Help with noise from wheel area

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Hi, all. I have a 09 Honda Fit sport with 83k miles.

2 drivers side front wheel bolts and abs sensor were changed along with the brake pads.
Since then there has be and noise a very noticeable “wuh wuh” noise coming from this wheel when speeds exceed 30 mph or so.

Mechanic wasn’t able to pinpoint the issue. I didn’t want him to make repairs on something without being sure if it was cause of the problem. The rotors are but in fair condition with some dust.

Its been nearly 2 months of this issue.
Any ideas? Thank you in advance.

2

It could be a bent dust shield that is rubbing on the rotor, or the rotor could be warped.

If it happened right after the brake job, you should have had him fix it then.

After 2 months it’s a little hard to blame the brake job or how it was performed.

Yosemite

1 Like
3

I didn’t see anything in your post that said the rotors were changed. Were they?
Why were the front wheel bolts changed? This is an unusual action and suggests either lug nuts that were left loose the last time the wheel was mounted (causing damage to the studs), lug nuts that were overtightened damaging the studs, or damage due to physical impact (like a curb or a pot hole).

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4

Thanks for the replies.

The rotors weren’t replaced.

The studs were changed because they were crossed thread by Walmart tire. (My mistake for going there for a rotation.). So 2 studs broke to remove wheel and were replaced with 2 new studs. The brake pads then changed.

5

You may have a warped rotor due to the improper Walmart wheel installation. Both sides should be replaced. It takes a lot of force to drive cross threaded nuts onto the studs like that. My guess is that the Walmart tire kid left the impact wrench on way too high a setting and drove those nuts home… oblivious to the damage he was doing. Lug nuts should be snugged up by hand and then tightened with a torque wrench to the proper setting.

If you still have your copy of the shop order, you can if you like take a copy of that along with your new shop order (for the new rotors) and file a claim with Walmart. That’s what I’d do.

6

Would a warped rotor cause any vibration?
The only symptom here is the noise.

Also the mechanic put the car on the lift and there was no noise yet on the highway or roads there was noise.

7

Not necessarily.

8

Usually warped rotors do cause vibration. Not always but usually. Shows up as a noticeable pulsation when stopping from higher speeds 50-70 mph.

It could also be the tire and be completely unrelated to the service.

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9

The tire is a possibility. As is the dust shield.

My money is still on the rotors, however. I should have explained in my other post that the rotors’ run very, very close to the pads’ surfaces. The only thing that retracts the pads at all is a “square cut O-ring” inside the caliper that distends when the piston is pushed out (brakes applied) and then returns to its original shape when the force is removed. It doesn’t lift the pads much at all. There are no springs or anything of that nature to assist the pads in spacing themselves from the rotors. Any lateral movement of the disc’s surface at all can cause the rotor to brush the pad as it rotates, and that can cause that sound you’re hearing.

I hope I’m wrong. I hope it’s just the dust shields. But even if it is the rotors it won’t require a second mortgage to correct, and it isn’t a dangerous condition, so in the bigger scheme of things it’s pretty minor.

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10

After the sound issue I change all 4 tires at the recommendation of the mechanic. The sound persisted. The old tires needed changing anyways. He did look at the car after I changed the tires and could not 100% pinpoint the issue. That was 1 month ago.

Also the rotors produce some dust.

I ordered some new rotors and hope to have the shop install them when they arrive.
Thanks guys. As a car enthusiasts I appreciate your help.

11

(I ordered some new rotors and hope to have the shop install them when they arrive)

And if that doesn’t solve the problem by you furnishing the parts I doubt the shop will warranty any part of it including labor.

12

Unfortunately, Volvo is right. And it’s a good thing to remember for future reference.
But I hope it solves the problem. Let us know how you make out.

13

It is doubtful that you have noisy brake rotors after a brake job. The rotors should have been resurfaced, it only takes 10-15 minutes.

Hammering out the the broken wheel studs may have damaged the wheel bearing, the proper procedure is to press them out/in but nobody does that.

Take an experienced tech for a road test and show him the noise (don’t take the deaf guy).

2 Likes
14

I also have a feeling that something has messed up the bearings.

15

I’m staying with the rotors as a likely cause. I saw absolutely nothing in the post that suggested that the rotors were machined, they weren’t changed, and the clarity of the post suggests that if they were either turned or changed it would have been stated.

16

My guess in order of likelihood is a bad tire, next, a bad wheel bearing. Since replacing the tires didn’t solve it, next up is to inspect the wheel bearings.

17

New rotors installed Monday and the noise is present but lower. Tech told me the brake pads were very uneven; he had to even it out too. They were put on 2 moths ago however and shouldn’t be worn much.

I think I know the issue. For some reason the pads are grazing against the rotor. I have owned the car for 5 months and the
Fr. wheels are also full of brake dust. Any ideas on why they would graze? I will take it to have the tech look at it.
Any conclusions based on this post?

18

Your caliper(s) is(are) hanging up. Unevenly worn pads are a dead giveaway.
Many clean and lube the slides, but in my experience that’s a temporary solution. You need (a) new caliper(s).

19

Thanks for all the replies.

Another question.
I had planned to have the brake fluid drained and replace since I planned to change all of the fluid of the car since it I don’t know what the prior owned has done. The tech told me that the bleeder valves(?) me be hard to open and the job end up costing a lo more due it being damaged. He advised to just have them add some new fluid. They did that. Should I have them have drain the fluid and put all fresh fluid with the caliper installation?

20

Ask them to try to open the bleeder valves (all four). They will put it up on a lift anyway, and removing the wheels is no big deal. If they encounter problems with the bleeder valves biniding, then you need to decide whether to repair them now or later. You will need to bleed the brakes at some point, and then the bleeders have to be replaced if malfunctioning.