Weird Noise - Help (1 Viewer)

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Jan 4, 2009
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Location
Panama City Beach, Fl
I need help. Had brakes replaced a month ago, turned rotors. About three weeks ago replaced some power steering hoses. All is good.

Starting two weeks ago, i noticed a sound coming from underneath. I would be on the highway, warmed up, and slow down for rush hour traffic - crawling along, and I would hear a woo-woo-woo-woo sound, it would pick up speed as I would then go away. It has gotten more and more constant. Doesn't seem to be brakes sticking. Sometimes it can be felt through the floor boards in drivers and passengers seat.

Thanks for any help.:flipoff2:
 
More info please. What modifications have you done to your truck, and what year is it? Did you use OEM parts when the brakes and power steering hoses were replaced? Did you do it yourself? Can you reproduce this "woo-woo-woo-woo" sound after a drive on the freeway and revving the engine in park?
 
More info please. What modifications have you done to your truck, and what year is it? Did you use OEM parts when the brakes and power steering hoses were replaced? Did you do it yourself? Can you reproduce this "woo-woo-woo-woo" sound after a drive on the freeway and revving the engine in park?
94. No modifications. I have a local shop do my work and they are pretty dependable. Put new ceramic pads on and had rotors turned. I am not sure if they replaced with OEM on power steering hoses. I don't get the sound when in park, I have to be moving. Typically, I will brake hard on the freeway to slow to the rush hour crawl, then I will start to hear it as I apply gas. Craziest thing is that it isn't every time. Also, now I am noticing that it does not go away at higher speeds like when it first started, but again, it is intermittent.

It sounds rotational - why I wrote the woo-woo-woo. I had my mechanic on a drive and he thought it was the front right brake sticking after a hard decel.

I don't hear it any louder when the windows are open, and sometimes I feel like it vibrates the floor as the noise is made.

All fluid levels are good.
 
Have you climbed under the truck to do a visible inspection? Look for foreign objects wedged possibly rubbing on drive shafts or wheels.If all looks good maybe you or a friend has jackstands (4 minimum), raise all 4 wheels off the ground securely. Start engine with no one under rig. With foot firmly on brake, put into 'D', release brake slowly and gently give some throttle watching tach & speedometer. See if noise can be reproduced and if it can, one of you could carefully identify source. Remember, SAFTEY FIRST.
 
Sounds to me like you might possibly have a caliper sticking. I replaced my front calipers with rebuilt ones as good measure when I did my brake job. I also went with new OEM rotors and 100 series pads. The truck stops great now. A good test to see if that caliper is sticking would be to see if the wheel itself is hot to the touch after you have driven for a few miles after the noise has started.

If that one wheel is hot to the touch, or hotter than the opposite wheel on that axle, you've probably got a sticky caliper. That being said, I would go ahead and rebuild both of them, or maybe better yet, get a set of remanufactured calipers from CDan and be done with it.
 
Thanks to all. I have my weekend project now. I'll post my findings
 
Lift the front up and do the bearing test by pulling on each wheel at 12 and 6 o'clock to see if they are loose.
 
weird noise

I call either just a tire noise or a wheel bearing. Tires wear funny, all that weight, slower speeds, lugs/tread over pavement (can sound different on cement or black-top)... does it occur when you turn L/R? Increase in "pitch" when on a turn? easy to check, lift up, jiggle a wheel to see if there is a loose bearing... good luck.
 
Haven't checked the wheels yet. I did just go for a drive and both front rotors were way hotter than rear. Some of that is to be expected I guess, but the fronts would burn your fingers and the rears were just warm. I think I will check for loose wheels tomorrow then head down the stuck caliper route.
 
OK, thanks to all who have replied. Drove to work yesterday. It is getting much more constant, but only after driving a while. Was on a very straight back road and it would start, I would turn wheel slightly right, then left and it would go away.

Then I just started to twitch the wheel to the left and same result.

It will occur on a sweeping left turn (like an on ramp) but only after the turn starts.

This may have nothing to do with it, but we had some ice off and on the last few weeks and I noticed the back end has a tendency to slip in a turn. Haven't really noticed that before (I have had my cruiser for 9 yars or so), and my wife's chevy 3500 4x4 with an empty bed wasn't slipping in the same spots.

What do you guys think?
 
Your noise description reminds me of what you hear when the pads are starting to wear and the safety tabs drag. Even though (or especially since) you just had a brake job, I'd pull the fronts and look at the calipers. If they serviced the rotors and replaced pads, but didn't rebuild/replace the calipers and pistons, that may be the issue.
 
I think we may have figured it out. Raised it up this morning, no loose wheel. Rotated left front and would off and on get a sound. Took off wheel and spindle cap and the drive spindle had a lot of fore/aft play in it. Tore down further and there is a sleeve that the drive spindle goes through. At the base of this sleever is a brass bushing that was very worn and had some damage to the inside, as well as lots of shiny brass flakes in the grease.....hopefully once that is replaced, well, I'll just break something else at that point! HAHAHA
 

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