Noise from hub/rotor/wheel?

[tallmanearl]

Hello,

I have been hearing some soft rubbing clicking noise that seems to occur with each revolution of the wheel. I'm wondering if any of you fellas might have some ideas on this.

• It's is only audible with the window down, moving slowly ( > 25+/- mph).
• It may be brought on / aggrevated / affected by cornering/turning.
• I do not believe it to be a metallic clicking, banging, etc. If it is metallic, it's muffled somehow.
• I had been having some trouble with the brakes not releasing fully. The evidence was simply hot wheels. (VERY HOT)
  • I replaced the pads again, pulled the rotors again and put a new kit on it, and finally drained some brake fluid from the res. Nothing worked but the draining of the fluid. No more hot wheels, still plenty of fluid in res.

Outside of that, it brakes confidently, straight, no noise, no vibration.

The shocks need to be replaced probably soon (tax return hopefully).

I replaced the front pads recently, rotors a few months back (that was a surprise - my first time for a 4x4. The "quick brake job" in the driveway didn't get finished until the next weekend, with a few new tools and a few less dollars.).

 

[73k5blazer]

Do you still have the automatic hubs on your truck? COuld be one of these. Could be you overheated the wheel bearings and now one is bad.

 

[tallmanearl]

Yes, they are automatic hubs. I was worried about that heat being the cause. I was thinking about re-greasing everything. So best case, cheap fix recommendation? Not a lot of money for fixes. Is there significant risk of waiting on the fix til payday?

 

[dremu]

Yes, they are automatic hubs. I was worried about that heat being the cause. I was thinking about re-greasing everything. So best case, cheap fix recommendation? Not a lot of money for fixes. Is there significant risk of waiting on the fix til payday?

Could be sticky calipers -- they'd cause the heat, too. If you're that low on $$, driving a potentially unsafe vehicle is iffy.

That said, if it was me, I'd pull the calipers off -- leaving the hoses! -- and lube around the piston, the round part that pushes the pads, with silicone brake lube.

If after that the problem persists, I'd replace the calipers. Note that involves bleeding the brakes, which, while not expensive to DIY, is laborious.

Oh yeah, and first I'd toss those auto hubs. You could remove them and drive around for a while -- maybe duct tape a clean rag into the hole so dirt doesn't get in -- and see if the problem is still there. I never figured out how to reinstall an auto hub

-- A

 

[goldwing2000]

Start with obvious things first: Have you checked your tires for a rock or hunk of metal in the tread?

And, as dremu said, sticking calipers is the most likely cause of overheating brakes. If the slide pins are in good condition, then the piston is the culprit. I wouldn't put any grease on it, though. The rubber boot around the piston will keep it from getting anywhere near where you need it.

Reman calipers only cost $18 each. That's about as cheap of a fix as you can get.

If that's still too much money, you can disassemble the caliper, clean it out and put it back together. That should take care of it short-term.

 

[tallmanearl]

I'm confident about rebuilding or replacing the calipers, but isn't there some serious connection there for the brake line to caliper or is it no big deal? What's the story with that?

The calipers aren't sticking since I reduced the level of fluid slightly. It's still full (I had over filled it). I don't know if this actually fixed it, but it hasn't been a problem since. I've never replaced calipers, was thinking about doing it next month, but the problem hasn't re-occured. I've checked the wheels after every trip. I'll check for rocks, etc. in the tire again but I've not noticed anything yet.

 

[goldwing2000]

Replacing calipers is no big deal. You have one banjo bolt (with two copper washers) that holds the line on. As long as it's not seized in place, it'll come right off.

Fluid level won't have any effect on line pressure, however a bad flex hose can keep the pressure from returning back to the m/c.

 

[tallmanearl]

This is incredibly helpful. Many Thanks!