Where's the hyperactive hamster in my car?
January 14, 2010 8:27 AM Subscribe
My car makes a faint squeaking noise, but only under certain conditions. How can I figure out what the problem is?
I have a 2003 Toyota Tacoma (Prerunner V6 with a "supercharger"). Recently I've noticed a faint squeaking noise that seems to generate when the car is coasting. That is, the engine is idle (not pressing gas nor brake pedal), but the vehicle is moving.
If the car is stopped, and the engine is idle, I do not hear the squeak. I also do not hear the squeak if I press the gas, but that might be a result of hearing the engine instead. If I press the brake, the squeaking stops. The squeaking appears affected by the road, such that the consistency sounds intermittent if I coast over bumps and potholes.
This leads me to believe the problem might be in the brakes, the tires, or the axle. Brakes still work, at least as far as slowing me down when I want to. The car's performance doesn't seem impacted, as it still runs, goes faster when I press the gas, and responds when I navigate the streets. I haven't yet had the opportunity to test alignment on a straightaway.
I intend to schedule an appointment with a mechanic, but I need to know how serious this might be. I also wouldn't mind having a general idea of what's going on, particularly if I'm unable to recreate the noise when I'm at the garage.
I have a 2003 Toyota Tacoma (Prerunner V6 with a "supercharger"). Recently I've noticed a faint squeaking noise that seems to generate when the car is coasting. That is, the engine is idle (not pressing gas nor brake pedal), but the vehicle is moving.
If the car is stopped, and the engine is idle, I do not hear the squeak. I also do not hear the squeak if I press the gas, but that might be a result of hearing the engine instead. If I press the brake, the squeaking stops. The squeaking appears affected by the road, such that the consistency sounds intermittent if I coast over bumps and potholes.
This leads me to believe the problem might be in the brakes, the tires, or the axle. Brakes still work, at least as far as slowing me down when I want to. The car's performance doesn't seem impacted, as it still runs, goes faster when I press the gas, and responds when I navigate the streets. I haven't yet had the opportunity to test alignment on a straightaway.
I intend to schedule an appointment with a mechanic, but I need to know how serious this might be. I also wouldn't mind having a general idea of what's going on, particularly if I'm unable to recreate the noise when I'm at the garage.
Probably not a serious problem. A brake pad is just barely being grazed by the rotating disk, causing a squeal. You step on the brake and it presses the pads firmly against the rotor, stopping the noise. Roll down the window in stop-and-go traffic and it will seem as if half the cars on the road do this.
Technically this could indicate the beginnings of a more serious issue; a piston or caliper slide might not be moving as freely as it should. Have it checked out, but don't be alarmed.
posted by jon1270 at 8:40 AM on January 14, 2010
Technically this could indicate the beginnings of a more serious issue; a piston or caliper slide might not be moving as freely as it should. Have it checked out, but don't be alarmed.
posted by jon1270 at 8:40 AM on January 14, 2010
It squeaks more when you go over potholes? My car was doing this, and it turned out I had a broken strut, caused by hitting an enormous pothole, which also damaged a tie rod, which didn't make any noise but could have been pretty dangerous if no one caught it. From my weak understanding of cars, a squeak can also be caused by something much less serious like a loose screw or a dirty thingamajig near the wheel.
posted by oinopaponton at 8:42 AM on January 14, 2010
posted by oinopaponton at 8:42 AM on January 14, 2010
If it's so faint that you can't hear it over the engine, don't worry at all. Anything that's going to kill you will make itself known in more obvious ways.
If it's a brake disk/rotor/caliper issue, you might be able to remedy it yourself by finding an empty, wide road and doing a couple of hard stops from about 60 mph. Get the brakes hot by working them harder than normal/taking off a bit of material, and a lot of times they'll stop making noise.
It could definitely be suspension related...a bushing in a control arm, a bad strut, etc.
Again, if it's faint and there's no weird vibration, it's nowhere near dangerous.
posted by paanta at 9:11 AM on January 14, 2010
If it's a brake disk/rotor/caliper issue, you might be able to remedy it yourself by finding an empty, wide road and doing a couple of hard stops from about 60 mph. Get the brakes hot by working them harder than normal/taking off a bit of material, and a lot of times they'll stop making noise.
It could definitely be suspension related...a bushing in a control arm, a bad strut, etc.
Again, if it's faint and there's no weird vibration, it's nowhere near dangerous.
posted by paanta at 9:11 AM on January 14, 2010
A loose belt would only chirp when the load condition changed - steady state loading rarely causes noise from belts, so the vehicle idling is not the right time for this to be prevalent.
