Scraping noise when car in motion

[smurfmiata93]

I just finished replacing the clutch and brake pads on my 99 Outback wagon and I am now getting a scraping noise when the car is in motion. The noise is not there when the car is just sitting. The noise does not seem to be from the clutch since it is not related to engine speed. I was thinking of putting the car on stands and running the car at idle speed in low gear to try to find the noise. Will this damage the AWD system?

[davebugs]

Odds are that you either knocked some rust loose - especially in the rear even if you have rotors there is a 'lille bit of drum' for the parking brake.

 

The other obvious guess would be that a dust shield is now touching the rotor. You may have accidentally bent one while doing the brakes.

 

I've had both of these common problems.

 

Dave

[OB99W]

Other than what Dave mentioned...

 

If you just replaced the pads without servicing the rotors, the pad edges are probably running on rusted areas of the rotor. As long as any rust isn't too severe, the pads will conform/seat after a while and the noise will minimize.

[Suzam]

. . . I was thinking of putting the car on stands and running the car at idle speed in low gear to try to find the noise. Will this damage the AWD system?

No, as long as all 4 wheels are off the ground it will not hurt the AWD.

 

One of my Subies was on a lift when we were trying to track down a loose heat shield. It's pretty impressive seeing all 4 wheels spinning while up in the air like that.

 

As far as the noise goes, does it change at all when applying the breaks?

 

Also try pulling up gently on the e-brake while at low speed to see if it has any effect.