# Knocking sound when I drive **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** parkavenue, buick\ **Created:** [August 16, 2018, 1:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-when-i-drive/123048 "2018-08-16T01:41:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kent\_Ferguson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kent\_Ferguson](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Kent_Ferguson)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 1:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-when-i-drive/123048/1 "2018-08-16T01:41:08Z")
I have a 2002 buick park ave that sounds like the brakes on the drivers side are about to fall off when I drive. I changed the caliper about 3 months ago, I just changed the bracket today. It sounds like something is grinding but it’s only on the drivers side. When I took the old bracket off there was signs of rubbing from the rotor. What could be wrong ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 2:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-when-i-drive/123048/2 "2018-08-16T02:12:03Z")
Did the noise start after doing that work, or did you do that work to eliminate the noise? My guess is some part or another in the brakes hasn’t been installed correctly. Since it only happens on one side, you could take apart both sides and compare one side to the other. Maybe you’ll spot something like a shim that’s a little different in the configurations, right vs left. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Ferguson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kent\_Ferguson](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Kent_Ferguson)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 2:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-when-i-drive/123048/3 "2018-08-16T02:17:44Z")
The grinding actually started after I bought a new rotor. But I’ve changed the sway bars on the car, the rotor, and caliper with the bracket. Thinking that it’s a problem with alignment ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Ferguson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kent\_Ferguson](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Kent_Ferguson)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 2:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-when-i-drive/123048/4 "2018-08-16T02:19:27Z")
Didnt have this problem with old rotor ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 2:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-when-i-drive/123048/5 "2018-08-16T02:20:58Z")
Remove the wheel and figure out a way to hold the tip of a pencil really close to the rotor’s working surface, but not touching. Now rotate the rotor by hand and see if the distance from the pencil to the rotor surface remains constant the full 360 degrees. Do that same experiment, but place the pencil at the outer edge on the rotor to see if it is circular or not. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Ferguson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kent\_Ferguson](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Kent_Ferguson)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-when-i-drive/123048/6 "2018-08-16T02:23:00Z")
George, quick question. Do I need to put this car in neutral to rotate the wheel seeing that its front wheel drive? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Ferguson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kent\_Ferguson](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Kent_Ferguson)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 2:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-when-i-drive/123048/7 "2018-08-16T02:56:06Z")
![15343881099168557335749185338613](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/a/a6538a4e2d17ef178ec3fcd69713b72cc7ed8e34.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 3:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-when-i-drive/123048/8 "2018-08-16T03:32:28Z")
Either the caliper or the brake rotor is the wrong part, it appears that the brake rotor is rubbing on the wheel. Compare the size and shape of both front calipers and the offset of the disc in relation to the hub. ---
**Author:** ![COROLLAGUY1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/corollaguy1/32/7575_2.png) [@COROLLAGUY1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/COROLLAGUY1)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 12:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-when-i-drive/123048/9 "2018-08-16T12:36:12Z")
Take it to an independant shop for brake service.They will probably find the problem in no time. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 12:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-when-i-drive/123048/10 "2018-08-16T12:44:53Z")
@Nevada_545 seems on the right track. Check that for sure. I’ll ask another question… Have you checked the wheel bearing for play? Any slop AT ALL and it needs replacement. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Ferguson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kent\_Ferguson](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Kent_Ferguson)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 1:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-when-i-drive/123048/11 "2018-08-16T13:12:43Z")
No play in wheel. Going to get old rotor turned to see if that helps. If not taking caliper back. ---
**Author:** ![bloody\_knuckles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@bloody\_knuckles](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bloody_knuckles)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 2:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-when-i-drive/123048/12 "2018-08-16T14:38:47Z")
The rotor turns with the wheel, so it can’t rub on the wheel. Those rub marks are from the caliper. If the wheels are OEM then the caliper is incorrect. If the wheels are aftermarket then they may not be providing the proper clearance for the caliper. My guess is that the caliper is the wrong one. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 9:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-when-i-drive/123048/13 "2018-08-16T21:31:13Z")
Not that it will add anything that just an inspection wouldn’t find but one caliper I bought was just a little bit too big and it rubbed on the wheel. It was a re-man from Champion so not a great part. I ended up grinding a hair off of it so it wouldn’t hit the wheel and that worked for a couple hundred thousand miles or so. Depending on which bolts and what bracket you are talking about, I had them come loose and also hit. I use blue locktight now. At any rate yeah, wrong rotor, wrong caliper, or workmanship but someone has gotta take a look to see. Sometimes that’s how we learn though. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 1:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-when-i-drive/123048/14 "2018-08-17T01:48:18Z")
That’s an interesting pattern of marks on the wheel I must say. Are there corresponding marks on anything else in the wheel/brakes area? 14 marks? hmmm… can’t think of any reason for 14 marks. 360/14 == every 25.7 degrees. Something to do w/a wheel speed sensor?