Weird Noises

[sLADe781]

Okay, my car has been making a couple of weird noises recently and I'm hoping someone can help me out in diagnosing what it is.

1-when I'm driving and brake hard, there's some type of "scraping" noise that can be heard when I'm braking. Furthermore, after I stop and begin to accelerate, the scraping noise is still there but just a bit fainter until I begin to brake again. I have no idea which side of the car it's coming from but the noise is not made when I'm at a stop and am revving the engine. Any ideas?

2-another weird noise occurs when I turn my steering wheel. I can't really explain the sound but it sounds somewhat like a horn (not a honk per se but a faint horn). It usually occurs when I am making a turn somewhere and is decently loud. When my car is at a stop and I turn the wheel, the sound still comes about but isn't as loud until I'm actually moving with the turn.

Anyone have any ideas on what these issues could be!?! I've notice that my idle is a bit higher than usual (~900 whereas in the past it was about 600-700). Don't know if this could attribute to the noises or not...help!?!

[sLADe781]

Oh yeah, I wanted to add that the scraping sound gets louder when I put more pressure on the brake pedal. Also, I have a decent amount of pad left on the brake pads so I do not believe it's metal to rotor contact at this point.

[VR43000GT]

1) Are you sure the sound goes away when you rev the motor or does it just drowned out the faint sound?

2) Sounds like either the belt to your PSP may be slipping or your PSP could either be going or low on fluid.

[sLADe781]

Originally Posted by SL3000gt

1) Are you sure the sound goes away when you rev the motor or does it just drowned out the faint sound?

2) Sounds like either the belt to your PSP may be slipping or your PSP could either be going or low on fluid.

1-you could be right that the sound is still there when I'm driving but due to the engine noise it's drowning out the noise. I could still hear it during acceleration mode but it usually stops or drowns out once I'm on the go. I don't hear anything when I'm at a stop though.

2-is the power steering belt the same as the serpentine belt? 'Cause I just had that changed a couple years ago...I'll check the fluid tomorrow and post back up.

Let me know if you guys have any other ideas. Thanks.

[AutostradaVR4]

you may want to just inspect the pads closer by removiing them. it definitely sounds like maybe theres something imbedded in one of them on one is loose or something.

i believe our cars have a seperate belt for the power steering...i'm trying to remember if i had to mess with the psp when i had my serpantine off and i dont think i did. anyways, check the fluid level first, it sounds like possibly air in the lines.

[sLADe781]

I checked the power steering fluid this morning and I was bone dry so I added enough fluid for it to hit the MAX line. Not too sure if it's wishful thinking but it seems as though the winding noise has gone down quite a bit. I could still hear it but it doesn't seem to be as loud as before. Maybe it will just take some time for the fluid to fully circulate through!?!

I tried to duplicate the scratching sound whenever I brake this morning but it wouldn't work. I braked hard and applied a lot of pressure to the pedal but for some reason the sound didn't come back...weird huh!?! Maybe he scratching noise had something to do with the low fluid? What do you guys think?

Since I can't seem to fully pinpoint where the sounds are coming from, you guys think I should stop driving my car altogether?

[new2mitsu]

id bet one of your calipers is beginning to sieze, as that is what one of mine is doing now. perfect pad, perfect rotor and still a noise.

[sLADe781]

Originally Posted by new2mitsu

id bet one of your calipers is beginning to sieze, as that is what one of mine is doing now. perfect pad, perfect rotor and still a noise.

So uh...any ideas on how to fix it!?!

[Linebckr49]

Originally Posted by sLADe781

So uh...any ideas on how to fix it!?!

caliper rebuild is simple. there is a piston, dust boot, and rubber piston ring. you will also need to bleed the brakes after putting it all back together. an air compressor is helpful. but if you don't have one, you could take the caliper to a friend's house, as you will have to remove it from the car (disconnect it from the brake line) to rebuild it.

i googled "caliper rebuild" and found a bunch of helpful instructions with pics.

http://volvospeed.com/Repair/caliper_rebuild.html
http://www.installuniversity.com/ins...er_rebuild.htm
http://www.firstfives.org/faq/brakes...erRebuild.html
http://www.circletrack.com/techartic...ild/index.html
http://www.lukekailburn.com/caliperrebuild.html