Grinding/Squeaking rotational sounds from front Driver wheel

[evolegacy]

ya, I am having that same issue again, this time on the driver side, I am getting a rotational squeak/gritty noise when driving, more pronounce when the car is turning to the right due to the lateral forces pushing on whatever is causing the noise. I've narrowed it down to just a couple things but i need help finding out the exact issue since i really dont have the money to be paying for parts for trial and error fixing.

My rotors need to be changed, thats a must with my next brake job, and on the inner brake pad there are grooves on where the pad runs across the outside of the rotor, making the pad uneven. Reason being is that something caused the rotor's face to become uneven as well, what that is I have no clue, but my thought is that maybe its from rust on the rim of the rotor and the very top of the rotor has become gritty, causing the noise i have been hearing while driving.

2nd guess is the wheel bearing is jammed or no good. Those of you who follow my ride page know what happened to my passenger side, the bearing jammed and grinded the inside portion of the wheel hub where the bearing sits. Now the reason i highly doubt this is the case is for 2 simple reasons, first is that there is no vibration in the wheel, no offset, no sway, nothing. Its straight as it should be. 2nd would be the fact that when testing the wheel for looseness or wiggle, there is no movement at all.

my final guess is a CV joint problem. I dont know much about how the joints work or what could happen to cause the noises im hearing if this is the issue. I do have 2 broken boots though, one is the Inner CV joint boot, the other on the steering control arm's boot. The arm's boot was a recent break and the CV's boot was done long ago, little over 2 years, but i never replaced it. There is still a good amount of grease surprisingly inside the boot and on the rollers/balls of the joint, causing them to strain and create the grinding noise. I dont think this would be the case because I think that would be a constant sound and not the rotational one i hear every 1/4 to 1/2 a rotation of the wheel.

If i answered my own question, lemme know lol. I am at a loss and part of my inherent ability to figure this issue out is because Im too stressed out from looking for a job and figuring out how im going to pay for my current bills that are piling. Get back to me with an answer plz, i'd really appreciate it guys!!

[Huffer]

Brake rust.

[evolegacy]

bad enough to be a constant sound like that? ewwww.....well, least its not a major issue.

[Huffer]

driver side, I am getting a rotational squeak/gritty noise when driving, more pronounce when the car is turning to the right ...

My rotors need to be changed, thats a must with my next brake job, and on the inner brake pad there are grooves on where the pad runs across the outside of the rotor, making the pad uneven. Reason being is that something caused the rotor's face to become uneven as well, what that is I have no clue, but my thought is that maybe its from rust on the rim of the rotor and the very top of the rotor has become gritty, causing the noise i have been hearing while driving.

I just cleaned up a set of rotors on my brother's car and the noise he was hearing is now gone. He had the same symptoms.

[evolegacy]

driver side, I am getting a rotational squeak/gritty noise when driving, more pronounce when the car is turning to the right ...

My rotors need to be changed, thats a must with my next brake job, and on the inner brake pad there are grooves on where the pad runs across the outside of the rotor, making the pad uneven. Reason being is that something caused the rotor's face to become uneven as well, what that is I have no clue, but my thought is that maybe its from rust on the rim of the rotor and the very top of the rotor has become gritty, causing the noise i have been hearing while driving.

I just cleaned up a set of rotors on my brother's car and the noise he was hearing is now gone. He had the same symptoms.

ya mine are beyond that, ran my hand across the face of my rear driver side and it felt like a mini mountainside, same with the inside face of the front driver side, well, just gonna have to endure the noise til i save enough for rotors and pads. Thanks though.

[Huffer]

Actually if you whip the wheels off and hit the rotors with a wire brush you might be able to clean the majority of the rust off enough... even just a couple of light taps with a hammer then wire brush the tops/bottoms of the rotor. Rotate the wheel and do it again.

Should quieten things down and make it more bearable.

[evolegacy]

Actually if you whip the wheels off and hit the rotors with a wire brush you might be able to clean the majority of the rust off enough... even just a couple of light taps with a hammer then wire brush the tops/bottoms of the rotor. Rotate the wheel and do it again.