The brake being pressed suggests a light scraping from either a brake pad, the brake pad backing plate vibrating, or similar. Loading the brake system prevents something (usually small if the noise is a 'squeak' and so high pitched) vibrating.
What are the condition of your brake pads? Old? New? If you don't know, checking your brakes would be wise and may find the cause of this at the same time.
In addition, applying the brakes will slightly load the suspension, too, so if it is a light squeak from a poorly lubricated strut (like dirt rubbing against the strut as it moves over bumps) then this would be an issue that (to my mind) is less of an issue. The fact that it changes over bumps doesn't rely preclude either possibility.
Either way, if you have to listen for the noise and can't feel it in any way, it is unlikely to be major. Personally, I'd make sure I knew the condition of the brakes and then ignore it until it got louder...
posted by Brockles at 9:21 AM on January 14, 2010
The brake being pressed suggests a light scraping from either a brake pad, the brake pad backing plate vibrating, or similar. Loading the brake system prevents something (usually small if the noise is a 'squeak' and so high pitched) vibrating.
What are the condition of your brake pads? Old? New? If you don't know, checking your brakes would be wise and may find the cause of this at the same time.
In addition, applying the brakes will slightly load the suspension, too, so if it is a light squeak from a poorly lubricated strut (like dirt rubbing against the strut as it moves over bumps) then this would be an issue that (to my mind) is less of an issue. The fact that it changes over bumps doesn't rely preclude either possibility.
Either way, if you have to listen for the noise and can't feel it in any way, it is unlikely to be major. Personally, I'd make sure I knew the condition of the brakes and then ignore it until it got louder...
posted by Brockles at 9:21 AM on January 14, 2010
god I wish I remembered what my mechanic said this was but something with the undercarriage and brackets being loose and needed to be replaced. My guy just tightened them and didn't charge (then again he's a friend).
posted by stormpooper at 9:23 AM on January 14, 2010
posted by stormpooper at 9:23 AM on January 14, 2010
Disc brake pads have wear indicators -- a metal tab that touches the disc to give you an audible warning that the pads are starting to wear out. That would be my first guess, since you say it goes away if you step on the brakes.
posted by zombiedance at 9:58 AM on January 14, 2010
posted by zombiedance at 9:58 AM on January 14, 2010
Judging from when it squeaks, I think it might be a worn CV joint. There is a bit of slack when coasting, but the torque of either gas or brakes will stop the joint from squeaking.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:01 AM on January 14, 2010
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:01 AM on January 14, 2010
I have never once heard a CV joint squeaking - failure signs are usually a clicking noise on steering lock (maximum angularity of the joint) or maximum compression/unloading of the suspension and axial play when you/a mechanic swings on it.
If the joint squeaked when unloaded, it would suggest absolutely zero lubrication and so much more obvious signs of imminent failure would abound. I'd be confident in eliminating this as a possible cause.
posted by Brockles at 11:19 AM on January 14, 2010
If the joint squeaked when unloaded, it would suggest absolutely zero lubrication and so much more obvious signs of imminent failure would abound. I'd be confident in eliminating this as a possible cause.
posted by Brockles at 11:19 AM on January 14, 2010
how fast do you need to be going to hear the squeaking? could you open the hood and drive under 5mph while someone walks along with the car to get a better idea of the noise is coming from the brakes, or axle or engine area?
without know where the sound originates, I'd guess belt or belt tensioner pully
posted by jrishel at 11:31 AM on January 14, 2010
without know where the sound originates, I'd guess belt or belt tensioner pully
posted by jrishel at 11:31 AM on January 14, 2010
You know, our car was making exactly the same noise for the last while. Only when coasting, gone on acceleration or braking, ours also went away once we got onto the open road for a while. We figured it was water getting up onto a belt since it was worse when it rained, but getting the belts checked and tightened didn't do anything. The brake pads were replaced recently so it wasn't them being worn. But being a brake pad slightly scraping make sense, particularly given we had the wheels realigned last weekend because of uneven tyre wear. I'll have to ask my boyfriend if the problem has gone away, maybe the misalignment was just enough to cause a brake pad to scrape? So yeah, take a look at your tyres?
posted by shelleycat at 11:42 AM on January 14, 2010
posted by shelleycat at 11:42 AM on January 14, 2010
How many miles on the vehicle? When were the front brakes last serviced? When were the engine belt(s) last changed? Lots of variables to work with here.
posted by torquemaniac at 11:46 AM on January 14, 2010
posted by torquemaniac at 11:46 AM on January 14, 2010
we had the wheels realigned last weekend because of uneven tyre wear. I'll have to ask my boyfriend if the problem has gone away, maybe the misalignment was just enough to cause a brake pad to scrape?
