This just happened today, I started the car and starting moving without my foot on the gas. Then there was this what sounded like metal squeeling near the front passenger side which sounded like near the wheel. The sound is directly related to my speed, once I hit the brakes it went away. But as I got on the road it came back, it wasn't as noticeable on the road at 55mph because it was going so fast. When I hit my brakes on the road it went away and came back as I gave it more gas. As I turned into my road to go home and hit the brakes, it went away and didn't come back. Any ideas?????

 

Check your front brake pads... sounds like it's down to the little metal sensor.

 

But wouldn't that only happen when I apply the brakes, this is the opposite, goes away when I hit the brakes.

 

It will make the noise just at the point when the metal tab rubs against the rotor and makes an awful squealing sound (this is because the metal tab will vibrate). But when you apply the brakes, this makes the tab move closer to the rotor and applies more pressure to the tab and it will not vibrate (thus, no sound).

Time to change the pads now before the rivets goes into the rotors!!! That's a grinding noise!

 

Not necessarily. Mine did the exact same thing. When you release the pedal the pad isn't sliding equally and the front of the pad is remaining closer to the rotor. As a result the "squealer" makes contact on the rotor until the rear of the pad is brought back in. I was money tight when mine did it, and I took a small vise grip and "tweaked" the squealer as I had plenty of pad left.

I in no way recommend you tweak it.

When you replace your pads get some of that "Synthetic Brake Caliper" grease and lub the pins and the tops of the caliper where the pads slide.

 

How much are brake pads? Just so I have an idea of what I will be paying. Perfect timing, fall semester at college just finished, no job and X-Mas in a few days. Oh, and how hard of an install is this, for an experienced home mechanic working outside. My brother would probably be doing this. I will ask him, but he won't be home for several hours.

 

new pads are like $20 for the front, and it makes me wonder if your calipwer locked up, cause one of mine did and it started squeeling. Get nbew pads and(if needwed) calipers quickly before you eat up the rotor. New calipers are like $10 apiece, so you aren't going to have to spend an arm and a leg if you do the work yourself.

 

New calipers are more like 50-70 a piece depending on where you get them. $10 will buy you the rebuild kit for them, which consists of a piston dust cover and the piston seal. If you rebuild the calipers, make sure that while you have it stripped down (no pistion or seal), that you can freely loosen the bleeders!!! Sometimes you'll have to apply some heat to the area around the bleeder, but make sure they are workable before you put it back together. Bleeders are very easy to break and you'll play holy heck trying to remove the broken bleeder!!!

 

The little metal tab is on the inboard brake pad like the other post said, it's specifcally designed and installed to create just exactly that noise. It's the "idiot light" for brake pads, as it were.

Do a brake job. Don't try to outsmart yourself, just do it, it will take care of the noise. Guaranteed. The noise is the factory's way of telling you "Do a brake job, idiot!".

It usually takes longer to jack the car up and take off the wheels than the whole rest of the brake pad swap. The only tools you need are a good tire tool; a jack; a 3/8" Allen wrench, I like the kind that goes on a ratchet myself; and a large C-clamp, to push the caliper piston back in with, slowly and gently.

 

Thanks for the help, one last question. I've heard the sound brakes make when they start to go bad or are bad. But this sound is a lot quiter, could it be that I just have caught it early on and not that much is wearing as of yet.

 

Remember, this sound is only an ATTENTION get'er....and it did just that! Right now, there is no damage being done...yet! But you don't have much more to go (depending upon how well your rear brakes are working) before you start putting the rivets into the rotors everytime you put your foot on the brake pedal. On a rear wheel drive car, the front brake provide 75% of the breaking power. When that sensor starts to make noise, the is only about 1/16-3/32" of the pad remaining before the rivets hit.

Jack the car up, pull that wheel off and take a look.

Like cg91ta said, you can bend the tab away, BUT you'll end up doing damage to the rotor before you realize it without hearing anything (one of those "Out of sight, out of mind" things). And then when you do hear something, it way too late to save the rotors. So DON'T bend the tab, replace the pads now!

 

I have the same problem...and actually I was just about to post a question regaurding this problem until I saw your post. I have the same exact problem with my trans am...but it is coming from the rear. Sometimes it seems to go away....and it does get faster with the speed....I hear a slight squeek, squeek, squeek...until I apply the brake...then it goes away. That is why I figured it wasnt my brakes...then I figured maybe it was my shocks or maybe my rearend or something to that extent....how do I check my brakes exactly to tell if this is the problem? I dont want to tweak anything on my own since I am only 17 and am just learning about cars. Thanks.

James

 

Anyone who can afford $250 to see a basketball game should easily be able to buy new brake pads. hehehe.

 

Jims83ta... it's easy! Pull your tires off and look at the pads. The metal sensor is the silver, about 1" tall but very then tab that is attached to either in inside or outside brake pad. Once you see it (which isn't all that difficult), you'll see exactly what we're all talking about.

You're lucky, in this case, as the rear pads don't wear as fast front pads do (unless you have a caliper freezing up on you).


I know that a lot of people (those who are unfamilar with these sensor-tabs) would say it's NOT the brakes because the sound goes AWAY when I apply them (old school tells them that when brakes are bad, they won't make the noise until you apply them). But think about this for a second.... you hear a noise, when you apply the brake is goes away, when you take your foot off the brake, the noise comes back... what is it??? It's the brakes!

 

Point taken, I guess I'll tell my Dad that, since he bought the tickets. Works for me.

 

sorry to contradict you but I bought remanufactured calipers OEM quality from autozone for $9.99 apiece in august. Sure, they were stock calipers, but that's really far from $50-70.

 

Really?!?!?! WOW!!! I know where I'm getting my next set of calipers!!!

Now sorry needed to the contradiction, if I'm wrong please tell me!!!