Serious Help: Clicking Noise When Slowly Moving

[Forscythe87]

I have a clicking noise when I let off the brake (dont have to give it gas). Sounds like its coming from the rear driver side tire. Had someone drive it while I listened and it sounded like it didn't sound like it was coming from the tire directly.

Theres noting in the tire itself (inspected it for nails and such). Sounds like it makes the noise almost each time it makes a round.

When I gas it, it gets louder but then goes away the faster I go. Any ideas?

I just put a lot of money into getting it at its game and now this comes along.

[jeffcoslacker]

Well your description is pretty typical of a couple of different brake issues, but you didn't say if you have disc or drum rear, so I'll describe both, and you can go from there...

With disc brakes, if you've had rotors machined, they have to be finished off with a non-directional swirl finish after cutting, because the lathe cuts a continuous groove from center to outer edge. This results in a fine grooving just like a record...and like the pop of a phonograph needle hitting the end of the record, the light residual drag of the pads when unloaded will make them try to follow the groove outward towards the edge, until stopped by the limits of how they are retained, at which point they snap back to rest position and produce a loud click...at a certain speed the pads can no longer oscillate fast enough to produce the noise and it stops...it's generally a low speed noise.

Drum brakes will click when they have a weak or broken return spring, and if the drum is not 100% perfectly round can produce a click as the dragging shoe is knocked back and forth against it's stop...or a piece of broken spring can actually be sitting in the bottom of the drum rolling around...but this sound usually continues even with the brakes applied...

Braking changes the loading on the hub bearing, which can sometimes make a bearing noise change or go away with brake application, but hubs usually rumble or grind, not click...

At any rate, I suspect your problem will be found in the brakes...

[gw84]

this is a longshot, but i had a similar problem and it turned out that someone had used a zip-tie somewhere in the wheel well and the end was hitting part of the tire or rim with every revolution of the wheel/tire. ...just a long shot

[Forscythe87]

I appreciate the help (as always).

I went down and took the entire thing apart. The rears are drum on my car. I cleaned it up a little but from the looks of it they check out. Im going to leave the hubcaps off and see if I still get the noise. It seems to come and go.....


Edit: OK, still no good. Getting the click. It comes and goes. Aren't there wheel bearings that can cause this?

[sad-lumina-owner]

Originally Posted by Forscythe87

I appreciate the help (as always).

I went down and took the entire thing apart. The rears are drum on my car. I cleaned it up a little but from the looks of it they check out. Im going to leave the hubcaps off and see if I still get the noise. It seems to come and go.....


Edit: OK, still no good. Getting the click. It comes and goes. Aren't there wheel bearings that can cause this?

Just another question:

What happens if you swap rear wheels? Does the sound move with tire/wheel?

If so, could it be a balancing issue, or something loose inside the tire? Maybe a radial belt torn loose inside?