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Old 07-14-2006, 07:01 AM   #1 (permalink)
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Location: Cake Town
Front Wheels Squealing...Help?

Hello, fine people. I come to you with a troubling question.

Since I got back from vacation (my car was left untouched for a week), it's been very humid and rained most days. Since around Monday, my front wheels squeal whenever I drive at low speeds. The first 3-5 miles the car is as quiet as it's always been, but after a certain time, it starts squealing. It doesn't make any noise whenever I brake, only when I cruise at sub-35 mph and pick up the speed from 0. When I'm standing at a red light and cars slowly pass by me, some of them squeal in the exact same manner as my car does. Could this be caused by moisture or is it something more serious?


My car is a 2002 Mazda Protege ES with 32K miles on it. I got it about a year ago (will be 1 year in mid August) and have been doing regular maintenance since then.

Any help would be appreciated.
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Old 07-14-2006, 08:06 AM   #2 (permalink)
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I'm a little confused -- do they squeal when you are maintaining a constant speed, such as 35MPH? Are you sure it's the tires?

If you're maintaining a constant speed (no acceleration or deceleration) your tires should never squeal. Squealing only occurs during quick acceleration or deceleration because they're losing or gaining traction quickly.

Does it sound more like it's coming from under the hood? What you're describing (especially if it happens at idle) sounds like a fanbelt squealing against it's pulley. Pop the hood and check for any loose or wet belts.
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Old 07-14-2006, 08:53 AM   #3 (permalink)
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I meant wheels as in the whole wheel/rotor/brake assembly. Sorry for the confusion. The sound clearly comes from the wheels as if something is grinding together.

And yes, they squeal when I'm maintaining constant speed. It's not the sound of tires spinning with no traction. I know what that sounds like. It's more of a grinding squealing.

It only happens when the car is in motion.
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Last edited by LoganSnake; 07-14-2006 at 08:55 AM..
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Old 07-14-2006, 12:56 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Maybe the brake pads are stuck. That happened to my Volvo before, mechanice said it's common in older 940s. Anyway, the return spring (that pulls the brake pad away from the rotor) gets fused in place, so the pad will grind away to nothing.
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Old 07-14-2006, 03:40 PM   #5 (permalink)
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or your pads are worn naturally and you need to replace them. Easy job.
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Old 07-14-2006, 04:37 PM   #6 (permalink)
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Is it expensive?
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Old 07-14-2006, 04:51 PM   #7 (permalink)
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Quote:
2002 Mazda Protege ES with 32K
Could also be bearings, but probably not at 32K. Brake parts themselves aren't expensive. Brake jobs often are. It's a huge money maker. The job is not at all difficult but the first time might be traumatic, and they are your brakes. Front pads plus turning the rotors (if needed) would cost ~$20-30. Shop sale prices usually start at $99/axle plus bonus things you may or may not need. Some are much more expensive. Do you know _anyone_ who could walk you through the job? Any TFPers in your area? Wrench party!

BTW, some brake squealing or grinding can be morning rust removal. Surfaces get a layer of oxidation after sitting overnight in humid conditions. It'll scrub off the first few miles but can sound nasty until it does. When it happens is backwards to your description but your mention of rain and other cars makes me mention it.

Noises are tough to diagnose remotely. If the noise starts after you've driven for awhile then you may have a sticky caliper slide. This lets a pad stay in contact with the rotor which then glazes the material from the continued friction. When that happens you can often deglaze with a few 40-0MPH 90% stops. If it won't go away, or it keeps coming back then they need to come out anyway. You might get away with sanding the glazed pad (it'll look shiny) or just replace them. Pads are cheap. Either way, do a careful cleaning/lubing of the caliper floating surfaces. May as well use anti-squeal on the pad backs.

Like I said, check friends for a little help. It goes quickly if you have another pair of hands and another car for when you forget to buy that last part.
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Last edited by cyrnel; 07-14-2006 at 05:05 PM.. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
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Old 07-23-2006, 03:54 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Update.

Bought new front and rear brake pads online and my ex-mechanic co-worker said he'd be up for the job to install them for me. After the took the front right brake pads off, he noticed that the pads weren't worn out evenly. There is an uneven area on the edge of an inner side of the rotor that needs to be polished. So, before I can install my pads, I need to take care of that. I'll be dropping off my car at the shop on Tuesday.
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Old 07-23-2006, 08:35 PM   #9 (permalink)
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Good deal.

I have to ask though, why didn't he pull the rotors? Turning a pair is ~$5-20 depending on the shop and whether you bought pads there.
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Old 07-24-2006, 05:43 AM   #10 (permalink)
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I'll get it done at the shop he used to work at, for about the price you mentioned, on Tuesday. Gonna go there after work and tell them that I'll be dropping off my car tomorrow.
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Old 07-24-2006, 07:34 AM   #11 (permalink)
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Ah, okay. Sorry to be the DIY fascist.
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