There is absolutely no way a wheel alignment issue can cause your brake pads to scrape.
I wonder, now I think about it, if it is just conditions-related corrosion/salt deposits. I can't tell if you are in a cold climate, but if so or if you have had lots of rain recently, this may be related. Do you use the car a lot? Is the noise more prevalent once it has been parked for a while (overnight or so) and does it go away or change on a longer run (say prolonged running for over an hour where everything will get nice and hot - not so much freeway, but something with reasonably frequent brake usage?
posted by Brockles at 12:01 PM on January 14, 2010
There is absolutely no way a wheel alignment issue can cause your brake pads to scrape.
I wonder, now I think about it, if it is just conditions-related corrosion/salt deposits. I can't tell if you are in a cold climate, but if so or if you have had lots of rain recently, this may be related. Do you use the car a lot? Is the noise more prevalent once it has been parked for a while (overnight or so) and does it go away or change on a longer run (say prolonged running for over an hour where everything will get nice and hot - not so much freeway, but something with reasonably frequent brake usage?
posted by Brockles at 12:01 PM on January 14, 2010
Response by poster: Car has around 51K miles on it. It's been about a half-year since my last tune-up and service. During that routine maintenance, the mechanics checked the brakes and belts, and found them to be in good condition. Unfortunately, I don't have the paperwork with me at this time, but later I can check if there were any notes as far as a percentage-degrade for the brake pads.
Given everyone's responses, I'm inclined to think it's the brake pads. If that is the case and the pads are going bad, is there a rough estimate on how much longer I have until they fail?
I'm going to schedule a service appointment anyway, but sometimes the garage is busy and I might have a 2-4 week wait if I'm unlucky.
posted by CancerMan at 1:51 PM on January 14, 2010
Given everyone's responses, I'm inclined to think it's the brake pads. If that is the case and the pads are going bad, is there a rough estimate on how much longer I have until they fail?
I'm going to schedule a service appointment anyway, but sometimes the garage is busy and I might have a 2-4 week wait if I'm unlucky.
posted by CancerMan at 1:51 PM on January 14, 2010
is there a rough estimate on how much longer I have until they fail?
Even if it is the brake pads, it isn't necessarily any indication of them being likely to fail. There may be some deposit on them that is rubbing or dirt in the brake caliper. There isn't really any definite indication of a fault, just that they are making a noise.
You'll be fine getting this checked but, as I said, it'd be fine to sit on this and see if the noise gets worse or goes away. Generally speaking, any noise that you have to put effort into to hear in a car can most likely be ignored if there is no other evidence (clunking, for example).
2-4 weeks would be fine if the noise doesn't change. If it changes and gets louder/more repeatable is the only point I'd even consider spending money on getting this checked.
posted by Brockles at 2:01 PM on January 14, 2010
Even if it is the brake pads, it isn't necessarily any indication of them being likely to fail. There may be some deposit on them that is rubbing or dirt in the brake caliper. There isn't really any definite indication of a fault, just that they are making a noise.
You'll be fine getting this checked but, as I said, it'd be fine to sit on this and see if the noise gets worse or goes away. Generally speaking, any noise that you have to put effort into to hear in a car can most likely be ignored if there is no other evidence (clunking, for example).
2-4 weeks would be fine if the noise doesn't change. If it changes and gets louder/more repeatable is the only point I'd even consider spending money on getting this checked.
posted by Brockles at 2:01 PM on January 14, 2010
There is absolutely no way a wheel alignment issue can cause your brake pads to scrape.
Um yeah, apparently it also made the noise when it's standing still. So my theory was total bunk, sorry!
posted by shelleycat at 7:02 PM on January 14, 2010
Um yeah, apparently it also made the noise when it's standing still. So my theory was total bunk, sorry!
posted by shelleycat at 7:02 PM on January 14, 2010
Response by poster: The mechanics finally looked at my car, and traced the noise to the supercharger. Seems some kind of mechanical failure in that part, not a belt. Techs say if I let it go the rest of the engine shouldn't be affected.
I'll have to see if the dealer can still service this special part, but at least I should still be able to drive around, albeit noisily.
Thank you everyone, for your input!
posted by CancerMan at 3:52 PM on February 17, 2010
I'll have to see if the dealer can still service this special part, but at least I should still be able to drive around, albeit noisily.
Thank you everyone, for your input!
posted by CancerMan at 3:52 PM on February 17, 2010
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Or just poke around their website, maybe you find other people who have had the same problem.
www.cartalk.com
posted by basthrohmnse at 8:31 AM on January 14, 2010