Anomaly Guaranteed to Stump All
 

Ok people. I posted my problem awhile ago and tried some things to fix it but it's so damn confusing. So many months ago I drove the driver side through a mild pothole. Right then the rear driver side wheel (as far as I can tell) started squeaking. It was a pulsing squeak, every time the wheel turned over it would squeak. It's pretty random though, doesn't squeak sometimes, squeaks a lot others, but squeaks about 95% of the time. When the brakes are applied lightly, the squeaking gets louder, apply more, and it goes away.

First I thought it was my warped rotors, so I swapped those, and it still squeaked. Then I changed the brake pads. I took the ones from the passenger side and put them on the driver side, and vice versa. Same squeaking. So.... You would probably think the wheel bearing would be next right?

I attemped to change the wheel bearing myself but couldn't get the damn thing out. So I packed the bearing with grease and put it all back together. The squeaking stopped for about 20 miles, then came back. I then took it to Midas. They did a brake inspection first, then changed the wheel bearings. They thought the passenger side was squeaking too but I think that was BS. So, I picked it up from Midas today and the squeaking was still there.

The pieces of the puzzle just don't match. It has the symptoms of both a bad wheel bearing and bad brakes. I have no f-ing clue what to do next.

Here is the big clue!: After drving, the driverside rear rotor feels hotter than the passenger and both of the front ones. I can keep my hands on the others for about 7-8 seconds, then on the driver rear only for a couple seconds. It did this before and after the new rotors.

Me now thinky its a bad caliper. I did grease the pins. But that would make sense that it gets louder under braking. I was thinking that maybe the caliper is still kinda clamping the rotor even after letting off the brakes. But doesn't explain why it's pulsing Are there any other things I can do or check before I take it do a dealer?

Thanks for reading

:drive:

Re: Anomaly Guaranteed to Stump All
 

Bent axle?

Re: Anomaly Guaranteed to Stump All
 

Thats a possbility but I think it would vibrate like a mother at high speeds. I do a lot of freeway driving and there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Re: Anomaly Guaranteed to Stump All
 

I'm guessing a stuck E-brake...

I thought (by looking at my spare rotors for the rear axle that I have in my garage) that the LS1 cars used a seperate "E-brake system" (can anyone verify this one for me???). If there is dirt, rocks, etc in there, it may be a problem.

If it uses the internal "drum" brake arrangement for the rear e-brake, and was hot when it got wet, it may have warped that part of the disc....when I pull my e-brake handle, I feel a pulsing that is not in my brake pedal and it seems to have a warp in there somewhere....if it is warped (and an internal drum), it will drag and make heat....and possibly squeak.

Just my thoughts, and hypothesis....

Re: Anomaly Guaranteed to Stump All
 

When a axle bearing goes bad it is VERY common that it takes out the axle with it. I would think the midas guy would have inspected the axle but you never know. The axle rides inside the bearing. The axle is machined where it rides on the bearing. Pull the axle out and inspect the machined surface for any pit marks.. Other then that it's hard to diagnose without hearing it.

Good luck.

Re: Anomaly Guaranteed to Stump All
 

Check your e-brake system. That could be causing a great deal of extra heat, and would definately cause a rotational based sound.

Re: Anomaly Guaranteed to Stump All
 

I will bet you 10 to 1 you have a bent axle. Your simptoms are exactly what I just got through repairing. If you warped or even slightly bent the axle shaft or even the flange on the axle shaft, your wheel will "wobble" and hit the pads. The brake is going to get hotter because there is always contact even at high speeds. And the funny thing is that it won't vibrate like crazy at high speeds. If the angle of the bend were bigger then it would but judging by what you say you hit, a pot hole, the bend or warp wouldn't be that great. I nailed a curb big time and it only bent 1/4" of an inch. Enough to cause it to be bad though. Replace the axle shaft and I bet your problem is fixed. Only thing though; to replace with another factory shaft will run you around $300 for only one. If you go after market like with Moser click here: http://www.fbodymotorsports.com/inc/...1&pid=5623 and get both sides for $225. I bet this is your problem Ferocity02.

Re: Anomaly Guaranteed to Stump All
 

FWIW, I slightly bent an axle in a 10-bolt on an old S-10 pickup I used to own (don't ask how it happened :) ). I didn't get any noise or vibration (although I didn't drive it long before finding the problem). At any rate, a buddy driving behind me one day noticed that my wheel wobbled slightly while driving - that's how I ended up discovering it. Based on this, I'd either jack up the car and spin the wheel to see if you can see a wobble and/or have someone follow you and watch the wheel while you drive. Not sure if it'll be conclusive, but its free and may point out a bent axle if indeed there is one. Good luck.

Re: Anomaly Guaranteed to Stump All
 

Replace the caliper/cage setup. The cage may be bent now, causing the caliper to rub. even though it is a floating unit, the cage can still rub. Give it a shot. I know how annoyinh squeaks can be :)

Louis

Re: Anomaly Guaranteed to Stump All
 

Lot of force can be had from a pothole. I had
a '66 Rustang that tore its whole A-arm and
its mounting off the unibody "frame".

An out-of-round rim could give just enough vibe
to start something that used to be quiet, to
squeaking. Might or might not be bad enough to
feel through the springs & shocks, but could keep
the bushings busy.

I would have the chase car check you for wobble
or bounce.

Re: Anomaly Guaranteed to Stump All
 

The axle seems to be the way to go. What would bend first, the axle or the wheel? I am planning on removing the wheel and check the axle for any wobble at all tomarrow. I will check the wheel too. I hope it's the wheels... New wheels for me!!! :D

Re: Anomaly Guaranteed to Stump All
 

You should check the axle flange with a dial indicator.
.005 or more you got problems.
Another thing you can do is drive the car with the caliper off tied up/removed.
Block line off with a line lock clamp & see if noise goes away.
The rear caliper/hardware is not messed up is it?

Re: Anomaly Guaranteed to Stump All
 

The caliper is fine, I checked the axle and it is bent. I bolted on the rotor, which I know is fine, and rotated the assembly. I placed a piece of metal against the face of the rotor. Every 180 degrees the rotor face rubbed the piece of metal. I put the tire on and made some videos and it clearly showed that the tire was wobbling some. I ordered the Moser hardered axles yesterday.