So after a shakey 2007 with my car, 08 seemed to be going great(it better after I spent $2K+ repairing it in 07) but today I got a new sound from her.

Quite randomly my front right brake started squeeling about an hour ago, and this is while accelerating, no foot on the brake. I don't know if the caliper seized up, but it's quite loud however when I brake it goes away somewhat. A couple days ago on the right front, I hit a pothole the size of the grand canyon on a street in the city. I mean it was HUGE, so big I pulled off into the first parking lot and had a look for damage. Didn't notice anything and the car drove perfectly normal. Could this noise now be because of the pothole a couple days ago? If not the brake, what else could it be? I got the wheel off right now and I'm trying to find a problem but with my limited knowledge I can't see anything wrong. What's the worst case scenario?


I just ordered the NWP Phenolic spacers for my car and was pumped about having them installed but now I'm worried that the install is gonna have to wait due to another $200-$500 problem.

 

Pull off the caliper, look at the caliper/pads/rotor, see if anything looks...'wrong', for lack of a better word.

Is it definitely a brake squeal, or could it be the dust shield rubbing?

 

edited...


pm sent

 

Unfortunately my tools are lent out so I can't take anything apart right now. I'll try taking it apart tomorrow or something. Thanks a lot for your response.

 

Sounds like it could be the wear indicators letting you know it is time to change your pads. They make a high pitched squealing sound that goes away when you step on the brakes.

 

Thanks. Really hoping that's the case!

 

Well, I'm convinced my car is uber messed up.

It's going in to see my mechanic tomorrow since everything is closed today due to it being Canada day.

Anyway some new developments:
Took my car for an extended drive which included some highway. There's a vibration when cruising at 70kmh(40 mph), and it only gets more noticeable as I speed up. On the highway I started at 100km/h(60mph) and got a bad vibration, which got downright violent IMO between 110-120km/h(70mph). It smoothed out except for a slight wiggle in the steering wheel at 130km/h(80mph). I didn't go any faster.

Also, there's a noticeable brake squeal on front right as mentioned above so pads needed for sure. However when I turn left only(like at an intersection), no brake applied, it screeches like a banshee. Sounds like fingernails on chalkboard but 10x louder. Everyone stops what they're doing and stares lol.

So based on this new info plus what I've written above, what could be wrong?

I've cancelled my Canada day plans due to this so I'm not too happy, any advice would be appreciated.

 

when you smacked into the pothole you could have just lost a weight from the wheel so it is out of balance. Or bent a rim? but that won't account for the high pitched noise. It's possible it is a wheel bearing but the symptoms don't sound like what I experienced when my right front bearing died.

 

get that wheel re balanced, check your pads and the slider pins

 

The 2 weights are still there. Guess I'll have to find out tomorrow, I really hope it isn't gonna cost me more than $200 at the end of the day.

 

i use to have the same exact sound on my car, i thought it was something really bad too because it sounded horrible but all it was was my dust shield rubbing, so dont sweat it just yet, u might have the same problem, it got alot worse when i turned also just like you said

 

That would be awesome if that's all it was, but I played with it yesterday and it didn't seem to be touching the rotor. Thanks for the input though.

And thanks again to all who responded so far.

 

This could be the bearing; but before anything else, try the following: DIY or make your mechanic to take off the wheel, brakes, rotor, remove wheel bearing lock nut; now you have access to the drive shaft; it should move freely back/forward (if not, separate it from the hub by tapping lightly). It's not necessary to remove it completely, just allow it moving inside of the hub. Use alot of WD-40 to clean/lubricate the end of the drive shaft (just where it is connected with the hub), removing all rust from there. Now it should move really smooth and freely. Bring everything together; done. All operation hardly took 15 min, and the noise is gone. The pic is here: http://borriss.smugmug.com/photos/328936949_26xF4-O.jpg

 

^^^ That wasn't the problem.

It was brake related, and I have a slightly bent wheel(ended up balancing perfectly though). Total cost, $518. Go Max go!

 

Oh damn $518 for diagonising the problem and fixing it? A shop charged that much or was there more to it?

 

There were CHUNKS missing out of my front pads on the right side. I was braking with the metal backing plate of the pad basically. My rotor was pretty carved up by the time I got to my mechanic. Anyway, I couldn't just get one new rotor and pads on one side only, so I got 2 new front rotors and front pads. M-sport drilled+slotted with Hawk pads up front. Also, my wheel is slightly bent. It's impossible to tell if you're looking at it and it's on the inside of the wheel, you can somewhat see it when it's spinning on the tire balancer. Anyway, it still ended up balancing just fine and the car is smooth as silk once again.

I'm guessing this had something to do with the pothole.

 

Caliper culprit