need help with noise

[slip69]

i posted this in the tech forum but i will also post it here in case anyone here has had the same problem. my front left tire is squeaking.

so this has been going on for a while now. at first i thought it was the brake pads so i replaced them. it stopped for about a day and then it started again. the following week i took the brakes apart and rechecked them. when i put it back together and drove around the noise stopped again but only for a day.

the squeaking only happens when the car is moving and it never squeaks when i brake. the faster i go the louder it gets. i also noticed that when i apply the brakes i hear a single thump coming from that brake but only when i brake suddenly.i really need some help. im tired of hearing that stupid noise!!!!thanks in advance

[ishkabibble]

First, jack up that corner and have a partner in the car mess with the brake while you spin the wheel around. See if you can pinpoint the sound.

Also, try bending the dust shield behind the brake rotor back about 1/2". It might be rubbing on the brake rotor.

[Loki]

Heh...JUST about to reply and then my power goes out.

Is it a squeaking, or can you call it a light chirping? And that thump, do you hear it when you make a slow tight turn? It kinda sounds like we have the same problems. I get a bit of steering wheel shake every now and then also, and especially when I brake. I dunno if I should be worried

[ishkabibble]

There are quite a few things that could be happening with both of your cars - cracked tension rod bushings, worn tie rod ends, worn ball joints, frozen caliper, etc.

Slips car sounds like something's rubbing on the brake, and also a worn out tension rod bushing. Your car sounds like it might have a brake issue and a ball joint or tie rod issue along with a worn tension rod bushing. Best to start with the easiest potential fix first - push back the brake dust shield and see if the squeak stops. Then we can go from there.

For what it's worth, my car has a worn tension rod bushing and the car thumps and wheel shakes under heavy braking. I'm waiting to rebuild the entire front end at once, though (tension rods/ball joints/tie rods). This way, I only have to get 1 alignment.

[jamesblonde82]

i used to have a nissan pickup 4x4 and it would chirp when i hit bumps. for whatever reason later on, the wheel bearing got replaced and it stopped from then on out.

[94_240sx]

slip69,Try to bleed the brake lines and see what happens. Start from driver's side rear --> passenger side rear --> passenger side front --> driver's side front.

loki,Like ish said it's more likely tension rods, outer tie rod ends or inner tie rod ends. It's easy to fix. Just remove front wheel and look for popped rubber bushings first. You will see some grease leak from there if you have bad joint. Worst scenario is... if tie rod end dries up and ball joint pops out, you can get into an accident. You should take care of it ASAP.

[Loki]

Those things wear out fast? I swear I had them replaced in November when I first got the car

[94_240sx]

No, they don't wear out fast. Should last several years. I forgot to mention lower control arm. It also has a ball joint with rubber bushing. Check for steering rack boot too and make sure you don't have any leak from the rack. Just jack up your car and check for loose bolts, nuts and worn out bushings first. I'd go from there.

slip69,You minight want to check if the piston is siezed somehow. If piston doesn't go in properly, it'll touch the rotor and make noise. Usually, this can be resolved by bleeding the line.

[slip69]

cool, thanks everyone for the help. i will try that this weekend. one question..how do i bleed the brakes??? do i have to get my knife and shank it??!!! j/k i have never done that before so if someone could just tell me how i would really appreciate it. thanks again

[jamesblonde82]

its not fun, and it takes 2 people usually. im not sure about the 240s but when i had a pulsar there was a thing on the brake lines you could remove. and then have someone pump the brakes till the air is out.

[94_240sx]

When was the last time you replaced brake fluid? If you don't know, then you should completely flush the system. Basically, this is how you do it. Ask someone to pump the brake pedal and you loose the valve, so air and fluid can get out. You have to tighten it fast otherwise air will get in again. Pour brake fuild to the master cylinder if it goes low. Search and buy necessary stuff and take your time. It's always good to bleed the system once in a while. If you search, you will find some articles.

[slip69]

cool thanks. ok it seems simple enough but i have one question and forgive me if it sounds stupid. you said to pump it to get the air and fluid out and then close fast. so how long should i have it open for??do i close it as soon as there is no more fluid coming out or just after a couple of seconds??thanks again guys for all your help!!!!

[94_240sx]

You have to coordinate with the person who's pressing brake pedal.Hope these help.

http://www.popularmechanics.co....htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brake_bleedinghttp://www.wikihow.com/Bleed-Brakeshttp://www.aa1car.com/library/2003/bf90347.htm
Modified by 94_240sx at 12:56 PM 5/11/2007

[slip69]

dude you freaking rock!!!!!!!! all those were extremly helpful. thank you so much!!!!!

[ishkabibble]

If you don't have a friend to help, get a brake bleeder bottle with a one-way valve. Then you can do it yourself and not worry about having to open and close the bleeder.

Harbor Freight sells a brake bleeder kit for around $6. I'm not sure what auto parts stores charge.

[slip69]

ok so i did both bled the brakes and moved the dust shield back. and as of saturday no more.....squeak..squeak..squeaksqueaksqueaksqueak!!!! i dont know if it was the brake lines or the dust shield since i did both at the same time. thanks again for all your help!!!!!

[ishkabibble]

Be sure to test hard braking and see if you still have that "clunk" sound.

[slip69]

well it only took 4 days for the noise to start again so im back to square one!!!!!!!!!

[ishkabibble]

Is your caliper seizing up (not able to push main cylinder in with a c-clamp, or bracket sliders not moving in and out)?