been

3 pairs new Bassface 5.1/4 inch component speakers £120

1 secondhand RM Audio 10 inch sub and enclosure with Rockford Forsgate mono amp £50

1 new Edge 2 channel amp (bought from Amazon when on offer) £102

1 new Boss Audio mono amp (bought from my grandson who had bought it new but never used it) £30

1 new 8 inch Vibe Slick sub (bought from Amazon when on offer) this is built into one of the rear camper seats but still need to enclose and port it £70

1 secondhand Shoc Industries 4 channel amp £65

1 pair ex display Bocschman 6x9 4 way speakers (for the camper units facing into the interior of the van) £35

1 secondhand JVC touchscreen head unit £45

1 new Integral 256gb usb stick for my FLAC files (bought from Amazon when on offer) £12

This adds up to £529 plus approx another £100 for cables although I did already have quite a bit of what I needed or still need so about £630 in total.

This system will all be powered by my existing leisure battery.

Not expecting it be the any where near hi-fi quality but that was never the intention but what I am hoping is that it will give me a decent sounding system in the camper part of my Elgrand and also with the rear tailgate open to the outside into the open with the ability to play dab radio, (I already have a dab aerial fitted on the roof of my Elgrand that I can link the JVC headset into) cd's, music from a usb stick or spotify or over blue tooth from phone, tablet or laptop and with the potential to go pretty loud if wanted for not too much money.

From AI after putting in all the specs and details of this system even after downgrading the specs a bit as I never fully trust the specs given by manufacturers as I believe that most if not all overstate things like rms power etc a bit

The maximum theoretical sound pressure level (SPL) for your system in open air, measured at one meter, would be approximately 133.5 dB for the main speakers and 121 dB for the subwoofers. The combined system could reach an overall SPL of around 134 dB.
This is an extremely loud system, comparable to a live rock concert or a jet engine at a short distance, and is capable of causing hearing damage with prolonged exposure. The actual perceived loudness in an open-air environment will decrease significantly with distance from the speakers (dropping about 6 dB every time the distance is doubled

From this it looks like I will be a bit bass light but that does not really bother me to much as I am not a great lover of too much bass although I do have room in one of the rear camper units to add maybe another 8inch sub if needed but will see first how I can get it to sound without.

 

[WhatsThisFor]

Take for MOT

PASS no advisories

Hate going for MOTs

He wrote Miles instead of Kilometres, again…..even with a post it note on dash.

Ah well.

 

[Richard Fox]

Stuck a full tank of 102 octane in from Germany and it was still cheaper than Super In The Netherlands!
Whilst at the petrol station got chatting to a guy in an Opel Omega (Vauxhall Carlton 3 litre), he loved the Elgrand and said he had seen my around the area! lol Compared MPG and petrol costs between a 3 litre and 3.5 V6! lol

 

[Taffaz]

Had a leak somewhere in my E52 that caused the driver side footwell to be drenched in water. After a bit of googling I determined it was the sun roof drain. So after multiple attempts to unclog it I bought an endoscope to look closer and realised the drain pipe had disconnected from the sun roof adapter.

Got this refitted but now it wouldn't drain which meant removing it again and trying to clean out the hose with a pipe cleaner and a siphon pump. Loads of gunk came out but when I filled the pipe with water still wouldn't drain so I applied some "light air pressure" and I either blew out the dirt or popped the filter at the bottom of the line. Either way the sun roof now drains at a good rate and I just need to figure out the best way to dry out a soaking car.

 

[Lpgc]

Stuck a full tank of 102 octane in from Germany and it was still cheaper than Super In The Netherlands!
Whilst at the petrol station got chatting to a guy in an Opel Omega (Vauxhall Carlton 3 litre), he loved the Elgrand and said he had seen my around the area! lol Compared MPG and petrol costs between a 3 litre and 3.5 V6! lol

Both the straight 6 3.0 Carlton / Senator and V6 Omega will do better than 30mpg on a steady run lol

 

[-Lummox-]

... I just need to figure out the best way to dry out a soaking car.

Fill it with rice!

 

[-Lummox-]

Laziest real solution would be to run the car with heat set to max and climate control on. The air con will draw moisture out of the air as it evaporates from the carpets.

Or if you have a garage you could put a small oil filled rad in there with a window slightly ajar and run that for 24hrs or so.

Less lazy option is to take out the carpets and let them dry…

 

[Lpgc]

Today I changed spark plugs, changed the PCV and did a transmission sump pan off ATF change, not on my own Elgrand but for a local E51 owner, the owner stayed while I did the work and even helped a bit.

The original plan was to change the transmission filter too but when the pan was off we couldn't believe how clean it was inside, no grime in the pan at all, no metal at all stuck to magnets and the old ATF looked almost new, so having removed the pan and seen the interior condition the owner decided not to change the filter after all.

We removed just over 4.5 litres of ATF from the trans. Also since the old ATF seemed so clean/new we didn't think it necessary to do a second flush anytime soon.

The owner didn't know whether his Elgrand's front or rear cats had been decored, he knew one set had been done but didn't know whether it was front or rear cats. I was able to tell him the front cats were working so must be fitted and that there was no blockage etc.

 

[WhatsThisFor]

I just need to figure out the best way to dry out a soaking car.

Start by using a Petrol Stations Vacuum, not worth wrecking your own.

 

[-Lummox-]

Fitted the tailgate struts from JDM Car Parts... No more sagging tailgate or clouting my head, result. SGS ones in the bin...

Also replaced the bulbs in the tailgate panel which wasn't too hard despite sausage fingers.

Noticed an annoying belt or pulley noise when starting the car this morning in the cold and damp... Hey ho, the quest for a fault-free car continues...