So I'm driving along from work, just about pulling up to my house when, all of a sudden, I hear a strange noise from.. somewhere. I turn the music down, and see if it's another car that's passing. Nope. So I open my windows and to my horror, the sound is not only coming from my car, but is also VERY loud and VERY scary - extreme metal on metal grinding, screeching and squeeling. I pull over with the quickness, get out and see nothing wrong with my wheel wells on the right side (where it was coming from). I get back in the car, and decide to drive it home and call my dad outside for another look. As I speed up, I hear the sound get faster and faster, like something spinning around a spool, and then it just disappeared, as if whatever it was that was making the sound was done wrapping itself..

WTF?

 

Weird...

 

I once got a string caught under my car somehow and when i drove it started to twist around my undercarraige and make an awful noise, but after driving about a couple of miles, it unraveled itself and the noise was gone. At the time though i didnt know it was a string and i almost **** my pants.

 

I hope it was something like that... I mean, it just disappeared. The sound was VERY loud even while just letting go of the break and moving slightly. Now it's all gone, as I said.. should I take the wheels off of the right side and have a look, or should I just say fack it?

 

Have you oiled your muffler bearings lately? You might also want to check your blinker fluid. Just a suggestion since I'm so knowledgable when it comes to cars.

 

i would say if the noise is gone, and you have driven it again to check to see the noise is gone, just leave it as it is. something just probably got caught up in the well.

 

 

Hmm, yeah.. I will drive it tomorrow some more. Or later on tonight.. if the noise comes back, I'm gonna shiit myself. Dad says maybe a brake pad came off.. don't know if that's possible, but if it's anything with the brake system then I figure the noise wouldn't just disappear so explicitly.

 

yeah, plus u said it got louder as u sped up, the brakes didnt play a role then

 

Well, I just got done with a little 15 minute test drive. Drove the car over some bumpy raods and such, not a squeek from anywhere, so I guess all is back to normal *knocks on wood* Now I just want to know what the hell that was all about..

 

The noise you described has happend to me before in one of my old cars...a rock got stuck on the disc brake and was grinding away. The dust shield on the back of the disc was in contact with the rock causing the loud vibration/metal noise. At least your rock fell out, I had to remove the tire and "screw-driver it" out.....

 

Hmm, that might actually be a good plausible explanation. We have a lot of loose rocks here for some reason, as of late.

 

SF streets are jacked up nowadays. Damn rocks...

 

if you only have the noise while off the brakes then it could be the low pad warning sound. when you apply the brakes, the noise will typically go away. you may want to have it checked because you will hear a ticking noise that kind of swirls and will increase the faster you go.

 

So, how often should I grease my muffler bearings? Just curious......

 

I had a brake pad seperate from the metal backing once. I had a noise that would come and go.

If it comes back I would pull the wheel and check the pads.

 

I am 99% sure something got stuck in your brakes. That happened to me a few years back after an off-roading adventure in my Ford Probe.

 

I agree with Andy and the others about having a stone or something stuck between the brake pad and rotor. It's happened to me and it can be very loud...scares the shiet outta ya!!

 

If the sound comes back...it is almost definitely your wheel bearng....

 

I had the same problem; the noise increased with speed; it turned out
the brake pads on the rear were bad. I replaced them and the noise is gone. The noise sounded like someone was shaking salt in a can and sometimes, it had a grinding effect. Very embarrassing from time to time. Replace the pads and see what happens.