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This started a couple months ago. Usually it's more of a tick-tock sound, but we had some storms that night and the air was humid.
I've had the wheel off 4 times, each time checking the caliper bolts to make sure they were properly greased. The first two times I pulled the boots out, cleaned them, regreased, and put them back in. They were dirty and dry again the next time I checked, so I swapped the boots and bolts with new ones. The next check showed they are doing their job. But the noise persists.
I swapped out the rotor then the brake pads. The noise persists.
The pads on the e-brake shoes are still firmly attached.
It's definitely coming from that brake. I had a friend drive it around a parking lot. Every time she pressed the brake pedal you could hear a click/tick sound.
The last time I had the wheel off I took a wire brush and knocked off some of the rust on the rotor that builds up where the pads do not touch. I think it might have helped, but if it did, it wasn't for long.
Possibly related: The rear rebound clip on the leaf spring is broken. I think it may have happened around the same time this noise started. I haven't ruled it out as a contributing factor, or that there may be something else I'm not seeing that is causing both. I'd like your thoughts.
Last edited by rcs77; Jul 23, 2023 at 08:27 PM.
Reason: Adding "(SOLVED)" to the title to indicate a solution has been found.
Is not the brake shield. I did check for that, but that would be more of a continuous whoosh-scraping sound, not something that only happens when applying light to medium pressure on the brake pedal.
I'm not sure about the shock? How does a shock stick and make a sound like that when the brakes are applied?
A couple months ago when I was still trying to figure out where the sound was coming from, I was sure it was the passenger side rear and swapped the rotor on that side. When the noise continued, I never swapped it back out.
Last night, after reading the suggestions in here, I realized I still apparently had a good rotor, so I swapped out the driver's side rear. No more noise.
I'm guessing what was happening was the pitting in the rotor was catching the pads, making that noise, which is why it only happened with light-to-medium pressure was applied. See pics at bottom.
While I was down there I decided to install the new shocks that had been sitting in the back seat for 3 months. That 30 minute job turned into 3 hours pretty quick, mainly because I don't have a 17mm ratchet wrench (on the Durolast monotube shocks I bought, the only place to hold the shock so it doesn't turn while you're putting the locking nut on is right above the same threads, which I believe took a 1/4" crescent wrench).
Last year when I still had my 2007 Jeep Compass, I put new calipers, rotors, and pads on it. I drove it for the first time and I heard metal on metal. I was like WTH!
Go to find out one of the front rotors were larger by about 1cm.
I got creative and got my angle grinder and my 40 grit flap disc, started the vehicle, and put it in gear while I ground it off until it made no more noise.
If I didn't buy them off RockAuto, I would've went back to the store and swapped them out. I just didn't feel like waiting, so 20 minutes with a flap disc did the job.
