My wheel is glowing hot - help!

I have a 1998 Toyota Camry LE. It's no spring chicken, but it is new to me and it's my first car. At first, the car ran just fine. But after two and half months of driving, I started to notice a creaking noise near my front wheels. The car shook a little when driven on the highway, so I got the tires rotated and balanced and had an oil change. The mechanic said the tire pressure was fine.

But last night, after driving a friend home through a curvy neighborhood w/ quite a lot of turns, I heard the creaking noise again...but louder than before. I pulled over to check my tires and saw that the front left wheel was hot -- and I mean glowing orange hot. The tire itself was cool (it was 32 degrees after all), but the wheel was smoking! I sat in the neighborhood for a while to let it cool and then drove it home (about 10 miles) with very few turns. When I got home, the wheel was still cool.

What the heck is going on with my car? And what can I do about it? Any help is useful. Thanks!

--Amber

Reply to
amberleebee
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Reply to
dahpater

My guess would be a stuck brake caliper. I would NOT drive the car again in this condition.

Reply to
Steve

I had the same problem on a Chevy truck. Turned out to be the rubber brake lines at the wheel. The lines look good on the outside, but fail internally. When they fail, they act like a check valve. So, when you push on the pedal, the caliper closes but does not release. Letting the car sit still for a while or driving without using the brake will allow the brake fluid to slowly leak back and release the caliper. Change the lines. $10-$15

Reply to
Chief McGee

Stuck caliper. I bet the car was pulling to the right as well, wasn't it? When did you last change the brake fluid? It's certainly time to change it now at least since it's been boiled by the heat. Then it's time to figure out why the brake caliper stuck and why.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

if it was as hot as you said it could affic your wheel bearing.shorten its life. i had a car that had a bad hose that was acting as a check valve. so re place it will be money well spent. also change the caliper. do it wright and save money mite. alan says

Reply to
alan &marge pepper

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