jjastew

If I could ask your guys opinion on something, I'd appreciate your input. My 91 Camry has begun to make a noise while I'm driving it. It's more of a squeaking sound, and I'm pretty sure it's coming from the front driver's side. The sound is very much like a squeaky spedometer cable. The faster I go, the faster the noise is.

I've been to two shops (once again), both have had my tires off and inspected the brakes. Both have said they looked fine. They've spun the rotor to make sure it's not out of round nor any gouges in them. Again, both times at the shop, it wouldn't make the noise. Now it's doing it constantly, the only time it doesn't is when I make a left turn.

So I go to AutoZone to buy the wheel bearing for my car, and there was 3 guys in there who says it sounds like a brake problem, not a wheel bearing. When describing the sound to my first shop's mechanic, he said it sounded like a brake problem as well, but checked them all out and nothing.

So, what's your opinion - bearings or brakes? The bearings are pressed in, so there really is no way other than changing them to find out the problem right? The guys who work at AutoZone said to try new brakes, but my car also shakes a little while going down the road. There are new CV shafts on the front end if that matters any.

Thanks

xfeejayx

did your troubles happen to start after you got the cv shafts replaced? The first thing i though after you wrote "it stops when i'm turning left" was those shafts.

is it a continous squeal or something that repeats faster and faster as you speed up?

jjastew

The CV shafts were replaced about 3 months ago, but the noise only started about 2 weeks ago. At first it was just on occassion, but now the noise is there as soon as I start driving. The squeak gets faster as I go faster. The only way to describe it is like a squeaky spedometer cable. It's not a continuous squeal.

Something just tells me it isn't the brakes and it's a wheel bearing. I quit driving it about 4 days ago until it gets fixed.

davemac2

Well from your description, the first thing I would suspect is one of the CV shafts or the intermediate shaft bearing that is shot. If they pulled the intermediate shaft as well, then they could have damaged that bearing. Or, you got a bum CV shaft or half axle. Did they use reman'ed shafts?

It's possible it could be something else, but it would be pretty co-incidental with the shaft replacements.

dave mc

Orangecrate

It doesn't happen often but there is a light piece of metal channeling the air flow over the brakes. Sometimes this gets jimmied to rub on the inside of the wheel hub. When you remove the wheel it no longer rubs so no more noise. If this is the culprit you just bend it back where it belongs.

Kep