Question on Tie Rods and Wheel Bearings

Serendipity

I know a lot of you are into cars so maybe someone (Jstas?) could shed some light on this problem:

I have a 2000 Nissan Maxima with what I think is a front end problem. I've been hearing some scraping sounds from the front right wheel whenever making turns for a while, and now when the car is driven in a straight line. The wheel bearings (both) have been replaced, along with the brake pads and rotor.

So I pulled the wheel off and everything looked fine, with the car jacked up the rotor spins freely in Neutral, except for some resistance at certain points. When I pulled the brake pad off I noticed that the inside part of the caliper (the piston) seemed to be rusted and the rubber boot around it was wearing away. I am thinking this is causing the front right brake to be dragging at times. The piston was also difficult to retract - I had to purchase a tool from Pep Boys to do this to let the brake pads go back in.

With that in mind, the scraping sound happens whenever driving and is louder during turns. I put the wheel back on and checked for play (left to right) and it seemed to be fine. I know that the wheel bearings were replaced recently, but is there a chance that one of them failed prematurely?

Now before I go to the parts store, I want to make sure that I am not missing something else like tie rods that may be causing the problem. I can do basic repairs such as changing the brake pads and rotor, but will probably go to a mechanic if it is suspension related (need a spring compressor), but hoping it is something simple like a wheel bearing so I don't have to go to a mechanic. The car also pulls to the right, but I think that is an alignment issue and not related to this problem.

Any ideas what this could be?

I've been driving the Corvette recently and Mom is tired of me using her car. I want to get this fixed ASAP.

Thanks!

gdb

Might be a CV joint with a boot blown out.

strider

Sounds like the caliper is binding intermittently. When you changed the brake pads, were the inside and outside pads worn evenly on the side with the rusty caliper piston?

newrival

could be cv, check that the boots are intact.

With car in the air you can check for play with the wheel on the axles. Bearings could be a problem, but unlikely if theyre new. But perhaps a race got bent in the install or improperly seated or greased.

Brakes can certainly give off the noise youve described, and my wifes honda had a similar issue with a caliper. Not sure if it would get louder or more prevalent on turns but I think I could see why it might. If the resistance observed at certain points is always at a certain position in the rotation, that would lend itself to a brake/rotar issue. At least that would be the most parsimonious theory.

strider

Missed the part about it pulling to the right. Most definitely sounds like the calipers binding and dragging on the right front. Slows down just that wheel, accounts for the pull. When you turn the wheel it'll flex a bit, pushing the dragging pad into the rotor more.

joeparaski

Jack the car up, and spin the wheel with one hand while the other hand is on the coil spring. If it's the bearing you should "feel" it reverberate in the coil (I'm not sure of the word to use)....the sound and feel is very different from any type of brake noise that you may hear...(note...some brake noise is normal because there is always some type of friction between the pad and rotor.)

Tie rod ends don't make that kind of noise. Pulling could be alignment issue or tire issue. And of course the noise could be coming from the tires themselves....look at the tread wear, if there are any "raised" points along the tread, this could be the source of the noise too.

Joe

jbooker82

Jack the car up with and with the wheel off the ground. Try to wiggle the tire back and fourth. Like your turning. Then wiggle it top to bottom to check the wheel bearings.

Does your car have pins that the brake calipar float on. The caliper nees to be able to float around. If ther are pins or long bolts with rubber boots. The pins need to be lubercated with a high temp silicone grease. Otherwise the calipar will bind and drag.

Serendipity

I had the CV joints replaced because they were clicking, so it's not that...

For some reason the right side of whatever always goes first because of all the right turns... yes, I make more right turns than left turns.

strider wrote: »

Sounds like the caliper is binding intermittently. When you changed the brake pads, were the inside and outside pads worn evenly on the side with the rusty caliper piston?

No, the pads were uneven.

strider

Serendipity wrote: »

No, the pads were uneven.

There you go. The caliper piston boot is dry rotted or torn, allowing moisture and dirt to cause the piston to corrode and bind in the caliper. Wears the pad unevenly, causes pulling and noise from the wheel with the bad caliper.

It could also be caused by the caliper slides sticking, but with the piston looking like that it wouldn't be my first guess.

gdb

Pads are almost always uneven, with the inners wearing down quicker than outer ones.

decal

Take it to a competent mechanic,please.

Joe08867

Inner pads usually wear quicker but if you are having binding troubles I would guess the caliper is not floating as it should or the piston is sticking.

If it were me I would probably replace the caliper if tearing it down and greasing what should be greased didn't work.

Squidmon

I have an '01 Maxima 20th Anni edition and have had to replace all 4 calipers over the last 2 years. Sounds like you're starting to experience the same thing. Another thing to look for on the front end of those cars is the pins on the center-link may be worn causing some shimmying and 'clunks'.