[Saab93Addict]

This started developing a few months ago. I started noticing it after not using the car for quite a while. Only happens when I turn left, and it seems to me like it's coming from the front left but it's a bit hard to pinpoint the location precisely. Sometimes it goes away after driving for a while. I tried jacking up the car and turning the wheel by hand to see if I felt anything or if I could see anything but nada. Brake pads are pretty new (6 months maybe?). Bearing going bad? Something worse? Thanks.

 

[theWalkinator]

Could be brake dust shield touching the rotor, take off the wheel and check.

 

[Saab93Addict]

I thought about those too so I've checked them before and they seemed OK but I'll try again. Looks like I wouldn't be the first one having this issue after replacing the brake pads. Can these dust shields easily be taken off for cleaning/inspection? Looks like the screws holding them can be a pain to remove, but do you have to take off a bunch of other parts before taking the shields off?

 

[theWalkinator]

Not sure how easy to take off the dust shield, never pay attention to it but I know for sure that on my other cars, dust shield is bolted on the wheel hub, without taking off the rotor, you won't be able to access it. You dust shield could be rusted and start flaking, some flakes might got stuck on the inner pad, just check, you can always use a flat head screw driver against the rotor to bend out edge of dust shield innerwards to create more clearance, I have done the same thing on my other cars before, no big deal.

If it is not dust shield, check CV joints, wheel bearing, control arm ball joints, outer tie rod ball joints, bushings, etc..

 

[Saab93Addict]

Thanks. Jacked the car up. I think I could feel some light scraping at times when turning the front driver wheel by hand (it was faint though). So I took the wheel off and tried to bend the shield back. I noticed the smallest clearance is at noon and 6 o'clock, and if I tried to push the shield back at say 3 o'clock, the shield would bend against the wheel at noon by reaction. So I bent it back some at noon and 6 o'clock where the clearance seemed the lowest and it seemed to help. I'll test it when I go pick up my daughter in a little bit...

One more thing I thought of: when I changed the front brake pads a while back, the brake fluid level went up quite a bit in the filler. I left it like that at the time because I was going to have the brake fluid drained - at least that was my intention 6 months ago and I still haven't done it (>.<)... I don't know if it can cause some unwanted clamping action at the brake pads when I don't touch the brakes... I'll have it done soon... need to have the oil changed first.

 

[theWalkinator]

Because you push brake caliper piston back, that push the brake fluid back to the reservoir, brake fluid level should go back to normal after you applied brake few times, piston is pushed against pad and fluid level should come down.

 

[aerojon]

strut/spring bearing seizing up..

 

[Saab93Addict]

Because you push brake caliper piston back, that push the brake fluid back to the reservoir, brake fluid level should go back to normal after you applied brake few times, piston is pushed against pad and fluid level should come down.

Yeah. But since I topped it off a few years ago now it's a little over the max. Oh well, flushing coming soon. And it looks like the noise is gone, thanks!