This is a Crysler Caravan 2002, 3.0 About 110 000 on it. We’ve been with this car for about ten month and it has always had a slight occasional friction or rubbing by his left front tire… But precisely today this issue seems to be worse… I lifted the front part of the car and made the car run with the tires lifted free in the air. With the tires spinning I made right and left turns several times, and no noise was heard at all, everything seems to be smooth and normal but… Back on the ground and talking it for a ride the rubbing noise or whatever it is, is there… I have done discs brakes other times but this ones are different than the ones I have done before… Please can you help me on this one… Most of my learning about cars is because of you guys, your tips and advice which I appreciate lots!! Thank you once more
Maybe a wheel bearing?
When you lifted the front end of the vehicle, you unloaded the suspension. Since that changes the position of the tires/wheels, relative to the wheel well, this makes me think that the problem could be as simple as a sagging fender liner that comes into contact with the tire under certain conditions. Since this is so simple, I would suggest that you eliminate this possibility before you move on to more complex possibilities.
A rubbing noise can also be caused by a tire with an internal belt seperation. Try swapping that tire with the one in the rear. If the rubbing noise moves with the tire, it pretty much confirms that tire has a belt seperation.
Tester
No, I don’t see any liner that could be loose. I lifted that tire again (the left) removed the tired to remove the brake pads but one of the bolts that hold the bushes (bottom one) had the head deformed and I couldn’t remove it. Which tool should I get to remove that bad bolt? Anyways I found that the exterior face of the rotor is full of circular scratches but the inner rotor face is much more smooth and polished. Would this have anything to do with that noise? I washed everything with brake cleaner spray and it may be wishfull thinking but the noise has deminished a bit. Thanks circuitsmith and Tester.
Looks like your caliper bushings are binding. They might just need some grease or they could be deformed by someone overtightening the bolt that goes through them. Considering the damage to the head of the bolt, and that it only gets tightened to about 13 ft/lbs of torque, could well be the latter.
ahh! they are supposed to rub,to create friction,to create HEAT to dissipate heat,so you can STOP.