Hey...I was driving home today and noticed a sound I hadnt heard before...It was weird...It happened when I would coast at any speed...A sound similar to what brakes would sound like when they are on their way out...But the sound would chirp in a repititious fashion...But the sound would stop when i applied the brakes...and would also stop when i turned the wheel, even a tiny bit...In park..I dont hear it..and stopped at a stop sign, in drive, i dont hear it...

 

I know I have a few problems with the car that may be the cause...a/c compressor's bushings are gone, alternator is on its way out...

And a few days ago I had my Water pump, timing belt, cam shaft pulley and harmonic balancer replaced...the day I got my car back, I had a small oil leak from what seemed to be the cam shaft...But after a day of driving it...the leak stopped, and none of my fluids are any lower...(Cool, I have a self fixing car!) (I wish) And today, i for some reason pumped my brake pedal when I was at a red light, and my idle got all screwy...Am i to assume that I have a vacuum leak??

 

any thoughts would be appreciated...

thanks

Sounds like a loosed caliper or brake pads/drums to me. Check for looseness of any calipers or brake pads/drums. Better yet, jack up all four wheels, start the engine, put it in Drive, and observe/listen to each wheel as it turns. (Assuming that the rear wheels also turn as on a AWD). If not, manually spin them and see if you can hear the noise. Make sure the car in securely jacked up before doing this.

Please dont run your car when its jacked up. If you dont have the proper equipment you will damage the car and probably yourself. Maybe even the nearest immovable object.

Please dont run your car when its jacked up. If you dont have the proper equipment you will damage the car and probably yourself. Maybe even the nearest immovable object.

I'm stressing that you can do it if it's properly jacked with the clearance needed. But don't do it if you don't have the proper jacks. Don't use log or anything else as jacks. I said it (previous post) with the assumption that you have the proper equipments for the job. I've done it before with good result but because I have the proper equipments.

Chirpping sound can also be caused by U-joints getting bad.

If the chirping is speed related (Ie-speeds up as you speed up and slows when you slow) I would say it is your brake pads rubbing loosely rubbing a rotor. On my 2000 Outback limited it chirped real loud. I then took apart the rear brake assembly and lubed the brake guides (don't lube ANYTHING if you don't know what i'm talking about). It then went away, only to return after a couple months. Maybe suby made a poor design?

definately a caliper draging a little bit. I have seen this before. you can attempt to just clean and lube the slides but it may require a new set of calipers if the square cut seal is not allowing the piston to return properly. the best way to tell is by looking at the pad wear. they should be evin. also turning or replacing the rotors helps too. you should do this anyway when replacing brake pads or it will contribute to squeaks.

Funny, my car makes some chirping noises:

 

Second gear, about 55mph, stand on the brakes, down to about 35mph, pull hard right on the steering as I release the brakes, hug the curb round a street corner. That chirping never fails to appear?? Usually from the front first, but a deep stab on the throttle seems to cause a chirp from the rear of the car too?

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

Sorry, couldn't help myself!

Hey everyone...

 

 

I replaced my front brakes to see if I could get rid of the chirping sound...

The sound is still there, but is definately not as bad as it was...

 

Idling my engine up or speeding up does not seem to make a difference in the sound....it happens around 45 mph most of the time, but has occurred at other speeds...

 

How else would I be able to determine if it were the u joint??

 

any advice would be great, thanks!!!

Chris

Did you apply the anti-squeal grease to the BACK of the pads when reinstalling. The packet costs 99 cents at AutoZone etc.?

Happyhighguy

Have you replaced any front axle shafts latley ?

If you have , it maybe a dry inner wheel bearing seal .

Try lubing the inner seals with a spray grease

SEA#3

Hey...I was driving home today and noticed a sound I hadnt heard before...It was weird...It happened when I would coast at any speed...A sound similar to what brakes would sound like when they are on their way out...But the sound would chirp in a repititious fashion...But the sound would stop when i applied the brakes...and would also stop when i turned the wheel, even a tiny bit...In park..I dont hear it..and stopped at a stop sign, in drive, i dont hear it...

 

I know I have a few problems with the car that may be the cause...a/c compressor's bushings are gone, alternator is on its way out...

And a few days ago I had my Water pump, timing belt, cam shaft pulley and harmonic balancer replaced...the day I got my car back, I had a small oil leak from what seemed to be the cam shaft...But after a day of driving it...the leak stopped, and none of my fluids are any lower...(Cool, I have a self fixing car!) (I wish) And today, i for some reason pumped my brake pedal when I was at a red light, and my idle got all screwy...Am i to assume that I have a vacuum leak??

 

any thoughts would be appreciated...

thanks

Not sure if I'm posting correctly (I'm new here)

But you may have hit on it yourself. Sounds like brake pads.

Brakes have those little chirpers on them and they usually stop

making noise when you turn and when you aply the brakes.

this is because the pads are a little loose when your not stepping on the brake. You can't always tell the condition by looking at the outer pad.

The inner pads on the piston side are the ones that take a beating.

you may have already checked this out but if not it's a place to start.

 

PC

If the u-joints are going bad you can usually see shiny parts where they are separating, check the front and back.

I had no idea there was such a thing...Would I still be able to take the pads off and add the grease??

 

thanks!

Chris

 

Did you apply the anti-squeal grease to the BACK of the pads when reinstalling. The packet costs 99 cents at AutoZone etc.?

Yes you can use the pads again. Just take them off, apply the grease to the BACKS only (or your next post will be about your trip to the hospital after you were slip, sliding away). Replace the brake pads and hopefully your woes will be gone. Hope this works.

Hey thanks, Ill give it a try tomorrow...thanks for the help!!

I hope it helps!

 

Chris