Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a 1989 Ford Ranger 4X4 with 35,000 miles on it. I recently had new
front brakes installed. I got new pads, new calipers and had the rotors
turned. Since then, when I drive I hear a clicking noise. When I touch the
brakes, the clicking noise stops. Could you help me figure out what it
could be? -- Keith

RAY: We'll do better than that, Keith. We'll tell you what it almost
certainly is.

TOM: Your brake pads are moving around. It's not a serious problem, Keith,
unless the noise is driving you so nuts that you're on the verge of doing
something serious to somebody because of it.

RAY: It's easy to fix, too. Go back to the guy who did the brakes for you,
and ask him to road-test the car, as he should have done in the first
place. Once he confirms that the clicking is there -- so he can't give you
the "I couldn't make it do it" excuse -- he'll probably figure out that he
left off a piece of brake hardware when he did the installation.

TOM: It's probably a missing clip that's causing the clicking. Although on
some cars, the outboard pads need to be "staked," a procedure in which the
ears on the pads are bent around the caliper body to keep the pads from
rattling and clicking.

RAY: I thought staking is when you pour A1 sauce all over the brake pad and
then reinstall it.

TOM: I've tried that, and that stops the clicking too.