Should quieten things down and make it more bearable.

cool, i'll give that a shot in a few mins then

[evolegacy]

no go on the rust removal, I got rid of quite a lot of rust though, but i still have a lot of noise. If i had to compare the sounds that i am hearing it would have to be the same sounds as an old computer chair creeking/squeaking as you lean back and forth in it. I drove around briefly to try and pin point where the sound could be coming from, and on my way back it almost sounded like something was rubbing against the wheel well or near it, but thats just what i could come up with while being in the driver seat. while looking forward and listening carefully it sounds like its coming from somewhere between the front differential and the wheel itself, having a hard time figuring out where but the sound is loud enough to resinate throughout the engine bay on that side of the car......definately need someone to help me with this one in person. Gonna make a few calls to see if i cant get someone in the area up here to help me out.

[ouch1011]

Since you already had a wheel bearing fail on one side, I'm going with that. I've found several several wheel bearings that were dry and grinding without being loose. Plus the symptoms sound very much like a wheel bearing, especially since it gets louder when turning,

[evolegacy]

i really dont wanna think that its that but if it is, i aint got the money to fix the issue. IF its that, Could I just pull the wheel hub and grease the bearing, then slap it all back together?

[ouch1011]

The bearing is sealed, there is no way to grease it. It wouldn't be a lasting repair anyway.

[impreza_GC8]

I'm gonna go with wheel bearing. Jack the car up and see if there is any top to bottom play in the wheel. Normally a failing wheel bearing will sound 100x worse than it actually is. I drove on a grinding bearing for 6 months with no issues because even though it sounded terrible there was miniscule play in the wheel. I ended up replacing it before it got worse, but I would periodically jack the car up and check the wheel play just be make sure I was safe.

[Navi271]

I'm pretty sure I got a bad bearing at the moment. Been making more of a "whomping" or thumping sound tho for me going around corners. Mine is the front driver side wheel also. Weird that your car doesn't vibrate tho..

[rudgers73]

I just did the front right wheel bearing on mine. Going straight was fine, but turning left or right would make the same sound that you described. There wasn't much play in the wheel if you tugged it (camber axis), but after getting everything apart the hub was gulled and everything. I know you don't think it's a bearing, but I can't help but think it is.

Hope you get it figured out man. I hate when my car is making a strange noise that I can't fix right away. :smt011

[evolegacy]

I'm gonna go with wheel bearing. Jack the car up and see if there is any top to bottom play in the wheel. Normally a failing wheel bearing will sound 100x worse than it actually is. I drove on a grinding bearing for 6 months with no issues because even though it sounded terrible there was miniscule play in the wheel. I ended up replacing it before it got worse, but I would periodically jack the car up and check the wheel play just be make sure I was safe.


ya i checked it yesterday and there was no play at all, thats why i didnt think it was the wheel bearing. now I know i need to have it pressed into the hub but when i had the other one done he was able to use a mallet to get the old one out, no one in my area (nor any shops in the area) have bench presses, i had to drive all the way to the cape just to get mine pressed last time. Think it would be possible to use a piece of wood roughly the same circumfrence of the bearing and hammer it down that way?

[evolegacy]

getting sick of the ever growing problematic noise, it seems to be getting worse. So i finally said fuck it and did a sound clip of the noise, reason being is because i still dont believe it to be a wheel bearing issue, there is no play at all in the wheel, and it is sporatic, sometimes it loud sometimes you can barely hear it, all while doing the same maneuvers while driving. so listen for yourself.

http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c73/evotrance/?action=view&current=VID00004.flv

[impreza_GC8]

Sticky caliper? Does that wheel get hotter than the rest?

[evolegacy]

Sticky caliper? Does that wheel get hotter than the rest?

i dont have a temp gauge to check it, so i wouldnt know, I tried someone's idea of removing the loose rust on it, the rotor, and around the hub, but that didnt work. I know the inner pad is pressing awkward on the rotor due to a couple of grooves made from 2 rings of rust, one top one bottom, that formed when the face of the rotor came off on those areas, my guess originally was the noise coming from those, I might test that theory by replacing the rotor with a new one I have in the garage, i havent dont the full replacement yet because i still need the other side of the set, i only have the left side. It wouldnt be for long though, just a quick drive up and down the street, and a couple turns, not enough to screw with the worn pad on the new slotted rotor.

