brake noise

[michcougar]

OK so im starting to think this is not even brake related, i had my brakes changed last year. Recently had to change my alternator, since the alternator install when coming to a full stop i hear a clicking noise on the passenger side. changed the brake pads and rotors sides and still only on that side. Just had the caliper on that side changed yesterday and much to my surprise it still does it. any ideas??? everything works fine it just sounds cheap....

[Moraki]

Possible wheel bearing ... :shrug:

[michcougar]

yeah its been replaced...wheel bearing, ball joints, brakes, now both calipers...

[DanG]

Halfshaft/CV joint?

[michcougar]

would there be any other side effects to a failing half shaft or cv joint?

[michcougar]

problem has been fixed for now, turns out one set of brake pads were faulty causing the noise. only time will tell if this will happen again.

[michcougar]

the noise is back and it realy annoying, no one on here has had this problem??
the pads, the rotors, the ball joints, wheel bearing are all new, but this only does it when i brake. before i go replacing everything again i would like some pointers....

[jrak123]

Do you have after market wheels?

[RiverRojo]

I say it's your brake hardware.

Before you change anything...are you sure it's your brakes. What does "when coming to a full stop" mean to you? Further info would help me out.

[michcougar]

as soon as i press the brake they start clicking....its more noticeable when your going slow, but it does it all the time.
what i mean by coming to a full stop, like coming up to a stop sign or lights stoping it clicks all the time.

no after market wheels, i know its nothing to do with wheels, i have summer rims and winters rims and tires and it does it on both..

[RiverRojo]

You do have your brake pad spring clips intalled? You know the "wire" that is on the outermost side of the caliper? Those are made so the brakes don't "chatter". It holds the pad in place. Let us know.

[michcougar]

yep its in...
keep the suggestions coming, i know im out of them...
ive greesed the calipers slides, taken everything apart so many times and put it back together and it still does it.
once you take it apart it will stop for a day then it comes back,

[Moraki]

Have you tried jacking up the car with passenger side wheel off and try spining it and watching everything? Could be alot of things even as simple as the wrong clamp on you CV boot scraping something. Or if its belt related could be a few things. Pulleys or that wierd clutch thing on the AC pulley.

[michcougar]

if it was the case, wouldnt it do it all the time?
it only does it when i brake
it wont hurt to look again tho

[Moraki]

If you have it properly supported with at least the passenger wheel off, and you have the back tires blocked, You could attempt to have some one sit in the car, put it in gear and spin the wheels then brake. You may or may not hear the noise. Things opperate differently under load and with wight on them.

[michcougar]

ill give it a try!
i just thought someone on here would of had the same problem.

thank you to everyone!

[RiverRojo]

Taking the load off the suspension will not change the brakes!

[NorCalCoug]

Taking the load off the suspension will not change the brakes!
++

[Moraki]

Actually it will extreamly....instead of the breaks stopping the force of the entire car they will be stopping the weight of the drive train and the drivers side wheel if thats still on. Those are MASSIVELY different conditions.

[michcougar]

could a bad strut make a differance with the braking, i know both my strut mounts are broken but the strut on the passenger side squeeks when you put a load on it (pushing down on the passenger side fender to make it compress)

[jrak123]

Yeah, it is possible that you have a worn strut bushing or lower control arm bushing. You can check the control arm by first jacking up the car(with the steering wheel locked) and see it if there is any fore or aft movement. What year is your car again? do you have the 2 or 4 bolt control arms?

[michcougar]

i have a 99
if i remember correctly its a 2 bolt control arm

[michcougar]

Yeah, it is possible that you have a worn strut bushing or lower control arm bushing. You can check the control arm by first jacking up the car(with the steering wheel locked) and see it if there is any fore or aft movement. What year is your car again? do you have the 2 or 4 bolt control arms?

Please explain....
Do you mean to see if it moves towards the front or back any?

[jrak123]

yes I meant front to back. I see you have a '99 I do have an extra set of front control arms.

Also check and see if the strut top plate is making contact with the top of the tower(under the hood) If they are not then there is a good chance you have either blown out the strut bearing or your strut mount it's self is worn.

If you have lowered you car you may have that problem too, a lot of replacement struts nuts are too big. This is the nut they provide that goes on the strut mount. If they nuts are too big( yes I have fun talking about big nuts) the top plate wont contact the strut tower like it is supposed to.

[michcougar]

Strut is out of the question but im leaning more towards the control arms.
Does it make sense that the noise is only when i brake?

[Troy]

The oddest clicking noise I had was coming from the front passenger side when going over bumps. I was going nuts looking at the struts, engine mounts everything else I could think of. It turned out to be clip that triangular support for the break lines above the wheel. A twist of two adjustable wrenches and the click was gone. Good luck finding your click.

[michcougar]

The reason i said strut is out of the question is cause ive replaced everything, springs, struts, bearings, upper strut mounts. There isnt much left and control arms are still stock, only have 110000kms on them...so who knows.