I started getting some weird noises that seem to come from the wheels. I thought it might be the wheel bearings, but I can not find any play in them. With my work schedule I do not have time to deal with taking it to a shop (I work 12+ hours 6-7 days a week ), so any ideas of things I can check at home would be appreciated.

Here are the symptoms:

Put on new pads (Ferodo 2500, which are not tapered like stock ones), did not resurface rotors. There is a little lip at the edge. Bedded them in pretty good, lots of stinky smoke. Everything worked great for the first few hundred miles. Went to track, no issues.

Then I went for a drive (100 miles or so) and when I got off the freeway I noticed that there was a bit of squeal when turning left and coasting. Parked car, checked bearings for play.

Went for another drive and noticed slight (weet weet, not constant whee) squealing and slight grinding at all times UNLESS brakes are applied. If I press the brake pedal even slightly, the noise completely goes away, and stays quiet for a few seconds once pedal is released, and then starts making noise again.

I checked the pads and there is plenty left. Checked bearing for play, and there is none that I can detect. Rotors do not appear to be scored at all, though there is a black ring on one of them though it is smooth. Not sure if it was there before.

So does this sound like a wheel bearing? The fact that it goes away when I press the brake pedal is what I do not understand. My understanding is that a bearing would growl all the time?

Could it have something to do with the new pads not being tapered and there being a lip? But then it should have done it from the beginning I would think.

Does anyone have any ideas?

 

Pad is slightly touching the rotor still. Thats why it goes away when you brake.

It it was a wheel bearing, slightly moving the steering wheel left and right when driving should change the sound. But they don't have to growl all the time to be going out.

 

Hm that is about what I figured, but I can not figure out why it is dragging. Should I try bleeding them again?

 

The pad maker says these pads will make some noise. So, I'd say normal.

 

Ferodo tend to run on the thicker side because they have a thicker backing plate. They have been known to drag but after a few hundred miles you should be fine.

 

Martin, they did not drag at all at first. The noise has progressively gotten worse. It started out as a slight squeak, then squeak and some scraping, now it is just a constant squeak. I am going to pull them off and re-install and see if I can figure out where they are rubbing.

 

I PMed back you with a few ideas.

 

brake cylinder going out and sticking? Chunk/kink in the line causing that pad to drag? caliper seals wearing out?

 

Problem solved I think. Inspected the pads, and one has the pad a little off center and it is rubbing the lip on the rotor, and must have got pretty hot because the pad is crumbling. Next step is to grind down the edge of the pad and it should work. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

Acceptable production tolerances ftl lol

 

Double post ftl

 

if the pad is crumbling it might be toast. BlackTrack posted a picture of his stock pads when they got too hot and crumbled. The aftermath was a black-bo and new rotors.

 

post piks of pad ...