Noises while driving but stops when breaking

Could it also sound like a scraping type sound? Sounds like it could be your brake squealers could be making that noice.. It's a warning device built onto your pads to let you know they are getting low and need replacing soon. Probably time for some new pads.

You have a brake problem. Maybe you have a sticky caliper that is causing the brakes to drag. Maybe the rotor is bent and it's hitting the pads. Could be easy and it could be hard, but either way it's something you need to get fixed immediately. Don't mess around with brakes.

--scott

The only thing that's weird is that the noise STOPS when I break. There is no noise involved when I put on the breaks either. It's only when the car is going, I don't even have to be accelerating to hear the noise, just not breaking. I don't think it really sounds like scraping, it's like no noise i've ever heard before on my car as well as anyone elses car. Even my boyfriend is baffled! I plan on taking the van in next tuesday when I have a day off, I was just curious in knowing what it might be, how much it may cost to fix and if was ok to drive my van until that time. Also, I wanted to get an idea because I am taking it in myself without a male with me and don't want to get ripped off simply cause I'm a female! I feel that when I take my van in and know a bit about what's going on and have some lingo that i'm treated better.

Right. The brake pad is scraping against the rotor slightly and making the noise. When you brake, the pads are pressed hard against the rotor and the noise stops. Find out why the scraping is happening; either the rotor is bent or the caliper is sticking.

--scott

Usually when the squealing stops when you apply the brakes it is the brake squealer letting you know you need brakes. They aren't worn down yet, but probably will be in 5000-15000 miles depending on the position of the squealer.

There is more than one thing that can cause a noise related to the braking which stops when brakes are applied. As others have said, it can be the "telltale" or "squealer" which signals your brake pads are worn.

The pads themselves can sometimes be loose,and can rattle, stopping

-naturally- when you apply the brakes.

Sometime hub/wheel bearings, worn or poorly adjusted, will make noise that stops when you apply the brakes (but they dont usually sound like the noise you are describing).

And last, there can be loose backing plates, brake line hardware, or even vibrating brake lines which make strange sounds.

To be sure, you or your designated mechanic is going to have to take a look. Depending upon who does this work for you, and the nature of the problem, the price can range from cheap to very expensive. Dont just take your car into a dealership or independent shop and tell them to "fix me up" (they would love to do just that).

Or the pads are just vibrating slightly- perfectly harmless and normal.

They shouldn't be making any kind of noise while driving. Making noise while braking is one thing, but not while driving.

I'm not going to be able to take my car in till next tuesday. Do you think that driving my car during that time will be ok? I mostly just drive back and forth to work, about 2 miles in the city but occasionally go on the highway. Thank you to everyone that has given me some much needed advice!! K

Oh yeah, and one more thing, when you say 'break squealer' it seems like that would sound like a squealing which I have def. experienced before and the sound is nothing like that. I listened very closely on my way home from work today and it really does sound like something is jingling or dangling that is maybe made of metal and hitting something else made of metal. However, it's not haphazard or random, it is def. something mechanical being that it keeps strict time depending on how fast I am going. I know you guys know a lot more about this than I do so maybe it still is something to do with my breaks (which I do believe being that my break light in my car has now began to go on and off). It is just such a strange noise. K

I would bet it is just the squealer telling you your pads are worn out. Don't mess around with it though... if it is the squealer and you wear the pad enough to get metal to metal a cheap repair gets expensive real fast! If it isn't the squealer then you have bigger problems that need to be addressed. Without knowing for sure I wouldn't drive it anywhere except to a shop for diagnosis.

Steve B.

No, thats backwards. Brake pads hould be silent while braking, not necessarily while driving. While driving along and not braking, the pads ride lightly against the rotor and may vibrate slightly as the rotor turns. There are retaining clips to minimize this, and people use various brake-quietening adhesives also, but a little vibration when unloaded is pretty normal for disk brake systems because there is no return spring to draw the pads fully away from the rotor the way the return springs in drum brakes draw the shoes away from the drums. When actually braking, ANY noise means that there is abnormal contact, such as a pad worn down to the rivets.

I would guess that you have a stone caught between the dust shield and the rotor. Or maybe just a bent or loose dust shield. If the brakes work well and there is no noise or vibration when braking it is unlikely to be serious, but you should have it checked out as soon as possible. If nothing else jack the wheel up and spin the tire and see where it's coming from.

-jim

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So, I took my van into a Meineke. This is what they said: I need my brakes worked on, the noise was indeed my squealers, so they say, even though there is no squealing involved. I need pads in front, rear rotors and to clean and adjust the rears. The cost for break work is 620.73 Also, they say I need my 2 front axels replaced. Their grand total was 1135.41 for all work. I'm going to be taking it to a 'non-chain' shop to get a second opinion this afternoon. What do you guys think? Kristen

Ouch.

I would definitely get a second opinion.I believe them on the front brakes and you want to take care of that before tooo long so you don't need to replace the front rotors. I can't offer any advice on the back other than get a second opinion.

Axles are one of those things that will go for a long time past the point where they are officially bad so I would also ask "how bad" they are... They have a rubber boot that goes up and down as the tire goes up and down and that boot ages and cracks. Once it cracks the grease gets out and crap gets in and destroys the joint. Because of the labor involved to replace the boot and the low price of the axles themselves it often doesn't make sense to replace just the boot.

Steve B.

I ended up getting a second opinion from an independent auto shop that was recommended to me by a friend. They said 600.00 tops for all the work stated above. Besides ripping me off, Meineke was trying to charge me to replace parts on my car that I don't even have! And to top this whole experience off, when I picked my car up from Meineke it was dead. DEAD!! The battery had died sitting overnight in their lot. Now, never once since 1995 has the battery on my van died. It seems very strange that the minute I hand it over to someone else it does that. At any rate, I am taking my van in this wed to get all fixed up. They had to order some parts. Thanks to everyone who has tried to help me thru this ordeal, hopefully my van will stay out of the shop for a little while, at least till I get my new car next march!! Kristen

I was googling something else and came across your problem....could be a stone stuck like one guy said. I had a similar problem once with a scraping sound that would stop when I braked. It was a stuck brake caliper. My breaks were fine. Watch out for Meineke, had the same thing happen to me. Just don't go there period. Good luck, hope you didn't have to spend to much money. Those bastards love to prey on girls! Joyce