[dminner]

Does anyone know where I can find a diagram of all the parts to the front brakes?

I am curious if the flimsy black plate behind the rotor is a brake dust sheild or if it is some sort of heat diffuser.

I am assuming it is just a dust sheild. BUT.......

I have been having this horrible grinding/screeching sound coming from my brakes for the last couple of weeks and it got really bad last week. I took apart the brakes and the pads and rotors look fine...they still have plenty of life. I noticed that the rotor was acutally grinding on the bottom of the plate (sheild), there was a long gouge in it.

So, I removed the sheilds tonight, and sure enough it fixed the problem. ONLY....I went for a test drive (mabye for like 10min). When I got home I felt the lugs to make sure they were all tight. When I did, the wheel was REALLY REALLY hot (like, I cant hold my hand on it hot). Am I being paranoid? Do the front wheels always get pretty hot and I just never noticed? I dont really see how the sheild could have do that (you would think it would trap in heat and make them hotter).

Any insight guys?

[PCH]

All i can say is that its normal for the front (even the wheels) to get too hot to touch after city driving. If the pads have sensors in them that make screeching sound when you step on the brakes, its time to change them. Just make sure you can verify the pads thickness on both sides of the rotor. If it looks like you have less than 1/4 inch left, plan to have them changed soon.