Please Help with brake problem!

[Dabogaijin]

Hi. I have 2001 Maxima SE Special Edition with only 39K miles on it. I love it and take good care of it with regular maintenance, etc.

A couple of weeks ago, I was driving at highway speed and noticed a "thump-thump" noise that seemed like one of my tires was rubbing against something. When I got to side streets and my speed reduced, the sound went away. When I got home, I checked out all the wheels and found that my right rear rim was VERY hot. Had that fricition smell, too. All the other rims were not hot, just that right rear one. So I thought maybe I had kept the emergency brake on or something. Anyway, since then, sometimes I would hear that sound at higher speeds, and sometimes not.

Well, today I drove a short distance away on side streets, so my speed was never more than 25 mph, and I immediately noticed a loud rubbing noise, a bit squeaky but not high-pitched, if that makes sense. When I apply the brakes, that squeaky noise gets louder.

So it seems like I have a brake problem, but I don't know why it started at high speeds and now the noise is also audible at low speeds.

Is this the function of Audible Wear Indicators, or something worse? Again, there are only 39 K miles on the car and I take it in for regular maintenance.



Thanks!!

Modified by Dabogaijin at 4:32 PM 5/3/2009
Modified by Dabogaijin at 4:35 PM 5/3/2009

[jwf2930]

check for frozen caliper. jack up car on the trouble side, and make sure wheel spins freely. if there is resistance, remove wheel for more detailed inspection

[Dabogaijin]

check for frozen caliper. jack up car on the trouble side, and make sure wheel spins freely. if there is resistance, remove wheel for more detailed inspection

Thank you. If it is indeed a frozen caliper, what would the cost be to fix something like that?

Thanks again.

[Dabogaijin]

check for frozen caliper. jack up car on the trouble side, and make sure wheel spins freely. if there is resistance, remove wheel for more detailed inspection

OK, wow, I jacked up EACH tire and here are the results:

Both front tires : LOCKED!!

Rear right tire: only spins 3/4 of a revolution and then gets stuck.

Rear left tire: spins freely.

I'm pretty stunned since I thought it was the rear right tire only, and now it's also BOTH front tires!

What is your diagnosis now? Is it even safe to drive this thing to a repair shop, or should I get it towed?

Thanks for all of your help!!!!

[jwf2930]

sorry, forgot to explain, since car is front wheel drive, front wheels won't spin unless car is in neutral. right rear shows resistance. could be frozen caliper. remove wheel, make sure emergency brake is released, try to spin both rear wheels, left is ok, but right resists, frozen caliper. easy repair. call local auto parts store for estimate, napa sells good parts. avoid auto zone or advance, they sell some inferior components. you need some basic brake tools. if you want to fix yourself, let me know for further instruction

[Dabogaijin]

sorry, forgot to explain, since car is front wheel drive, front wheels won't spin unless car is in neutral. right rear shows resistance. could be frozen caliper. remove wheel, make sure emergency brake is released, try to spin both rear wheels, left is ok, but right resists, frozen caliper. easy repair. call local auto parts store for estimate, napa sells good parts. avoid auto zone or advance, they sell some inferior components. you need some basic brake tools. if you want to fix yourself, let me know for further instruction

Thanks...I put the car in neutral but kept the emergency brake on (the emergency brake is for the rear tires, right?) and the result was that both front tires are able to rotate, but it takes a lot of effort. They certainly don't rotate freely like the left rear does. I can hear and feel them rubbing against something causing resistance...Do I have this wrong and should also release the emergency brake and try to rotate the front tires?

Thanks again for all your help!!

[jwf2930]

emergency brake for rear only. front wheels seem ok , there should be some resistance in front due to being the drive wheels, they're linked directly to the tansmission. do u have a friend or neighbor to help with the rear brakes

[Dabogaijin]

emergency brake for rear only. front wheels seem ok , there should be some resistance in front due to being the drive wheels, they're linked directly to the tansmission. do u have a friend or neighbor to help with the rear brakes

Wow, that's good news. I certainly hope you're right and there is nothing wrong with the front wheels.

No, I don't have any friends or neighbors to help with the rear brakes. I'm definitely going to have to take it into a shop, be it the dealer or elsewhere. Not too many options in Hawaii - dealer, Sears, several independents.

Thanks again!

[jwf2930]

cheapest option would be independant mechanic.