Squeeling/Squeeking Sound...

BobbleSmitty · Post by **BobbleSmitty** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 5:55 pm

...coming from the front driver side wheel. Here's what happens: When I am driving it is making the noise. The second I touch the brake pedal, the loudness of the noise significantly drops, but is still evident. It started today all of the sudden. No little noises or anything, just happened all of the sudden while driving straight. My guess is that the brake pads are worn or something and are grinding the rotor. But what doesn't make sense is that when I touch the brakes it stops normally and the noise minimizes. Could it be anything else? The brakes shouldn't be bad, there's only 22,000 miles on it. I know it depends on driving styles and what not, but I don't slam on the brakes or ride the brake so I wouldn't imagine that they could actually be bad. Any input would great!!!!!! What happens when a wheel bearing goes bad??

Post by **HenryJ** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 6:05 pm

Front Wheel Bearings Diagnosis

HenryJ wrote:Upon jacking up the front I found the LH wheel bearing was bad. There was quite a bit of lateral movement.
This is the hub assembly that was replaced under warranty at 28,000 miles. I now have 56,909 miles and it failed again.
I purchased a NAPA hub assembly for $175. I comes with a ABS sensor, but does not come with the rubber o-ring seal that goes between the hub and mounting surface. Mine was still pretty good , so I reused it.
Those of you capable of changing your own brakes can handle this job. It is not hard. The socket needed for the axle nut is 36mm. It needs to be a deep socket. You will find that a 1 7/16" socket is only .020" larger and works just fine. I found I had neither in a deep version, so had to invest in one. The standard ( 1 7/16 ) socket was $6 cheaper than the metric socket. Guess which one I bought? Wink The socket was $24.
I pulled the caliper, caliper bracket, rotor and then used a gear puller to break loose the axle shaft after removal of the nut. Three bolts to take loose the hub assembly and three mounts for the sensor wiring to remove.
Everything went well and Hopefully this NAPA hub will outlast the right hand side which is still original equipment.

Summary: If you feel a vibration in the front, don't assume tires. Consider checking your wheel bearings. If you find a bad one , don't be afraid to fix it yourself.

BobbleSmitty · Post by **BobbleSmitty** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 6:20 pm

I'm not experiencing any vibration or anything. I was just told that the pad probably came apart. Would this be covered under warranty??

WVHogRider · Post by **WVHogRider** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 6:55 pm

I'd check the slide pin operation of the caliper mounting bolts. I had a similar noise and Killian advised me to check'em and the pads. Sure enough, the pads were shot after under ~20K and the slide pins were seized causing uneven wear on the pads. Inside pads were completely shot and outers were like new. My noise sounds like the same as you describe, but less severe. Seems the squealers were digging and squealing continuosly until the brake was applied.

Post by **HenryJ** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 6:59 pm

BobbleSmitty wrote:...I was just told that the pad probably came apart. Would this be covered under warranty??

Not likely. Pads are normal wear items.

BobbleSmitty · Post by **BobbleSmitty** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 7:16 am

Actually, the sound is coming from the rear driver side brakes. I took it up to the dealership today and the manager got a service employee to look at the pads. He said there was over half left on all of the pads. I had him drive it around to feel the brakes and listen to the squeal. I asked the manager if it was under warranty and she said she could do that for me! So who knows what they will do, but the guy that drove it also said there was a pulse in the front brakes. Maybe I'll get new brakes all around!

We will see. I'm dropping it off on Monday night and they will fix it on Tuesday. Hopefully it's free, otherwise I'll take it elsewhere.

