Direction of arrows on squeal plates for an 88 FC Turbo
 

I want to make sure that I have the squeal plates installed correctly. It's on the four piston caliper for an 88 FC Turbo. They have arrows on them. Should they point up or down (there is an angle to the plate, more on one end than the other) from the perspective of looking at the wheel. Also, can I substitute a little high temp bearing grease on the plates instead of anti-squeal compound?

I'm not sure about the direction. I just put them back how they came off (so if they were wrong or right, they stayed that way :) ). However for the grease, I use some white lithium grease on them and never had a problem.

The problem is that one set was pointing up and the other pointing down. Each side has two plates with the arrows. Also, the back pads came with plates already on them. The MP+ pads did not have any plates. I managed to get one side on but the other side is just a little too thick. I have been turning the piston as it says to do in the Haynes manual but the piston just doesn't want to receed any more. I may try "C" clamps.

Bump

yeah, i haven't seen any aftermarket pads come with them. i really haven't noticed much squealing with my EBC pads without those plates.

anyways, i think this is what you are looking for:
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...d=160449&stc=1

You can try a C-Clamp, but be careful not to damage the piston. If it's having trouble receding, you may need to rebuild it (which might not be a bad idea depending on how many miles are on it).

Yeah, I was worried about that so I just removed the squeal plate from one side so that the caliper would fit down around the pads. I figured that with some wear I could eventually reinstall the squeal plate that I removed.

I do have rebuilt calipers that I got from Ernst at RX7world.com that will be put on the car once they are painted. Then my problem will be solved at least on the rear end.

Coldfire's illustration certainly answers the "arrow" question but it also shows me that I am missing a lot of other pieces. I only have the squeal plates with the arrows on them and the two pad springs. It looks like I could be missing at least two other squeal plates and the top and bottom plates.

Racing Beat sells a front brake plate/spring kit. Maybe I should invest in that. What do you all think? The Hawk rear pads came with squeal plates but the fronts did not.

like i said, i am using the front EBC without those plates and it is fine, just a very small bit of squeal. you can put on that grease stuff instead of plates, should do fine.

if you are referring to those top/bottom plates labeled "9", good luck finding those. they don't include them in any kit i know of. i also am not using those plates, lol. they are called "guide plates". not quite sure the exact purpose, i think they are just to minimize any pad rubbing that might occur when you are off the brakes. pretty much negligible if your pad springs have adequate tension. i wouldn't worry about it.

I have the same problem with my Hawk HPS pads. After all the assembly, it is just too thick to install ALL the plates. I rebuilt the front calipers myself, so I know they are in good condition, and like you, I tried to push back the pistons as far as they will go, and I still can't fit all the plates in. Maybe they were designed for the stock pads, and they are thinner than aftermarket ones?

Oh, coldfire, how do you like your EBCs? Are they the green or red stuff? Have you compared them with the Hawk HPS (not HP+)?

i have the EBC Green. i picked them over the Reds since i do mostly street and autocross; the Reds most likely are better suited for the occasional track day.

i really like them. the initial "bite" is less than stock when they are cold, but after a few times hard braking it is more aggressive than stock. hardly any noise and in fact less dust than stock i've noticed. i'm happy with it overall.
i haven't been able to compare it directly to the Hawk HPS on my car, but from what i have read and seen on other people's cars, performance is about the same. the differences i can see are that the Hawk HPS is a slightly more abrasive compound, which might give better bite. i chose the EBC over the Hawk since it is well known the HPS produce a lot of dust, and also they can wear down the brake rotors significantly more than stock.
everything i have observed also leads me to believe that the EBC pads are less prone to fade.

We didn't have any problem fitting the front pads on rebuilt calipers, even considering that we also installed Powerslot rotors. The only problem was with the back and only one side but frustrating nevertheless. The only other pad that we had on the car was the Hawk HP+ which squealed like a stuck pig. The MPS are a big improvement sound wise and we hear that they are a better choice for street/autoX use. We haven't raced on them yet but once we do we will weigh in on how they performed.