Ticking from front drivers wheel (i think)

[jimxms]

I recently started getting a ticking noise coming from what I believe to be the front drivers side wheel. It ticks in tandem with the wheel speed and after a while of driving (about 30mins+) it sometimes also turns to a squeak. It goes away when I brake (even lightly), but does not go away if I use the handbrake to slow down (so definitely seems to be front).

I took the wheel off and rotated the hub to see if I could reproduce the noise, and thought I had found my smoking gun when I saw one of the pads moving up and down inside the calliper as it rode on the groves of the disc. As the discs were also a bit warped (judder when braking) I opted to replace everything. I installed:

New discs
New Pads
New sliding pins
New spring wire things
New anti squeal shims on the back of the pads
All with the correct lubricants smeared on each part.

I then put everything back together and took the car for a test drive....the noise was still there.

When I performed the brake job on the passenger side, I noticed that the pads were a lot tighter in the calliper, whereas on the driver side they were still quite loose. So I got some 0.9mm aluminium, cut it to size and used it as a shim to prevent the pads from moving up and down inside the calliper.

However...on testing the noise was STILL there.

I have since also disconnected the angle drive speedo to rule that out, and checked for play in the wheel bearing. It all seems fine.

What am I missing? This is driving me bonkers. The noise doesn't manifest until after about 5 minutes of driving either, so any fixes I attempt can't be immediately verified.

[Victor]

Have you checked your front tires for any nail or screw puncture of jammed peable, or something…in the tread?

[jimxms]

Have you checked your front tires for any nail or screw puncture of jammed peable, or something…in the tread?

TBh I haven't, but that doesn't really fit with the the noise going away when I lightly press the brakes?

[Josh]

do you have the anti rattle springs on the brake pads and/or the shims behind the brake pads?

[MrChocky]

do you have the anti rattle springs on the brake pads and/or the shims behind the brake pads?

Incidentally, my car squealed even though it had shims; but I got newer, different style ones from DeloreanGo and that appeared to solve it.

[DMCMW Dave]

Sometimes the angle drive will make this noise. Take the plastic cap off the center of the left front brake rotor (axle). This will stop driving the speedometer. See if the noise goes away.

[jimxms]

do you have the anti rattle springs on the brake pads and/or the shims behind the brake pads?

I have both - the kit that dgo sells

[jimxms]

Sometimes the angle drive will make this noise. Take the plastic cap off the center of the left front brake rotor (axle). This will stop driving the speedometer. See if the noise goes away.

I removed the angle drive entirely to test if it was that. My angle drive was just zip tied into place and was really easy to remove. I thought that may have been the noise, but nope :(

[DMC-Ron]

Jim,
Is there any scoring on the inside rim of the wheel, an indication of something touching?

Ron

[jimxms]

Jim,
Is there any scoring on the inside rim of the wheel, an indication of something touching?

Ron

I haven’t checked the rim tbh, but I will have a look. I did check the dust shield and didn’t see any scoring on that.

[David T]

The pads are supposed to be loose or at least not tight so they can move just a little bit. Clean the calipers so they can move. Then get a 2" pad with #80 grit on it and using a drill go around the rotors and scuff them up to remove any glaze. That noise is called "threading" and it is like the pads are a phonograph needle riding on a record (the rotor) and they go up and down and when they go down they click. Anti-rattle springs also help. PJ Grady has the best anti-rattle spring kit but I think now all of the vendors offer a similar one.

[jimxms]

The pads are supposed to be loose or at least not tight so they can move just a little bit. Clean the calipers so they can move. Then get a 2" pad with #80 grit on it and using a drill go around the rotors and scuff them up to remove any glaze. That noise is called "threading" and it is like the pads are a phonograph needle riding on a record (the rotor) and they go up and down and when they go down they click. Anti-rattle springs also help. PJ Grady has the best anti-rattle spring kit but I think now all of the vendors offer a similar one.

This is on brand new pads and rotors with the DGo shim/spring kit

[David T]

It is still "Good Practice" to scuff up even a new rotor so the finish is non-directional and you are sure of having a fresh clean surface to bed the new pads into. You also shoot some Brake Cleaner on them to remove any oils from storage. Sometimes with new pads you have to file the edges so they fit into the calipers and can still have enough room to move. Only do that after cleaning the calipers and if the pads are still tight you take just enough off to allow movement. The original set-up only used anti-squeal shims, no springs. I am not familiar with DGo's spring kit so I can't say anything about it. It is possible the clicking is the bearing. You should hear that by just spinning the hub without the pads or wheel on it or maybe feel some play. Noises are "sneaky". You can swear it sounds like it is coming from the front but it is actually coming from the back. Maybe have someone run alongside and see if you can figure out which wheel is clicking.

[jimxms]

It is still "Good Practice" to scuff up even a new rotor so the finish is non-directional and you are sure of having a fresh clean surface to bed the new pads into. You also shoot some Brake Cleaner on them to remove any oils from storage. Sometimes with new pads you have to file the edges so they fit into the calipers and can still have enough room to move. Only do that after cleaning the calipers and if the pads are still tight you take just enough off to allow movement. The original set-up only used anti-squeal shims, no springs. I am not familiar with DGo's spring kit so I can't say anything about it. It is possible the clicking is the bearing. You should hear that by just spinning the hub without the pads or wheel on it or maybe feel some play. Noises are "sneaky". You can swear it sounds like it is coming from the front but it is actually coming from the back. Maybe have someone run alongside and see if you can figure out which wheel is clicking.

Yeah you’re right about noises being sneaky. I am thinking that it might possibly be from the rear now.

I initially ruled out the rear because when I pulled the handbrake the noise didn’t go away, but I totally forgot that the D has a separate set of callipers for the handbrake.

Are there any anti-rattle kits for the rear brakes? I just took the pads out and noticed that there isn’t any shims or springs like the front pads.

I’m also thinking my rear pistons might be sticking. The discs were really glazed and I had a hell of a lot of trouble retracting the pistons.

[TTait]

The rear can be a little easier to diagnose in that you can put the rear up on jack stands, with or without the wheels on, start the car and put it in gear and slowly run just the rear wheels to see if you can reproduce the noise in the driveway. If so you can get someone to do the "driving" for you while you examine what is going on.

Be safe. Chock the front wheels. Consider 4 jackstands on the rear alone, two on the jacking points on the body and two on the suspension, or working with a local shop that has a hydraulic lift.

[Helirich]

I'm in the process of installing vented discs up front. When I pulled the hubs, the wheel bearings all came apart. On closer inspection, I could see the bearings were discoloration from heat. The inner seals were shot and very little grease remained. There was some branelling to the bearing races. The weird thing is, right before I pulled the hub, I spun the disc with out the pads and it was nice and smooth. If you can't find anything else, might be worth looking into.