[Huffer]

Frozen or sticky caliper. Try greasing up the sliders.

[evolegacy]

Frozen or sticky caliper. Try greasing up the sliders.

ok i'll do that and give you guys a heads up on the results

[evolegacy]

how is it that after i greased all the pins and lubed the backings of the pads that the sound gets worse???? o.O

like its to the point where i dont want to drive it anymore just because of the looks i get from how loud of a squeak its creating >.<

::edit::

aright so its definately something that has to do with the caliper, putting 2 and 2 together after today's attempt at fixing it, my guess is that something bent or is not in the right place, and thats whats causing the noise. the caliper slides fine, although the pins seemed to be a little harder to slide AFTER i greased them (?) gonna pull them, clean them, and grease them again, think it might have been from putting too much on them (is it possible?). also gonna inspect the shims further and look for anything that could be bent, although I didnt see anything today, something I did today made things worse, so hopefully i fix it in the AM.......hopefully........

i feel like im talking to myself, lol

[Huffer]

If the caliper is sticking you should see some abnormal wear on the rotor. Is there any?

[evolegacy]

ya i have 2 rings of rust on the inboard side, one on the outer rim and one on the inner rim.

I took it to a mechanic to get looked at this morning, and he said that the noise wasnt from the caliper, but from the strut instead, that make any sense? a rotational squeak that is so bad now that its constant when im driving, and more pronounced when i apply gas or when im turning?

[Huffer]

ya i have 2 rings of rust on the inboard side, one on the outer rim and one on the inner rim.

I took it to a mechanic to get looked at this morning, and he said that the noise wasnt from the caliper, but from the strut instead, that make any sense? a rotational squeak that is so bad now that its constant when im driving, and more pronounced when i apply gas or when im turning?

Can't possibly be the strut. It doesn't rotate when the wheel turns, unless it's the wheel bearing assembly. If it's doing it when you turn I could see it being a binding top hat, but that's unlikely and makes more of a "click click crunch" sound.

If you've got major grooving going on the rotor on both sides, then it HAS to be caliper related - do the pads show the same kind of wear?

If you have a spare caliper around it might not be a bad idea to swap it on, bleed it and see if the noise is less - it probably won't if you still have scored/grooved rotors and messed up pads.

[evolegacy]

ya the pad has grooves dug into them. When I go to tilt the caliper up to remove the pads it requires a lot more strength to move them off the pads, today i had to take the hole assembly off the hub to get the pads out but I got the caliper pulled apart right now. Here's a question, with the pads pulled out I pumped the brakes to see the pistons move and to check their boots, but only 1 came out, that normal? both pistons move, thats apparent but only 1 moved when i applied the brakes

[Huffer]

If the pad has groove cut into them, then something happened awhile back to start those grooves - and the rust rings on the rotors are there because the pads were never depressed onto the rotor to burn the rust off...

Here's an idea, if you have more than 22mm left on the rotor, take it to be machined and replace the pads. Reinstall everything making sure that you can pull the pads out of the caliper bracket easily without struggling (you may need to file down the tabs a little to make it work). Put some brake grease on the backs of the pads when you reinstall.

If the sound goes away or changes, we've just eliminated the brake caliper from the equation. It's entirely possible that you caught a stone/stones in between your pad and rotor which caused the pad grooving, then the rust rings.

This probably won't solve the entire problem but it should eliminate one set of factors.

[evolegacy]

the rotors are fairly old and I am changing them on my next brake change, but i think i got the answer from an unlikely source.....and probably should have went with what a lot of you said originally.


went to chill with my friend today, didnt tell her about the noise. She jumps in the car and when i start driving she asked what that noise was, i said idk but its been there for a while. without missing a beat she said "that sounds like what your wheel bearing was making last time" >.>.......

getting a bearing once i get the money for one then searching for a bench press or something that will put enough force on it to push out the old and put in the new

[evolegacy]

so i did have a siezed caliper pin, fixed it, but the noise is still there, so its the wheel bearing. im just going to replace the whole hub and call it a day, thanx for the help though