Suspension/brake noise when letting off the brakes

[PV1]

Of course, I'm planning a trip out of state, and the front brakes start making a noise. I know about the rumble noise and its cause, but the noise I'm hearing is when I press hard on the brakes and let up, the suspension creaks. It's kind of like the sound the brakes make when creeping really slowly and they chatter on the rotor.

Loose calipers?

 

[mdbuilder]

suspension bushings getting to the dried out stage perhaps.

 

[phb10186]

suspension bushings getting to the dried out stage perhaps.

That would be my guess probably - but the only car i experienced that on was my 2001 Accord, and that was heavy up front. The I has little weight up front. Also, I only noticed that type of creaking when going over speed bumps after the car was more than 9 years old.

With those thin tyres, I believe the I does put a fair amount of sideways stress on the light suspension components - but I would be surprised if the top strut bushes are worn at less than 6 years old.

Creaks tend to be suspension or bushes. A loose caliper or brake pad would return a slight knock, when the assembly jolts on application of the brakes (unlikely to be the cause if its all stock and original, but there could be some rubbish in there).

So you may want to give the calipers a check over and clean, then examine the accessible bushings around the hub area of the strut.

If you disconnect the strut at the lower end, you may be able to hear the noise by moving the struts about - that would save any disassembly around the top of the front suspension - which looks like a light cluster removal as there is no space there (also you could probably feel if a bush is perished by the amount of resistance by movement)

Lastly - steering... though i'm not familiar with the system, as i've not looked under the car yet.

I would get the car in the air with the wheels off - examine everything, and see if you can find the source of the noise.

if you spray the rubber bushes on the lower parts with WD40 or other, and it goes away - you may have isolated it.

Before you do anything, see if its speed or lock dependent by braking softly and more sharply in a straight line. Then see if braking on half steering lock influences it - and do that both left and right.

I cant see it being anything that complicated - have you hit a kurb or any debris on the road hard recently?

... oh also, just go through the strut/ spring assembly - just check its all ok and the spring is seated on the lower collar of the strut correctly.

 

[PV1]

It would make the noise as I let up on the brakes after a harder than normal application. No noises when going over speed bumps, cornering, or normal deceleration/stopping. I tested it on the driveway yesterday at various speeds and brake pressures, and it wouldn't do it :| . I rocked the car side to side and pushed down on both front corners and didn't hear any noise.

I'll be hitting the road today and will see if I notice it. As for hitting stuff, the roads around here are pretty bad, but I haven't hit anything serious lately. Sometime soon, the car's going up on a lift to have surface rust removed and suspension/subframe bits re-painted. Whatever they put on the roads in the winter just destroys the factory black coating (I've already had to re-paint my wheels). This will also be when I go over the suspension and brakes and make sure everything's good.

Car drives fine, just started having this noise pop up occasionally. I'll post an update this evening.

 

[phb10186]

It would make the noise as I let up on the brakes after a harder than normal application. No noises when going over speed bumps, cornering, or normal deceleration/stopping. I tested it on the driveway yesterday at various speeds and brake pressures, and it wouldn't do it :| . I rocked the car side to side and pushed down on both front corners and didn't hear any noise.

I'll be hitting the road today and will see if I notice it. As for hitting stuff, the roads around here are pretty bad, but I haven't hit anything serious lately. Sometime soon, the car's going up on a lift to have surface rust removed and suspension/subframe bits re-painted. Whatever they put on the roads in the winter just destroys the factory black coating (I've already had to re-paint my wheels). This will also be when I go over the suspension and brakes and make sure everything's good.

Car drives fine, just started having this noise pop up occasionally. I'll post an update this evening.

So that's a creak on suspension unloading then, but there would be some wheel rotation still. Check the breaks properly. Could need a strip-down, clean and copper-greasing. worth checking the tightness of the bolts on the top of the strut - but I can't see how they could have become loose in any way. Once in the air, give everything a good rock, prod and poke too.

It could be something really simple not related to any of that too.... just check visually that everything is in order for now.

 

[Don]

The one downside to driving such a quiet car - Little noises which would be drowned out by other more prominent noises on a regular car are easily heard and make us wonder if the car's falling apart! :lol:

One of our cars makes a little clicking noise after backing about 15 feet after you start moving forward - It's done it every single time you start forward after backing since day one and the other car has never done it even once :roll:

I *assume* it has something to do with the brakes . . . . but I've never figured it out. It's the signature noise of the car, that's for sure

Don

 

[phb10186]

The one downside to driving such a quiet car - Little noises which would be drowned out by other more prominent noises on a regular car are easily heard and make us wonder if the car's falling apart! :lol:

One of our cars makes a little clicking noise after backing about 15 feet after you start moving forward - It's done it every single time you start forward after backing since day one and the other car has never done it even once :roll:

I *assume* it has something to do with the brakes . . . . but I've never figured it out. It's the signature noise of the car, that's for sure

Don

The only things I notice in mine are as follows:

1, slightly more jerkiness on throttle in the max regen mode (thats 'B' on mine), more pronounced after breaking - that i would assume as normal, as its a polarity reversal and inertia thing.

2. A click when i get out of the drivers seat, which could be normal, or could be a failed weld somewhere. I'm not a featherweight after all at 230 lbs.

no apparent creaks from anywhere else, though I had a bit of a knock from the front calipers on my old Celica... which always did that. Aftermarket non-OE brake pads also seem to often do that too.