"Noah - Now with more boost." (antriebverliebt)
11/27/2015 at 18:59 • Filed to: HELP
0
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"Noah - Now with more boost." (antriebverliebt)
11/27/2015 at 18:59 • Filed to: HELP | 0
| 10 |
Oppo, I’m pretty stressed out right now. This evening, I accidentally backed over a large stick my landlord had rammed into the ground to mark a small hole in the lawn. I heard a very loud *bang* as the sturdy stick came into contact with something in the rear driver’s side wheel well. Because the stick was flexible, it did not break and remained in the ground. After ten minutes of driving, I noticed this scraping/squealing noise emanating from that area whenever I hit the brakes. It’s getting progressively louder and the noise changes pitch depending on how fast I’m going when I tap the brakes.
I’m afraid of driving the car now. I don’t want to ruin a part by inflicting extreme wear on it. As far as I can tell, It isn’t leaking brake fluid and there isn’t anything obviously wrong with the caliper/rotor. There is no difference in the brake pedal feel either. The only difference I noticed was that the wear pattern on that rotor is unique: Instead of being a solid circular “stripe” making its way around the rotor, as is the case with the other three rotors, the “stripe” is split into two rings, as though the brake pad wasn’t making contact OR had something stuck in it that was scraping the rotor.
My theories:
1. The bang I heard was the stick hitting the caliper, and now it’s misaligned so something is scraping.
2. This is a coincidence and there is either something stuck in the brake pad, or it’s finally worn down to the metal and needs to be replaced.
Whatever it is, I’m sure I now have to disassemble the caliper to troubleshoot this if I can’t find something obvious in the morning. What does Oppo think? Does anyone have experience with strange brake noise issues like this? I’m trying to have a sense of humor about it - after all, digging into a problem like this always results in learning something new about wrenching.
Berang
> Noah - Now with more boost.
11/27/2015 at 19:05 |
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Have you had the wheel off yet?
If a pad is stuck or left slightly in contact with the rotor it can make a humming/squeeling noise. Maybe a pad isn’t sitting square in the caliper.
CaptDale - is secretly British
> Noah - Now with more boost.
11/27/2015 at 19:09 |
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Or it bent the dust cover
mazda616
> Noah - Now with more boost.
11/27/2015 at 19:10 |
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My old Mazda3 had dust shields around the brake rotors. Little thin, round sheet metal pieces that were prime candidates for collecting rocks from gravel roads. Made the most godawful sound I’ve ever heard. I freaked out and pulled over and investigated and found a tiny little piece of gravel wedged between the shield and the rotor. Pulled it out and voila, all fixed. Maybe you’ve got a piece of that stick in a similar situation.
jkm7680
> Noah - Now with more boost.
11/27/2015 at 19:22 |
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A piece of stick got broken off somewhere. Take the wheel off and look.
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Noah - Now with more boost.
> Berang
11/27/2015 at 19:25 |
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Nope, but that makes a lot of sense. That sounds like the most likely answer. I bet I have to change the pads anyway so I will probably do that and cross my fingers. Thanks for the response!
DasWauto
> mazda616
11/27/2015 at 19:25 |
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Hah, I was gonna say almost exactly this. Our mazda3 got a piece of gravel stuck between the pad and the rotor once. Freaked me the hell out, made an awful noise, thought it ate a wheel bearing. The instant I jacked it up and spun the wheel backwards whatever had jammed in there fell out and everything moved freely without noise. Easiest, best, most relieving fix ever.
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Noah - Now with more boost.
> jkm7680
11/27/2015 at 19:32 |
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That’s what I thought too. But the sound is too metallic, and it actually wasn’t a stick - I oversimplified for brevity’s sake; the “stick” is really a thin fiberglass pole that is extremely strong and flexible. It is still in mint condition, annoyingly. The top of the pole is perfectly flat like it was originally. No evidence of breakage. Thanks tho! Who knows, maybe it broke off cleanly and I’ll find a piece of it in there.
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Noah - Now with more boost.
> mazda616
11/27/2015 at 19:34 |
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Now THAT makes sense. Thank you!! I’ll check the brake dust shield tomorrow. The top of the “stick” which was really a fiberglass pole (I oversimplified for brevity’s sake) looked like it was perfectly flat, as though it was undamaged. But maybe it broke of cleanly.
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Noah - Now with more boost.
> DasWauto
11/27/2015 at 19:35 |
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I hope I encounter a moment like that! Everyone mentioning the brake dust shields has me wondering...
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Noah - Now with more boost.
> CaptDale - is secretly British
11/27/2015 at 19:36 |
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I didn’t think of that! Thank you. Everyone is mentioning the dust cover, I hope that’s it.