Hey everyone. It seems that over the past month or so I keep noticing a "rubbing" sound coming from the left front wheel only when I make sharp left turns at over 20 mph. However with that it only seems to happen when the car has been sitting for a while and the brakes are cold. It is silent when the car has been driving for a few miles Not sure if 28k miles means anything but what could it be? Hopefully not wheel bearings... The brakes were replaced at 12.9k when I bought the truck a year and a half ago. Anyone had this before? I have a different but similar issue with my 98 Jimmy making a scratching noise turning right when the brakes are warm and I was told it is a wheel bearing, but there is no play (yet) in it. Thanks
Rubbing sound from front left wheel
- Thread starter ComputernerdBD
- Start date
808_LS_EXT
Member
- Aug 28, 2014
- 305
Squeak?
Hiss?
or Swoosh?
By your description, it sounds like the audible warning tabs are alerting you that the pads are getting low.
Hiss?
or Swoosh?
By your description, it sounds like the audible warning tabs are alerting you that the pads are getting low.
Not sure. Almost like a hard spot somewhere on the rotating parts since it is like ". . . . . . . ." and the interval is shorter the faster I am going. Definitely not squeak. Could the pad indicator be bent out of alignment hitting a raised part of the rotor? Could this be a sign of a warped rotor?808_LS_EXT said:
808_LS_EXT
Member
- Aug 28, 2014
- 305
It does not take a lot of contact from the tab to generate noise...ComputernerdBD said:
Even a rotor warped at .001", could create an interval.
Does the noise change when you press the brake pedal while the vehicle is rolling?
Interesting..... maybe due to warped rotor then?
Also interestingly enough is that the noise does not change when I press the brake pedal in the turn.
Also interestingly enough is that the noise does not change when I press the brake pedal in the turn.
HARDTRAILZ
Moderator
- Nov 18, 2011
- 49,665
Jack it up and spin the wheel and see if you can hear it. Also shake the tire from top and bottom, then side to side and tell us if anything is loose.
Ok, I jacked up the truck by the frame and spun the wheel. I do hear the scraping in one spot and notice some resistance "braking" the wheel when I get it spin. However, there is no play at all in either way. Rotor issue?HARDTRAILZ said:
HARDTRAILZ
Moderator
- Nov 18, 2011
- 49,665
Is that something that needs to be replaced ASAP? No pulsation in the brake pedal currently and it goes away once the brakes warm up. ThanksHARDTRAILZ said:
Ok so there is plenty of vibration when I hit the brakes. I have decided based on the hard spot when I spin the front left wheel, the vibration and noise that the rotors are warped. I have purchased the AC Delco OEM rotors (177-1007) and pads (171-0979). However I was less than impressed when I got them. The brakes had a ton of dust in the box and the rotors were completely painted a grey color. I considered buying the Akebono ceramic pads (ACT1169), but not sure if I should return the AC Delcos and buy these instead if they are easier on the rotors and provide better braking. Also with the painted rotors, what is with that? I have never done brakes before, but are they easy to do on these trucks? As long as I get the torque specs correct and follow the repair manual procedure, anything special specific to the Trailblazer? Thanks
Edit: I am seeing some brake job videos and how do I properly grease the slider pins? Do they come out with the caliper or are they separate from the bolt?
Edit: I am seeing some brake job videos and how do I properly grease the slider pins? Do they come out with the caliper or are they separate from the bolt?
Mounce
Member
Slider pins come out of the bracket with the caliper, they stick into the caliper. If you pull on them they pop right out. Mine had nasty looking black grease on them..took a rag and got all of it off of them and then re-greased. I took my finger and rubbed the grease all over them to make sure there weren't any spots without grease.ComputernerdBD said:
If you have any more questions, let us know, I just did a front brake job on mine a couple weeks ago and it's all still fresh on my mind.
Ok I ended up having the pads and rotors done with AC Delco OEM parts, which did nothing about the noise during left turn. The warping I described in my other thread is virtually gone. Any other suggestions? It only happens before the brakes are warm. As in first turn at 25mph only a few hundred feet into a trip. Thanks
Mooseman
Moderator
Does it sound like a "tinny" type of rubbing noise? Could be the dust shield that's either bent or rusted. Check for any closeness of the shield to the rotor and try bending it back a bit. If it's rusted, no problem removing it entirely.
"Tinny"? Interesting, but appropriate term.... Yes it is a metallic chirp-chirp-chirp sound.Thanks for the tip. I will find out about the shield.
AtlWrk
Member
- Dec 6, 2011
- 674
Wish I would have gotten here sooner!
Granted a pulsing brake pedal and sticking spots means replacing the rotors wasn't a waste.
A pulsing (1/rev) scraping/tinny noise, usually only during hard-ish turns while moving (high cornering loads) is definitely a dust shield rubbing on the rotor. You won't find it with the vehicle raised (wheel unloaded) and it may look like nothing is touching or even close. You can try bending the shield edges back a bit and/or filing down the edge of the rotor.
New shields aren't too bad either $20 on Amazon. SWB P/N 15001400, 15001401 (left and right are different, LWB are different P/Ns I don't have on hand)
Granted a pulsing brake pedal and sticking spots means replacing the rotors wasn't a waste.
A pulsing (1/rev) scraping/tinny noise, usually only during hard-ish turns while moving (high cornering loads) is definitely a dust shield rubbing on the rotor. You won't find it with the vehicle raised (wheel unloaded) and it may look like nothing is touching or even close. You can try bending the shield edges back a bit and/or filing down the edge of the rotor.
New shields aren't too bad either $20 on Amazon. SWB P/N 15001400, 15001401 (left and right are different, LWB are different P/Ns I don't have on hand)
Mooseman
Moderator
