What's this noise???

Hey, it's most pronounced when i brake when i first start my car, but then later, if i turn the wheel towards the left it starts again...also, sometimes it will just start making the noise for no reason if i'm just driving down the street straight. The noise sounds like metal grinding on metal, at first i thought maybe it would a rock in my brake pad, but that wouldn't really make sense i don't think, theni thought it was the front brake pads, but why would it do it when i turn to the left? it's pretty loud and REALLY annoying, and really doesn't sounds healthy...can anyone help???

is the noise continuous or intermittent?

Perhaps the audible wear indicator starting to indicate your brake pads are worn out? Where does the noise appear to be coming from?

yea it's probably most likely the brake pads but it doesnt make sense to me why it would only be when you turn left and not right.:confused:

well, it does come from passenger wheel well..that's why i think it's the brakes, but why would it make a noise when i turn left??????

it might make noise when you turn left due to the fact that the wear indicators are put on one pad for each side, it might be that when you turn the wheel left it shifts position and causes the indicator to make contact.

anyone have decent instructions for installing new pads on 95 civic, i have a helms, but the instructions aren't too great...needs more pictures...if oyu could help, post !!!

thanks all
-mike

Originally posted by soul180
Hey, it's most pronounced when i brake when i first start my car, but then later, if i turn the wheel towards the left it starts again...also, sometimes it will just start making the noise for no reason if i'm just driving down the street straight. The noise sounds like metal grinding on metal, at first i thought maybe it would a rock in my brake pad, but that wouldn't really make sense i don't think, theni thought it was the front brake pads, but why would it do it when i turn to the left? it's pretty loud and REALLY annoying, and really doesn't sounds healthy...can anyone help???

If it ends up NOT being your brake pads, it may be bad CV joints grinding your axles into dust. I had the same thing happen with my 88 civic, and it caused the most ungodly death-noise in the world when turning. Sometimes it would make the noise going straight as well. It happened because my CV boot got cracked and, over time, the joint lost its lubrication and wore itself to near oblivion. It's a rather expensive fix, but replacing the entire left axle will completely fix it.

this is off topic, but it goes along with Marasmus' post. a good thing to do would be to check your cv boots everytime you change your oil. it is much cheaper to replace boots than axles. if you see a crack beginning to form, dont panic, just check it every couple of weeks and as soon as it goes get it in and get the boots replaced. as long as you get them replaced before it slings all the grease out you're allright. i have a crack forming in my left front on the outside boot. yet my inside boot is beginning to leak, so i'll have to have them replaced as soon as i've got the cash

I had almost the exact same prob in my car a few months ago...I had just put some new rims and shocks on my car and I was driving down the road and made a turn and it started making a metal-to-metal noise that sounded crucially bad. So i pulled into the nearest parking lot and looked around in the brakes to see if there was a rock or sumthin between my brake pads or anything.....after about 10 minutes i realized what the problem was...there is a circular metal protector on the backside of your brake rotors that is about an inch or so larger than your rotors...mine had been bent just enough so that it was scraping against the rotors as i went down the road. I just bent it slight back and made sure it wasn't touchin anywhere else and now...no more problem :D You might want to check this out first before u invest in new brake pads.

thanks for all your help, i change my pads and that was the problem, but while changing, i discovered my cv boot was torn to shit, and there was grease all over my brake assembly as well...so the pads are changed and so is the cv boot, luckily the joint wasnt wrecked!!!

If you guys liked helping, help me again in my other post please!!! in regards to the healdights dimming when i shift and when my stereo is turbned up,....i think it has somethignt o do with the alternator, but let me know what you think...