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What high pitched noises coming from front(near wheels) only go away with braking?

jtszymano

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Aliso Viejo, CA
Hope that made sense. Basically, I have 40K miles, just had the brakes replaced and the rotors machined(1 month ago). I developed this high pitched rotational noise that speeds up or slows down equally proportional to speed. The thing is that it ONLY goes away 100% of the time with braking, even with light braking. I hear it best from approx 30MPH to about 50MPH and it seems to be emanating from the front passengers side.

I took it back to the shop and they said that they polished the pad and things were good. Problem is, I still have the noise.

What could be the cause?
Bearings? (where?)
rotors?

Any info from you guys would be greatly appreciated!!
Have a good one! JS
 
Re: What high pitched noises coming from front(near wheels) only go away with braking?

Disc brakes sometimes just make noise, depending on what type they are. This noise you have is normal. Changing to a more expensive type of brake pad would fix it, as those shops have the cheapest pads available. It won't hurt anything though.
 
The noise only STOPS when I brake. Im not sure if I conveyed that in the prev message. What about the caliper distance not being wide enough...maybe its touching the rotor still.. Could that be possible?.
JS
 
Re: What high pitched noises coming from front(near wheels) only go away with braking?

my xj does the same thing....nothing to be alarmed about... if u can handle the noise just ride them til they need replaced again and as jackhill442 said just replace with more expensive pads...
 
jtszymano said:
The noise only STOPS when I brake. Im not sure if I conveyed that in the prev message. What about the caliper distance not being wide enough...maybe its touching the rotor still.. Could that be possible?.
JS

The pads are always touching the rotor. There is no return spring in the calipers so they drag. Your's appear to make noise when dragging. Applying the breaks increases the friction and stops the noise.

If you're concerned about it, pull the calipers and instpect the pads and rotors for uneven wear. Check the amount of drag by spinning the rotor with the brakes assembled.
 
If the rotors were just machined they may have 'chattered' - It's not common, but it depends who did it. The noise may go away once the pads 'seat' into the rotor better....

Will.
 
I'm having a similar problem...I get a humming/vibration at about 45 til 55. At those speeds I can touch the brakes and it'll stop. Once I get up to highway speeds it starts again and doesn't go away by touching the brakes. I just ordered new rotors so if its a problem there, it'll be taken care of soon. Same goes for the pads, they'll be replaced with the rotors. My current rotors are shot. The previous pads were run too low and gouged the backside of the pass side rotor. Its a bad enough vibe that it causes something in the dash to buzz.
 
The noise is caused as the pads vibrate against the calipers piston. The fix is to remove the pads, CLEAN the back of them, apply "Disk Brake Quiet" per the instructions, and reinstall. A good shop SHOULD do this as part of a brake job.

Rev
 
Rev Den said:
The noise is caused as the pads vibrate against the calipers piston. The fix is to remove the pads, CLEAN the back of them, apply "Disk Brake Quiet" per the instructions, and reinstall. A good shop SHOULD do this as part of a brake job.

Rev

that PLUS also lightly grease the caliper slide pins

I just did my brakes and got a "squeak squeak squeak" coming from the front right that I could only hear with the windows open. It went away 100% during braking as well and I do not have high enough mileage for any other large issues, so I knew it was brakes.

I pulled the caliper off again and pulled the slide pins out and greased them to let the caliper "re center" itself more easily after letting off the brakes in hopes that it would not drag anymore. Been almost 2 weeks and have not heard the noise since.
 
It's possible that there's too much clearance (> .010") between the brake pads and their bearing surface on the steering knuckles. This often results in a rattle, but it could cause a squeak too. Better quality pads will usually come with an assortment of shims that clip onto the ends of the pads and take up the excess clearance.

The bearing surfaces of the knuckle could also have a groove or notch worn into it. This seems to be a common Chrysler problem, both out Jeep and our Dakota have a little excess wear on both, but not enough to cause a problem.
 
Re: What high pitched noises coming from front(near wheels) only go away with braking?

you can also try to cut the edges with a sandpaper .... just a little bit ... if the edges are new sometimes they squeeze ...
i always do that when i install new pads ...

if the noise is interrupted and doing like "squik ... squik...squik... " then also a rusty part on the rotor can cause that ... just remove the rust from the place where the pads are contacting ..
 
Re: What high pitched noises coming from front(near wheels) only go away with braking?

I had the same problem, but it went away when I went to a higher quality (and price) pad. Haven't heard the high-pitched squeak/squeal/hum since. My brakes also used to squeak like heck until I went with the higher priced pads. I guess it is true . . . good thing no cheap - cheap thing no good!!
 
Re: What high pitched noises coming from front(near wheels) only go away with braking?

An earlier post mentioned that you might have too much pressure on the caliper - it could be something to do with that. I had my pistons refurbished when I replaced the pads and rotors, and that made the mouse go away. Refurbishment is a cheap way to get your calipers working properly (if they're old & potentially cranky), and all you need is new seals, pistons and some really fine grit sandpaper to buff off any corrosion from the piston housing. I got a mechanic to do it, since it's a rather essential safety component.
 
Rev Den said:
The noise is caused as the pads vibrate against the calipers piston. The fix is to remove the pads, CLEAN the back of them, apply "Disk Brake Quiet" per the instructions, and reinstall. A good shop SHOULD do this as part of a brake job.

Rev

X2 - try this as it's cheap. AZ sells little packets for around a dollar or so right at the register. Shouldn't take more than a half hour to do both sides.
 
Don't know about pulsing, but there's definitely a vibration at the pedal. Feels like if I left my foot there long enough it would make the sole of my foot go to sleep...
 
Re: What high pitched noises coming from front(near wheels) only go away with braking?

The backing plates (dust covers) aren't hitting the rotors are they? This would cause squeal and then go away upon braking when the brake piston pushes the rotor ever so slightly.
 
Re: What high pitched noises coming from front(near wheels) only go away with braking?

93JXJ said:
The backing plates (dust covers) aren't hitting the rotors are they? This would cause squeal and then go away upon braking when the brake piston pushes the rotor ever so slightly.

Ummm.....the rotor does not move when the piston does. The caliper clamps the rotor and the caliper moves.

Rev
 
BlackSport96 said:
Don't know about pulsing, but there's definitely a vibration at the pedal. Feels like if I left my foot there long enough it would make the sole of my foot go to sleep...

Gouged rotors will do that. Sounds like your plan is sound.

Rev
 
Re: What high pitched noises coming from front(near wheels) only go away with braking?

Rev, you're telling me that the piston pushing the inner pad doesn't move the rotor out at all? I had a similar problem and noticed that my plate was hitting, bent it back and seemed to fix the problem. I must have been lucky. Sorry for the post.
 
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