BobbleSmitty · Post by **BobbleSmitty** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 8:37 am

I removed the wheel to have a look at the brakes but I didn't notice anything extremely unusual? But I didn't really know what to look for to tell you the truth. I did notice an abundance of rust (as if there was alot of dust) all over my wheel. That never happened before and I just washed my truck a few days ago, and when I wash my truck I do an extremely thorough job. I was able to get it all off of the wheel though. So who knows?? I'll have it in on Monday, doesn't look like I'll be driving very much this weekend.

doughboy5499 · Post by **doughboy5499** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:13 pm

Mine has been doing the same thing for awhile now. Wed., I took the driver side back wheel off and looked around. I am going to need pads but, they are not real bad. I pulled the pad and there is a small piece of tin on the bottom of the bracket that rubs on both inside and outside pads. The tin piece had alot of wear on both sides. I bent it in a little in the middle, cleaned everything up, and went for a drive. The squeek was gone. It has came back since but, I know what it is.

What excactly is that little piece of tin? Is it to let you know your pads need replaced when they get to low? Is this tin sold seperate from the pads?

killian96ss · Post by **killian96ss** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:24 pm

doughboy5499 wrote:What excactly is that little piece of tin?

Are you talking about the thin piece of metal on the back side of the brake pad that goes between the caliper and pad or the metal piece that the ears of the brake pads ride on?

I believe they are both there for anti-rattle and anti-squeak reasons, but obviously they are not doing their job.

Steve

20Blazer00 · Post by **20Blazer00** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 7:59 pm

killian96ss wrote:
doughboy5499 wrote:What excactly is that little piece of tin?
Are you talking about the thin piece of metal on the back side of the brake pad that goes between the caliper and pad or the metal piece that the ears of the brake pads ride on?

I believe they are both there for anti-rattle and anti-squeak reasons, but obviously they are not doing their job.

Steve

Plus there should be a tab that creates a "squealing" noise to stop metal to metal contact with the brake rotor. This has been a part of GM brake technology for decades...

doughboy5499 · Post by **doughboy5499** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 3:48 am

It is the metal piece on the ears the pad rides on. Where do I get one?

killian96ss · Post by **killian96ss** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 8:51 am

doughboy5499 wrote:It is the metal piece on the ears the pad rides on. Where do I get one?

If we are talking about the same thing (the metal pieces on the bottom of each corner in the picture).

Usually they come with the pads.

I'm not sure if you can buy them separately, but it wouldn't hurt to check with your local auto parts store.

I did a couple of searches on line, but I wasn't able to locate them separate from the pads.

Steve

doughboy5499 · Post by **doughboy5499** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 9:35 am

Yes those are the metal pieces that I am refering too. I know I need to replace the brakes so I will make sure I get the "tins" when I do. We'll see what the dealer tells Bobble on Monday too. Thanks again.

BobbleSmitty · Post by **BobbleSmitty** » Tue May 01, 2007 12:48 pm

Hey guys, just an update. I took my truck in yesterday. They called me today and are going to need to keep it one more day. I went up there and looked at it. Turns out that my parking brake cable was just a little too tight for the past year and half since the body lift and it has completely eaten away the parking brake assembly. I think I must have tightened it too much while raising the step bars... Ooops! The rear pads were shot pretty bad too. Not so much the outside ones, but the ones on the inside were near bare metal!! The Rotors on the inside were in bad shape too. Weird! But the good news.... All of this should not be covered under warranty but the service dept. manager who I know pretty well is going to have it all covered except for new pads. So I get an entirely new brake assembly in the rear! New parking brake and new rotors. The calipers are fine. So I just need to pay for the pads. I get my dad's discount b/c he works for GM so all of this will cost me only $83 bucks! I'm pretty happy. I know that pads are cheaper than that but if they do it all it'll all be covered under warranty. So whats another 40 bucks when I just saved a bunch! But there was definately ALOT of bare metal contact!

BobbleSmitty · Post by **BobbleSmitty** » Wed May 02, 2007 11:55 am

Got it back today. They replaced everything in the back. They machined the front rotors. And they lubed the caliper pins or whatever they are? Something you guys are all talking about in another post. But it stops great and there is no more pulsing!!

Can't complain for 83 bucks!