Front end squeal

I have a 1991 Nissan D12 pickup 2wd with the KA24E engine with 242,000 miles on it. When I had the truck inspected in November, the mechanic tightened up my front wheel bearings. Ever since then, I have a squeal in the front end when I take a right hand turn. The sound seems to get worse the colder the outside temperature is. Also, when I hit the brakes, the front end gets "light". The brakes work fine and the truck stops! The front brakes were replaced in late summer. As far as I know, there are no other front end problems on the truck.
Did the tightening of the wheel bearings change the alignment of my brake rotor/pads? What can I do to fix the problem?

Is there plenty of grease in the bearing? I would think any mechanic would repack the bearing, but you never know. I can't see how tightening the wheel bearing would have any effect on the brakes. Does the hub feel warm to the touch after it squeals (the dustcap)? Was the wheel bearing tightening the only thing he did?

Oops, forgot to ask you one more question. What exactly do you mean when you say the front end gets 'light'? You mean it feels like you're carrying a heavy load in the back and it feels like there's play in the steering?

I haven't checked the front hub to see if it gets warm.
What I mean by "light" is the steering gets loose as I apply the brakes. Most of the time it will pull to the right, but sometimes it pulls to the left. The truck drives/rides fine and straight. When I apply the brakes, it becomes a handful to keep straight.

Oops, forgot to mention that tightening the wheel bearing was the only thing he did besides inspect the truck.

Well, I don't think your problem is wheel bearing related. I think you've got brake issues. The first thing that comes to mind is that maybe one of your rubber lines has collapsed or partially collapsed. The rubber lines can collapse (fail) from the inside out which means brake fluid is not getting to where it needs to be when you press the brake pedal. When a steel line fails, it leaks...but this is not always the case with the rubber lines. If you're not losing brake fluid then you don't have a leak.

How extensive was the front brake job that you did? Did you replace just the pads or did you replace any calipers or rotors?

The fact that your brake problems seem to coincide with the wheel bearing work might simply be a coincidence, unless of course your mechanic was fiddling with your brakes...which you said he wasn't.

How's the brake fluid level in the reservoir?

When I replaced the brakes I replaced only the pads. Unfortunately, they were the "lifetime warranty" pads; as the non-lifetime warranty pads were no longer available. When I inspected the rest of the system, I didn't find any leaks or worn parts. The rotors were in good condition. I do not see any leaks and the brake fluid is level is good.

Well, bleeding the brakes might be able to tell you if brake fluid is making its way through the system, but it might not tell you anything either. If you bleed the front brakes and get no fluid (or just a trickle) then you might have caliper or rubber line problems. When was the last time the brakes were bled? If they haven't been bled in a long while then you might have troubles freeing up the bleeder nipples and you certainly don't wanna' bust one of those off!

Either way, none of this stuff really explains why you're hearing a squealing noise coming from the wheel.

The front brake lines haven't been bled for at least 2 years. I will try that when the weather clears here.
Also, I have talked with a friend of mine who used to race cars. He said that my problems may be coming from the type of pads I have installed. He stated that since the pads are lifetime pads, they have a harder composition that the rotors. He suggested that I grind the edges of the pads to take the sharp edge off of them.
I will bleed the brakes first, if that doesn't work, then I will try either grinding the edges off the pads, or finding pads with a better composition.
I appreciate the advice you have given me. It has been helpful and saved me alot of work!

Well, I'm not sure how much help I've been. Just be careful when you bleed the brakes. Make sure you don't shear off a bleeding nipple. Maybe give each one a little shot of WD-40 if they look like they've got a bad case of the rusties.

Anyways, good luck and I hope you get it sorted through.

Sorry if this is obvious, but when you indicated you replaced the brake pads, I did not see you mentioning that you had the rotors turned.
New pads on an unturned existing rotor is frequently a cause for the squealing you discribed.
I typically take the rotors of any vehicle brake system I'm replacing pads on, to an auto parts store with a shop and pay the $8.00 each to have them turned (re-surfaced)
There have been several times when they have shown me the rotor isn't thick enough to take another turning, and so I have bought NEW rotors, to go with my new pads. The last time I did that was 2004 on a Dodge Caravan, and the NEW (front) rotors where only $15. apiece.
Good luck.

No, I did not have the rotors turned. If they are that bad, I usually replace them. However, to remove the rotors on this vehicle, it requires removing the bearings as well. I have considered replacing the pads with a softer compound type pad. If that doesn't fix it, I'll have to do some more work. Thanks for the info!

I don't know that the softer pads will do the trick. (I have never tried that, but I can't recall any great difficulty getting disc brake rotors off, either)
However, my truck is a '93 and I think I will have to attend to the brakes soon... So keep posting your progress. (IE: if removing the rotors is a career move, I may just take mine to a repair shop.. like I finally did with my starter as mentioned in my earliest posts)
I would like you to try the following and let me know... when you have the wheel off, (to install the softer brake pads) just run your (clean) fingers over the disc rotor, from the hub to the outside. (or vis-versa) and tell me if you feel any grooves... or if you can feel it is somewhat uneven (like and old time record) or if it feels smooth like glass. (glass is the ideal)
The grooves are very tiny, microscopic... and so, often very difficult to feel.
But if you can feel the surface wear, then I encourage you to pursue getting those rotors turned.
As I said, I always have them turned when replacing pads, but I have not (yet) done this on a Nissan HB pick-up.
Only one time in my life, have I replaced pads and had the discs turned, and the brakes squealed for about 3 weeks... and THAT was on a 1987 Yamaha Virago 700. (xv-700)
(BTW, I have had 3 Virago's. Great Bike.)

I'll check out those rotors when I have the wheels off next time. I cannot remember what they looked like the last time I had the wheels off. I have had rotors with small grooves adapt O.K. to softer brake pads; however, they were on a GM product.
I will keep you posted with my progress. The brake rotor removal doesn't seem difficult. After all, the wheel bearing replacement process is in the first chapter of the Haynes Manual. I won't know how difficult it actually is until I have to do it. Hopefully, I won't have to.:smile:
Thanks again for the info.
(By the way, I just learned to ride. The Virago is a '96 and is my second bike. First was an '81 Honda CM400E.)

O.K., here's an update.
I HAD to address this issue this past weekend. When I got home from work on Friday, my right front wheel was hot to the touch and I could smell hot brakes.
Saturday morning, I bled the system (both front calipers) until I could see new fluid flowing out of the caliper. That has quieted the sound significantly, but not completely. I hear it when I release the brakes in a right hand turn after I have been driving a while (15+ miles). I am thinking I have a sticking caliper on the right side.:dunno: