Volvo: Those damn sqeaky brakes!!!, brake caliper, haynes manual

Question
HI,
I'm a confident guy who can wrench well.  I just bought a
used 1990 Volvo 240 and love the car.  The brakes were
sqealling a little and I got down there and looked to see
what the condition was of everything since I just got the
car. I have the Haynes manual too.  So upon inspection I
saw there is plenty of disc pad  on all the wheels so the
rivets weren't the problem and the rotors are in excellant
shape.  I bought some of that goop to supposedly quiet
them.  I followed the direction fully except the part about
letting it dry before putting them back on.  So the sqealling
came back.  I went back again and did it the way the label
said the second time and damn if they aren't still sqeaking
a little.  Is there suppose to be a small piece of sheet metal
that goes between the caliper and the back of the pads?  
There are none on mine and I've seen it on other cars.
Suggestions?

Answer
You're touching on a very well travelled issue here, especially with the 240 series; as it seems that is a problem many people have an issue with.  For me, the best luck I've had at reducing squeak is to simply buy the most expensive pads availible when I go to purchase.  The anti-sqeak goop has never worked for me, but others may have different opinions.  As for the metal behind the pad, you are definetly supposed to have one.  When you install new pads, the instructions are to put brake silicon on the surfaces between the pad and that metal sheet, and then between the sheet and the brake caliper.  However, I don't know if it is intended to reduce squeak.  I think, instead, it is to reduce overall vibration under heavier braking.  I could be wrong, and it might be worth a try for you, considering its a good idea to have those on anyway.  If you want more feedback from 240 owners, I would suggest visiting the site www.brickboard.com.  It is a free forum where people can post questions.  A quick keyword search in the 240 section will yield more information than you could imagine on this subject.  Good luck!