Wheel squeak

[T Bolen]

I'm going crazy trying to find the source of a really annoying noise. It sounds like metal to metal of worn brakes, but the pads and rotors look fine. It is present only when rotating, and the sound sometimes goes away, but not for long. Last night I jacked up the car and cannot make it happen by rotating the wheels by hand. I ran it in second gear in the air to see if a higher speed would do it - still no sound. But all day yesterday it was really bad when I was driving it.
The car is a '95 with 56k miles and the brakes are original. They look really good - still lots of pad thickness and absolutely no disc groves that would indicate metal to metal.
I am aware that sometimes brake pads vibrate in the caliper and can make a strange noise. I'm not sure if this could be it, as the noise is present when brakes are applied or not. Plus, this just started about 2 weeks ago.
Any ideas?

 

[MarkB]

Is the noise coming from one , two, three, or all for corners?

Just a thought, you might want to check the wheel bearings.

 

[T Bolen]

Is the noise coming from one , two, three, or all for corners?

Just a thought, you might want to check the wheel bearings.

Its very hard to tell where it is comming from - reflected sound from the sides makes it appear from both sides, although I doubt it. Seems very unlikely that multiple problems happen at the same time - it has to be just one wheel.

The wheel bearings would make a lower frequency noise, more like a growl, and not a high pitch squeak.

 

[DanO]

...the noise is present when brakes are applied or not

Hmm. This would tend to rule out the brakes. Brake pad squeal should disappear or change significantly when the brakes are applied. Try testing a little more in a safe area by using the parking brake only and then the brake pedal to see if you can pinpoint the noise (front or rear). Try to find an area that has a tall curb or embankment that can reflect the sound and you can test safely from both directions.

Good luck,

DanO

 

[Briank]

The inner pads have a clip that rubs on the rotor to warn you that the pads are getting thin. The inner wear faster then the outer so if you are looking at the outer pads they may look good and the inner ones are shot. Pull the wheels and remove the calipers and give them a good looking over. If you have original brakes with 56K you are due for new pads. I would get a new set of front pads ASAP.

 

[T Bolen]

The inner pads have a clip that rubs on the rotor to warn you that the pads are getting thin. The inner wear faster then the outer so if you are looking at the outer pads they may look good and the inner ones are shot. Pull the wheels and remove the calipers and give them a good looking over. If you have original brakes with 56K you are due for new pads. I would get a new set of front pads ASAP.

Thanks Briank - that was exactly the suspicion I had and I removed the front calipers last week. I assumed that the front would wear faster than the rear. The fronts looked good. Last night I did not have time to remove the rear calipers, just the wheels.I'll give it another shot tonight.
Thanks to all for the help.

 

[T Bolen]

Well, first suspicion was right - and so was Briank! Except it was the rear inner pads worn down to the tabs. Damn those are hard to inspect on the car! Put new ones in last night and all is well in VTEC land.
A special thanks to DanO for your great DIY site. Made it easy!