Hey guys,
I have an 97 Altima. When I hit on the brakes, it seems to be okay, but once I let the pedal go, there are clicking noise coming for the front wheels. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Jason
Quite likely you are hearing the brake wear indicators telling you that the brake pads are worn and will soon need replacement. If this guess is correct, the situation is not urgent. This would be routine maintenance that needs to be done sometime in the next 30 days. You have ample time to scan the newspapers for ads to see if anyone is having a sale on brake service. Let’s hope your problem is not something else.
Thanks for the response. The Brake pads are pretty new on the car. My mechanic checked it six month ago (5,000 miles ago) when I had a different brake problem. The noise doesn’t come all the time, and when it happens. I only hear one or two clicks. This happens a lot when I am at a steep slope. Other possible suggestions?
I would suggest having the mechanic check it again.
[i] six month ago (5,000 miles ago) when I had a different brake problem.[/i]
What was that other problem?
Has anyone checked your CV joints?
I have the mechanic at a local gas station to take a look at it when I was there for a oil change. He said I have a bad ball joint at the front-right, but he couldn’t give me a good estimate (he was like, " hard to say, maybe $200, $300, $400 or maybe $500". I just dont trust this 20 years old guy, and going to take it somewhere else.
Does anyone has an estimate on how much a ball joint replacement is going to cost me on a 97 Altama/?
Assuming the diagnosis is correct and he is referring to the ball joint on the lower control arm, you should probably expect it to cost around $400 or so and here’s why.
The easiest route is to replace the entire control arm, which you could get for around $100 from an auto parts store. With some markup for the part, and say one or two hours of labor ($100/hr) + alignment, I think that’ll get you to the $400 range for the repair at a shop.
I’ve replaced the lower control arm on a 98 Altima before and if you’re so inclined, I say give it a shot. It’s not that difficult.
Having said that, there are other things that may be causing the clicks. It’s good that you are taking it somewhere else for a second opinion.
Alright, I took the car in to have the lower ball joint, and front brakes replaced. The bill ran up to ~$860
Could someone take a look at it and let me know whether it was reasonable?
Align &Tire
4 wheel alignment $89.95
right lower ball joint $42.20
labor for ball joint installation 208.67 ($94.85/hour)
Front Brakes
front prem semi met pads $89.95
front disc brake rotor $146.88 ($73.44 each)
labor for brake job $174.95
clean & adjust rear drum brakes $56.91
disposal fee $9.75
total ~$820 +tax
I don’t do this as a profession anymore, but they don’t seem too far off to me…and that’s why I do my own work.
Did this fix your click??
Yes, it did. It was coming from the brake. Thanks for the helps guys
I need to start learning how to do these myself
Hit your local AutoZone, O’Reilly’s, Advanced or whatever you have, and get a book for your car. Most of the basic stuff isn’t that hard, but there are a lot of “tricks” that the pro’s learn over years and years. I learn a couple every now and then, but I can’t hope to compete anytime soon.
For my money, until you’re very familiar with brakes, I’d leave those to the pro’s. The rest, well, it’s up to you.
Good luck!
Chase