Hi everyone. This is a weird problem, especially since I just had most of the brake components replaced last year (pads, rotors, calipers, master cylinder, most lines (most metal lines, all rubber hoses), but here it goes. I just got back from driving through the Catskill Mountains. I noticed that when I am driving down lots of hills and having to use the brakes, I start hearing a clicking/scratching noise that speeds up with the vehicle speed coming from the front left wheel. It STOPS when I put the brakes on. Other times, it just squeals sometimes, but the car stops. Before, it was doing it and as soon as I was able to pull over, I did, and then checked the brakes/wheels. The brakes were obviously hot and I could smell brake dust (I just put my hand near the wheel) but not so hot that I got burned (like what happened when I had a stuck caliper last year as that same wheel was smoking and I could not within a foot of it without getting burned. Had caliper + hose + pads replaced and that fixed it). I continued on and it stopped completely until many miles later when I was on steep hills, and then it stopped as soon as the brakes cooled. It did the same thing on Friday and 2 weeks ago again on hills. I looked at the pad through the wheel and it looked fine. I just had a wheel bearing replaced about a month ago on the same wheel (front left). What is even more confusing is that it only happens on hills when the brakes get really heated up. It DOES NOT happen on highways (I can drive at high speeds and hit the brakes many times and it won't do it). What could be the problem here? I am going to pull the wheel off later and check the pads, but I think that they will be fine. Could I have a bent "squealer"? It is obviously heat related since it only happens in conditions when the brakes are the only thing keeping the car in control (sometimes I downshift, but not that often because brakes are easier to fix than a transmission) and they heat up.

 

I had a similar problem on my old '00 Bravada and it was the stainless steel slider shims that go into the caliper bracket. Nothing a screw driver couldn't handle. I just bent them a bit differently so that it cleared the rotor.

 

Oh wow. I am glad that this isn't an isolated incident. Thanks. When I have the steering box replaced on Tuesday (2-3" of play in the wheel, confirmed to be steering box, annoying on long trips), I will have the shop take the front left wheel off and deal with it.

Could that have been caused when the caliper was removed to replace the wheel bearing? All of those incidents were after the wheel bearing replacement. How could riding the brakes cause that?

 

As everything heats up, things move around a bit due to heat expansion. Could tighten up the clearances to various different things. Something to check into at least.

With mine, this occurred on the back brakes, but the front have similar shims.

 

Do the brakes on these trucks definitely have shims or is it a choice that the shop makes to install them or not? Maybe if they are installed, the one on the front left wheel moved around because it was improperly reinstalled after the wheel bearing replacement causing the squealing under most circumstances and the scratching when the brakes are really hot?

 

They should have "shims". I put that in quotes because I know that isn't the proper term for them, but is the easiest way to describe them. They are the wear surface that the pads ride on in the caliper brackets which protect the bracket and keep the pads moving freely.

CLICK HERE to see an illustration for the front brakes.

 

I had the brakes inspected today and they cannot find anything wrong with them. They say that the noise is probably thermal expansion of the rotor.

 

Well looks like I have to revisit this case of noise. The same noise happened again in almost the same place. But now I have reason to believe it is coming from the left rear wheel. I was riding the brakes driving down steep hills and then it started making a metal on metal scraping noise when the brakes were released. Once I hit the brakes it stopped, but after a while it didn't stop when I hit the brakes (it was just 90% muted). I stopped to check the brakes. All were fine and they were only a bit hotter than usual. Not burning. After sitting for one minute, I continued and the noise was about 25% of what it was. After a while of not using the brakes, it was gone. Then when I hit another hill, it started again. It seems to be heat related. Once I ride the brakes, something expands and hits a moving part like the rotor. I know the right rear backing plate has a hole in it, but I don't think that is where the noise is. Could this be a backing plate issue somehow? I know the front ones are fine and were checked twice with no faults found. The rear ones are due to be checked, but what should I be looking for?

 

The noise I am describing is a metallic click-click-click-click- noise. It is intermittent and the rate depends on the speed of the vehicle.

 

It could maybe be a tie rod, I think they click with vehicle speed. Or maybe that was the CV joint. If you do a lot I'd mountain driving, you could put your truck in a lower gear. It wont hurt anything, you might use a little more gas but the transmission won't have to shift as much and it will help slow you down, keeping your brakes and transmission cooler