I have the same problem with my '85.  I took out the backing plate and
cleaned it, made sure the tabs were all bent out, then applied a small
amount of silicone grease to the side facing the pads.  This fixed the
problem for a few weeks but now it's back.  Any suggestions as to what to
try next would be greatly appreciated.

On Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 11:37 AM, J Stewart <fonman4277@comcast.net> wrote:

> Just a guess, but did your mechanic happen to toss those thin metal
> backing plates that fit behind the brake pads? When I bought my current
> Vanagon, the brakes squealed so badly my wife started to refuse to ride in
> it. Those backing plates were missing from the front pads. I found a set in
> a junk yard off a Vanagon that must have had a brake job the week before it
> was junked-the plates looked brand new, as did the pads. These are NLA
> according to my local dealer. Jeff Jeff Stewart ----- Original Message -----
> > My mechanic recently changed out the disk pads on my '84
> > (7-passenger).
> > First there were occasional chirping noises from right front each time
> > the wheel made a complete revolution. If I were making a turn or
> > applying the service brakes, chirping stopped. Mechanic rechecked his
> > work and said all okay. Now chirping has started on left wheel too and
> > is occurring just about all the time. However, it does stop when
> > service brakes applied. Stopping van with parking brake has no effect
> > on chirping. Turning wheel from left to right will change amount of
> > chirping.
> > Any ideas what is going on?
> > John
>