Over the last few days I've noticed a loud grind coming from what I believe to be my rear brakes. It is off and on, not consistent. There are no heat spots on the rotors, no uneven wear, nothing like that. Aside from the grinding noise (which is kind of like when you move metal furniture across a tile floor without lifting it, I guess...), sometimes when I start accelerating, I can hear a scraping noise that gets faster as I go faster. It is also inconsistent, however. Am I right in thinking it's a problem with my brake pads, or could it be something more sinister?

 

wheel bearing? does the sound "change" as you accelerate and decelerate?

 

i get a squeak with the same symptoms as you... my brakes are fine though so idk

 

What do you mean by "change"? The frequency changes as I accelerate, but it's generally the same noise.

 

possibly a stone/debris caught between the rotor and the metal shield that sits behind the rotor. Sometimes just bending it away from the rotor a bit is enough to make the stone fall out, fixing the noise.

 

Thanks. I'll give that a try. I'd need to get in under the car and pull the metal shield toward the middle of the car, away from the wheel, right? I'm thinking you mean the shield that's behind the rotor?

 

yeah, the shield behind the rotor. You can almost do it thru the open spaces of the rim. Easier with fat 5's, but still possible with the 6 spoke I bet.

 

I tried pushing the shield back from the rotor a bit, but nothing fell out. Also, it's been getting worse. The grinding/shuffling noise is appearing when I'm not braking, too. When I accelerate from a stop the shuffling accelerates with me. That makes it seem like the rotor and pad are still good, but that something is loose or stuck, like the rock.

Thanks

 

sounds like your bearings or something to do with the suspension. Get away from the Brakes as they seem fine. Think differently

 

See my post: Parking brake stuck on / fluid leak. I'm having the same issue now. It appears to be the halidex bearing.

Ps. it's not going to be the brakes if the noise doesen't change when you apply the brakes. I also don't think a rock stuck somewhere is going to cause a loud noise for several miles. I would guess your problem is either the same as mine or a wheel bearing.