# Rotational Squeak **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** bonneville, wheels\ **Created:** [September 23, 2008, 7:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926 "2008-09-23T19:38:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![popof9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5fc32e/32.png) [@popof9](https://community.cartalk.com/u/popof9)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 7:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/1 "2008-09-23T19:38:17Z")
My daughter’s '87 Bonneville has an audible squeak coming from the drivers side front wheel. It squeaks in sync with the rotation of the wheel, that is, if I am driving fast the squeak is fast, driving slow the squeak is slow. It squeaks louder when turning right. I barely hear the squeak or don’t hear the squeak at all if I am turning left. It is definitely a squeak and not a click. There is no sqeak at all when the car is stopped. The squeak is the same whether I am coasting in neutral or have it in gear. What should I check? ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/2 "2008-09-23T19:41:26Z")
Have the front brakes checked. The wear indicator is a piece of metal designed to rub on the rotor and squeak like this when the pads get too thin. ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/3 "2008-09-23T20:04:13Z")
Touch Your Brakes, While Squeaking! Usually doing that will make the squeak momentarily stop if the brake-wear indicators are telling you to: “Have somebody check your brakes.” ---
**Author:** ![researcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/edb3f5/32.png) [@researcher](https://community.cartalk.com/u/researcher)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/4 "2008-09-24T17:13:42Z")
If you have wheel covers, remove the front pair and see if the sound goes away. ---
**Author:** ![popof9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5fc32e/32.png) [@popof9](https://community.cartalk.com/u/popof9)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2008, 12:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/5 "2008-09-29T12:08:42Z")
Sorry I have not posted back yet – had an urgent plumbing project on the kitchen sink that took precendence. I will check the front brakes and post back. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2008, 12:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/6 "2008-09-29T12:27:55Z")
When It Rains…It Pours! ---
**Author:** ![popof9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5fc32e/32.png) [@popof9](https://community.cartalk.com/u/popof9)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/7 "2008-10-05T20:18:00Z")
Well I finally had a chance to check the front brakes and there is plernty of thickness on the pads. The pads look almost as thick as brand new ones. If this isn’t the brakes, what else might it be? ---
**Author:** ![popof9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5fc32e/32.png) [@popof9](https://community.cartalk.com/u/popof9)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 12:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/8 "2008-10-06T12:44:00Z")
bump. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/9 "2008-10-06T16:49:07Z")
Did you check to see that the wear indicators weren’t bent and touching the rotors? While it’s jacked up, you may also want to spin the wheels to see if it squeaks. It being an '87, it could be a bearing. You should hear that with the wheel jacked up. ---
**Author:** ![popof9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5fc32e/32.png) [@popof9](https://community.cartalk.com/u/popof9)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 12:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/10 "2008-10-07T12:34:20Z")
Nope. I just looked through the wheel covers and saw that there was plenty of thickness on the pads. I’ll go back and pull the p-ads and have a closer look. I’ll do the spin check as well. Thanks, tsm! ---
**Author:** ![popof9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5fc32e/32.png) [@popof9](https://community.cartalk.com/u/popof9)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 4:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/11 "2008-10-10T16:05:16Z")
I pulled the wheel off and visually checked the brake-wear indicator. It is a good distance away from touching the disc. So that is definitely not the source of the squeak. When I hand-turned the wheel I did not hear the squeak. But that does not surprise me since, while driving, the squeak disappears when the weight of the car is shifted away from that wheel such as in a turn. The squeak also disappears when braking. Any other ideas? ---
**Author:** ![popof9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5fc32e/32.png) [@popof9](https://community.cartalk.com/u/popof9)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/12 "2008-10-11T18:31:11Z")
bump. ---
**Author:** ![rrabcam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@rrabcam](https://community.cartalk.com/u/rrabcam)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/13 "2009-02-06T22:56:18Z")
I have the same problem on '99 Jeep Cherokee. Both front(?) wheels squeak or chirp at the speed the car is traveling. As soon as I hit the breaks approaching a stop sign it goes away. I have had my breaks checked twice (at different places) and I was told my breaks are fine. I am thinking it is a bearing but that doesn’t explain why it stops squeaking during breaking… Help! ---
**Author:** ![melhorn79\_175391](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@melhorn79\_175391](https://community.cartalk.com/u/melhorn79_175391)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 1:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/14 "2021-05-23T13:59:13Z")
I have a 2012 Nissan versa with exactly the same issue with my front driver side tire. I read one another thread that it could be a cracked brake pad and sometimes it’s very hard to see when it’s cracked. Also everyone breezed over comment about taking your hubcaps off I have had that in the past be the culprit. Unfortunately this time I’m not so lucky I jacked it up and tugged on my tireand it’s not my bearing ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 3:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/15 "2021-05-23T15:07:41Z")
Rather then someone reading through a thread that is 12 years old it would be best to start your own so replies will only be to your problem and your vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 5:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotational-squeak/19926/16 "2021-05-23T17:55:33Z")
> [@melhorn79\_175391](#): > > I have a 2012 Nissan versa with exactly the same issue with my front driver side tire. Hi Melhorn: As noted earlier, do have your brake pads checked out. The wear indicators are designed to intentionally squeek when the pad thickness gets thin. I see no problem continuing an existing thread where the same problem is being discussed. There is no site rule one way or the other.