Q – On my 85 Carrera, after a 10 to 20 mile trip, I get a vibration and high pitched noise from the chassis that is driving my crazy. If I push the brake pedal hard, the noise goes away for a fraction of a mile then it comes back. I was convinced that it was a bad wheel bearing so I had my shop take the car apart and inspect the wheel bearings. They were fine and naturally, the noise was still there.
Then they thought it a splash shield rubbing on the rotor and indeed, there was a shiny spot on the splash shield. They bent it out of the way and on the test drive there was no noise. Then I drove it just over 10 miles or so and the noise came back. Next they thought it might be the brake rotors or pads so they serviced the rotors, and serviced the pads and indeed, the noise changed! After that, it would start after about 30 miles! Then they installed new pads. They drove the car about fifty miles and were very excited to report that the noise was GONE. I was thrilled! Then I took a trip north to the Flint area and about 60 miles out, the noise came back. I am so p—– off, I can’t see straight! Of course, every time I take the car in, they drive it and the car is quiet as a mouse! I know they are making an earnest effort to fix the car but they are simply out of ideas. Help! Larry
A – Holy cow, you have really suffered and it sounds like the shop has too. I hope you didn’t pay for all the guess work. Yes Larry, I do have an answer. I can’t promise you that it is the correct answer but it worked for me. The last “hair ball brake noise” that I choked on was due to a stress crack on one of the brake pad spreader clips. The clip was not obviously broken. The crack was nearly invisible. (Note the term “nearly”.)
With a fresh set of clips on the front calipers, no more noise. In case you wonder why the clips cured it, when you apply your brakes, the spreader clip moves outward and allows the pads to exert even pressure on the rotors. When you release the brakes, the “square cut seal” in the caliper bore and these clips help the pads move away from the rotor. When the clips are weak (or damaged) the pads can be just close enough to the rotor to vibrate at that annoying frequency that you were hearing. – MC