Hey guys, looks like my first post is going to be out of desperation. I drive a 2000 Camaro V6 Auto. I am trying to get it into sellable..wait even drivable...condition. Seems to just be an endless money pit. I have had brake problems with my car since I got it. The brakes are very loud. Another problem they had was under heavy braking or turns, they mad a very rhythmic scrape noise ever rotation of the wheel. I heard due to the shakiness at the time that it was probably the rotors where warped. I just replaced the rotors and pads, and saw a problem with a caliper and replaced it with a spare I had. Now, the shakiness is gone, but during normal driving, the scrape occurs nonstop until you put on the brakes, the brakes operate smoothly, just make a scrape noise. Its not pads. Not rotors, and not the caliper, since they have all been changed and the noise is still there. It makes me think its the suspension, since it does seem to be affected by turns. I am trying to sell my car, and any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks,
John

 

Are you sure it's coming from the front? It could be something in the rear scraping.

 

Thanks for the response, yes, it is definatly front drivers tire. Its like the brake pads are too far away and just brushing the rotor or not sitting flat or something, even though they look fine.

 

Might be a caliper piston that's sticking or the pad might not be seated correctly. Which caliper did you "replace"? If it was the drivers side.. and it was scraping beforehand, thats a real stumper.

 

Yep, I replaced the drivers and its the one thats always been noisy. The bearings are good. I think the car might have sufferend front end damage and some parts where replaced. and other suspension componets could have an effect on this? Thanks,
John

 

If the scraping only happens when you apply the brakes, then it's either dragging at some point, or a suspension element is dragging during the nose dive during decelleration. (made worse by worn shocks)

If it's 24/7 then it could be a tire rubbing (again shocks maybe) or some other element of the suspension making the noise. So yes the suspension can be a factor in both scenarios.

 

The noise is nonstop, except when braking, they it goes away and the car stops smooth. I lifted the car back up and it feels like the tire doesnt spin freely as it should. Like the brakes are dragging....

 

This could be pretty normal. If you've nice new (thick) rotors, and nice new (thick) pads, there's very little, if any clearance, between them. I'd go out and bed the pads well by doing a series of increasingly hard stops, then drive a bit to cool them off. I bet with a bit of wear, the noise goes away.

Dave

 

The thing is, its only the drivers side, which is the side that had probs before. I started burnishing them in a few days ago and they started smoking during stops. THanks for response guys.
John

 

TTT. Some updated Info:

The Problem:
My cars front drivers brake makes a continous scrape noise every rotation. The noise used to occur only on heavy stops and with the wheels turned a certain direction. I thought the rotors where warped, so replaced them and new pads. The noise was quieter, but now it would occur nonstop when driving, and go away under braking. I replaced the caliper, noticing the guide pins where seized to no avail.

Update:
I replaced the pads with the original pads (so original pads, new rotors) and the noise is still present, just not as loud. I regreased the caliper guide pins and torqued down the brake parts and wheel correctly. I did notice the brake pad wasnt too firm in the car, I had to pump it twice to firm it up, but then it felt fine. Could this have some effect?

So I have ruled out the pads, the rotors, the caliper, the wheel bearings felt firm, the caliper mounting bracket was swapped as well, its not believed to be at fault. I am getting desperate, it feels like I wil never be able to drive this thing....SOmeone suggest bedding the pads, well it seemed to get worse when I was bedding them (a while back, before I posted problem here) and now since I switched back to the original pads, the thickness shouldnt be an issue. I took it out for a wuick drive after checking all the above staqted under the update section and noticed the noise. its raining so couldnt really get any really deep stops. I am gonna go attempt to bed the old pads into the new rotors when its dry and see what happens. Thanks,
John