chirping noise that goes away when i press the brakes.

as the title says - i've noticed what i can only describe as a rhythmic chirping noise (sounds like a cricket) when the car is moving that's frequency changes as the car increases or decreases speed. Appears to come from the front left wheel.

When the brakes are applied at any speed, the chirping stops. it typically returns a few seconds later after releasing the breaks if the car is still moving.

i'm assuming its just the pads slightly rubbing against the rotors. anything else that it could be/i should inspect. when jacking the front end up and spinning the wheel by hand, i don't feel any grinding nor does it feel like a possible wheel bearing issue. Just want to get sanity checked before i start start looking into it blindly.

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Originally Posted by novadmc

as the title says - i've noticed what i can only describe as a rhythmic chirping noise (sounds like a cricket) when the car is moving that's frequency changes as the car increases or decreases speed. Appears to come from the front left wheel.

When the brakes are applied at any speed, the chirping stops. it typically returns a few seconds later after releasing the breaks if the car is still moving.

i'm assuming its just the pads slightly rubbing against the rotors. anything else that it could be/i should inspect. when jacking the front end up and spinning the wheel by hand, i don't feel any grinding nor does it feel like a possible wheel bearing issue. Just want to get sanity checked before i start start looking into it blindly.

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Normal, especially if you don't regularly use the car. PJ Grady has a spring kit that can reduce the noise.

I had a similar issue and it turned out to be cheap brake pads. I replaced them with some nicer ceramic ones and the noise went away. The springs help too. Home Depot has a spring assortment that has usable ones in it.

thanks! at least its not something to worry about and im not going crazy.
this afternoon i pulled both front tires off, cleaned the brakes and rotors with some brake clean and then re-greased the sides of the pads, the pins, retaining clips and retentions springs. prior to this, everything was bone dry with no lubrication on the contact points. ill take the car for a drive tomorrow and see if that helps the squeak at all.

on the bright side, ive got plenty of pad and rotor life left and took notes on what i want to replace for my eventual suspension upgrades.
i should do the same to the rears. maybe tomorrow or later in the month...

Have you considered not pressing the brakes?

If you are trying to fix it yourself there are a couple of other things you can try. Get an electric drill and a scotch-brite 3" rollock pad and do a circular pattern around the rotors on both sides. There is what is called "threading" where the rotors develop a pattern and the pads will follow it up and down like a needle on a a record. They thread up and drop down making a clicking noise. Next, lightly sand the pads to provide a fresh surface. Clean the metal backs and apply an anti-squeal goo sparingly. Sand the edges of the metal pads so they can move freely in the caliper. Last, install new springs. If the springs are not strong enough they won't work and if they are tiny, the heat softens them up and they lose strength. Best to get the right ones, not from Home Depot. Some pads come with an anti-squeal shim. Stay away from ceramics, they don't grip well when cold r wet and chew up the rotors.

I'll have to disagree on avoiding ceramic pads. I have now clocked 100,000 miles on my Magnum with ceramic pads. They stop great and are quiet. I only had to replace them once at 60,000 miles. I paid the extra for ceramic again. At that interval, the rotors were in great condition and barely under new spec. Here in Florida, I can't speak to cold weather performance, but in wet weather they are also great. I really like the low dust feature as well. My Camaro has Brembo performance brakes with pads that emit a lot of black brake dust. What a mess, and they squeal when backing up. When they need to be replaced, I'll definitely get ceramic.

My DeLorean has the ceramic formulation pads from DMC. I like them for the same reasons as the Magnum.

^ I agree, 100%

I have ceramic pads on my DeLorean, on my Elise, as well as my C5 Corvette. They stop brilliantly cold, freakishly well warm, and make damn near zero noise.

The only disadvantage is that they cost more.

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Originally Posted by opethmike

^ I agree, 100%

I have ceramic pads on my DeLorean, on my Elise, as well as my C5 Corvette. They stop brilliantly cold, freakishly well warm, and make damn near zero noise.

The only disadvantage is that they cost more.

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Excellent! Yeah, in my opinion, ceramic pads are totally worth the extra price.

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Originally Posted by David T

If you are trying to fix it yourself there are a couple of other things you can try. Get an electric drill and a scotch-brite 3" rollock pad and do a circular pattern around the rotors on both sides. There is what is called "threading" where the rotors develop a pattern and the pads will follow it up and down like a needle on a a record. They thread up and drop down making a clicking noise. Next, lightly sand the pads to provide a fresh surface. Clean the metal backs and apply an anti-squeal goo sparingly. Sand the edges of the metal pads so they can move freely in the caliper. Last, install new springs. If the springs are not strong enough they won't work and if they are tiny, the heat softens them up and they lose strength. Best to get the right ones, not from Home Depot. Some pads come with an anti-squeal shim. Stay away from ceramics, they don't grip well when cold r wet and chew up the rotors.

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The right ones? As far as I know, a spring is a spring. I don't think any manufacturer out there is producing a spring specifically engineered for DeLorean brake calipers.