The other day I hit a gigantic unavoidable pothole with my '95 Max on the front left wheel. Since then there's this horrible metal-on-metal grinding noise coming from the front right wheel well when I'm moving. No uneven or uncontrolled braking, but after I pump the brakes a few times while moving for about a half mile or so the sound goes away. The sound also seems to come back on downslopes. Can some knowledgable person please tell me what I should look for to diagnose/fix the problem? Thanks for your time,

-Al

 

Bent or slightly knocked out of place splash shield is now hitting your rotor.

You can usually just push it back with a long screwdriver right through the spokes of your wheels.

 

Ok I checked the splash shields, and the noise keeps coming back- especially after I've been parked on a slope. After I pump the brakes a few times it goes away for a while. Any other suggestions? Could it be the caliper or hardware?

 

BUMP

 

Go ahead and jack up your car. Take the wheel off and look. Have someone turn the rotor or something. This could be a few things. Bent control arm, bad CV axle, bent hub/spindle, bad wheel bearing, etc.

 

Thanks Ramius...so the fact that it goes away when the brakes are being pressed and then after they have been pressed a few time doesn't necessarily indicate a brake problem?