It happened after we got our brakes installed by a local backyard mechanic: A bumping.
It got louder, so I thought it was because we didn't turn the rotors.
After I replaced the rotors with new ones it was quieter, but still there.
Upon inspection I noticed the boot was off of the axel, so I had the axel replaced with a new one.
The sound was almost gone, then returned with a vengeance in one day.
It begins to bump loudly at about 35 mph, and stops completely when the steering wheel is turned even an inch to the right, and returns went the wheel is straight ahead again.
Since it stops when I turn to the right, I figure it couldn't possibly be a wheel bearing.
It needs to be fixed right away, since my girlfriend needs it to travel to work quite a ways every day.
The axle boot may have been torn for a while, the wheel bearing may be bad, etc. But it's really hard to mess up a brake job unless the mechanic is really bad. So please let us know the conditions (speed, turning, while accelerating etc) you hear this noise. And if the noise gets louder or quieter when driving changes.
"firefly" wrote in news:%H3Dj.3447$ snipped-for-privacy@nlpi068.nbdc.sbc.com:
Definitely. But wheel bearings generally howl, not "bump".
You really need to give a more accurate description of the noise than "bumping". I cannot imagine what a "bumping" sound is.
Is this noise more like a clicking, scraping, chirping, scuffing, rubbing, howling, chattering, what?
Do you feel vibration through the steering wheel, or the brake pedal? Are the wheels cleanly mounted to the a clean hub surface, or is there a thin layer of rust on the wheels or hubs?
The anti-squeal shims are thin metal plates shaped like the back of the brake pads. The V-shaped wire things are anti-rattle springs. Someone familiar with Toyota brakes might notice the missing anti-rattle springs and mention them when replacing the rotor, but someone who is not might not notice. If the noise suddenly appeared after the brake job and the anti-rattle springs are missing, that could definitely be the cause of the noise.
Ray had a good idea with the backing plate, but these usually make a screeching or grinding noise.
Just curious, is this an AWD wagon?
I don't know your level of expertise, but here's what I would do. I would jack the car up in the front, USE A JACKSTAND(!) and take the driver's side (Left) wheel off. Make sure you use wheel chocks or a big rock behind the tires (Hey, works for me!). Put the transmission in neutral and rotate the other tire. Have someone rotate it and watch the axle/brakes/bearing on the side with the wheel off. With no load on it the noise may start at slower rotations.
Also, while you have the wheel off, check the condition of the strut. Most Toyotas have MacPhearson strut suspensions, which compresses the spring and mounts it to the car using a 'cup' on the bottom of the spring.
I had an '85 Celica and had a similar noise happen. I checked out all the stuff I just told you to check except the struts. What was happening was the 'cup' was rusting (whoever did the struts replaced the cartridge and never replaced the entire strut assembly) and was slowly dropping the spring onto the tire. When you turn the wheel in one direction, it moves the tire closer to the assembly, when you turn the wheel the other direction it moves the tire away. As the spring started geting lower and lower the thumping got louder.
An anecdote of caution. I left work one day; they had kept me later than usual, and I had planned on going to the Salvation Army store to see if they had any goodies (the local one used to have a lot of old stereo equipment; name brand stuff, and a lot of computer bits...). I was at an intersection where, straight ahead was the Interstate home, and to the right was the road to the S.A. I almost went home on the highway, but decided to go to the store.
They had nothing, so I started down the back roads home. The thumping started getting louder and more frequent, and soon was accompanied by a burning smell. I figured a caliper locked, but the brakes looked good (through the wheel) and the brakes were cool. I took off again and it got worse and worse, with a bad burning rubber smell and smoke coming from the front of the car. I stopped again and opened the hood. Nothing burning.
About a mile down the road at 20 MPH there was a loud bang and a REAL loud thumping. I called a friend, we took the wheel off, nothing! I when to put the wheel back on and felt roughness on the inside of the tire. We put the wheel on the car and that's when we noticed the cup holding the spring was right against the tire. We went to limp the car to his house 2 miles away, and as I turned there was a loud BANG! and the strut let the spring go on the tire. Luckily we made it, at 10 MPH all the way.
If I had taken the highway...
Just bear in mind, THIS IS DANGEROUS!!! DON'T drive the car on the highway until you figure this out!
Unless you're trying to kill your girlfriend (or yourself), you shouldn't be driving a car with these mysterious problems. And, unless you just want to be sure the next mechanic is giving you the right answers, or you're just curious, I don't know why you're asking about this noise. Find a REAL reputable mechanic. Give him the keys and your phone number. Go away. Come back later. Pay the man.
Compared to the random dangers posed by other drivers, mechanical failure is one of the few variables over which you can exercise a high degree of control. You said the odd sound gets quieter at 70mph. It is not safe to drive a car with problems at those speeds.
I'm sorry you don't like reality, but it exists regardless of your opinion or ego.
That sort of thing made news here last year when some woman's car ran off the NY State Thruway and into a ditch at 70 mph, killing her and a passenger. This is why I continue going to the same mechanic even after he moved 20 miles out of the city. Even if I just go for oil & filter, he spins this and pokes that, and I end up with a short list of stuff to keep in mind for repair in the coming year. And he actually LIKES to invite customers out to the shop to let them see what he's talking about. Especially if they like to talk fishing. :-)
Yes, the motion can force the pads up against the rotor or caliper, temporarily keeping them from floating and rattling. Those anti-rattle springs do serve a purpose. Each side will have two springs, and the ends of the springs fit in small holes on the brake pad backing. When both springs are in place, there will be a V on top of an inverted V. Since the noise appeared immediately after the brake job, the cause is likely to be related to the brake job, and missing anti-rattle springs can cause a bump/thump sound.
A bad ball joint or rack end is also a possibility, but a reputable shop should have checked them when they replaced the axle. Since they would not necessarily remove the brake caliper to replace the axle, I doubt if they would have noticed the missing anti-rattle springs.
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