Loud clicking when braking (yes, I looked at the other posts)

[lukepilon]

Hi, I've reviewed solutions in other threads and have been advised this noise is "something else."

I'm hoping someone in this forum has come across this noise...

Model Information: 2000 4Runner 3.4L Limited

Sequence of events:
- Anytime you drive the car after it has been sitting for more than an hour.
- For the first several miles on city streets. Until your first hard/freeway brake of a drive.
- Loudest when you are doing the kind of soft braking you do getting out of a parking lot or residential area or on surface streets.
- Getting louder and more frequent the more I drive. Still stops making the noise if I go on the freeway.

When you take off from a stop, get it going about 5-10 mph, and hit the brakes. Soft pressure leads to a 'grabby' like noise. Get going a little faster and stop and it turns into a sharper loud click. A sharp push of the brakes stops it for that brake cycle.

What and Where:
Seems like the front brakes.

Two different mechanics have reviewed the brakes. Each say the brakes look 'good.'

Sound recording 1: A harder brake and a slower brake: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVOXAqxk78w

Sound recording 2: From a month ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uoc42jcjDA

Any ideas what is causing this noise?

 

[nevada]

Hi, I've reviewed solutions in other threads and have been advised this noise is "something else."

I'm hoping someone in this forum has come across this noise...

Model Information: 2000 4Runner 3.4L Limited

Sequence of events:
- Anytime you drive the car after it has been sitting for more than an hour.
- For the first several miles on city streets. Until your first hard/freeway brake of a drive.
- Loudest when you are doing the kind of soft braking you do getting out of a parking lot or residential area or on surface streets.
- Getting louder and more frequent the more I drive. Still stops making the noise if I go on the freeway.

When you take off from a stop, get it going about 5-10 mph, and hit the brakes. Soft pressure leads to a 'grabby' like noise. Get going a little faster and stop and it turns into a sharper loud click. A sharp push of the brakes stops it for that brake cycle.

What and Where:
Seems like the front brakes.

Two different mechanics have reviewed the brakes. Each say the brakes look 'good.'

Sound recording 1: A harder brake and a slower brake: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVOXAqxk78w

Sound recording 2: From a month ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uoc42jcjDA

Any ideas what is causing this noise?

sounds strange. i would take another look at the brakes. make sure the caliper mounting bolts are tight.

any movement in the steering wheel when its making the noise?

 

[lukepilon]

[MENTION=84120]nevada[/MENTION] - thank you so much for taking the time! I appreciate it!

If the click is severe (ie: just worse on some days) you may feel something faint on the steering wheel. It does not impact steering in any way.

It is much more likely to be felt on the brake petal. If the car hasn't hit the freeway and brakes from 40mph, you'll hear this brake noise as you feel the mechanical pulse on the brake petal when you brake. I have always thought that mechanical pulse was the ABS.

Regarding your note on Caliper Mounting Bolts

+ Additional Note #1: Mechanic #1 looked at the brakes 2 different times. The first time the click was there the first time I drove it after I got the car back. The second time he looked he was more thorough. He remarked that he thought the rear drums looked "glazed" like they may be slipping - he did something to remedy that. He also looked more closely at the front brakes. After the second inspection the click went away for a 3-4 short drives. It came back louder after that.

+ Additional Note #2: While I was starting the thread the second mechanic was completing a more in depth inspection of the brakes. He again said things looked good. We let it sit for two hours after he finished - I couldn't get the click to reoccur immediately after he worked on it.

I am not sure if caliper mounting bolts are tightened during a brake inspection and could possibly loos en back up with use.

Does this provide you any additional insights?

Thank you again!

 

[mckennar]

This is a very, very long shot here... possibly caliper piston making contact with the caliper and that "creak creak" sound is a very slight difference in rotor thickness? Usually that would be accompanied with a fluid leak, though.

Have you narrowed it down to a specific corner? From the videos it sounds like driver's front... I guess because that's where the camera is pointed. Perhaps get someone to walk alongside you and try to determine from which corner this sound is emanating.

Anecdotes:

I had a pad spring that cracked and was rubbing on the vanes of my rotors that sounded similar.

I also had some brake pads with pad wear indicators that came pre-bent (i.e. damaged) so that they contacted the rotor at full pad thickness.

Both sounded similar but not the same.

Good luck!!

 

[nevada]

@nevada - thank you so much for taking the time! I appreciate it!

If the click is severe (ie: just worse on some days) you may feel something faint on the steering wheel. It does not impact steering in any way.

It is much more likely to be felt on the brake petal. If the car hasn't hit the freeway and brakes from 40mph, you'll hear this brake noise as you feel the mechanical pulse on the brake petal when you brake. I have always thought that mechanical pulse was the ABS.

Regarding your note on Caliper Mounting Bolts

+ Additional Note #1: Mechanic #1 looked at the brakes 2 different times. The first time the click was there the first time I drove it after I got the car back. The second time he looked he was more thorough. He remarked that he thought the rear drums looked "glazed" like they may be slipping - he did something to remedy that. He also looked more closely at the front brakes. After the second inspection the click went away for a 3-4 short drives. It came back louder after that.

+ Additional Note #2: While I was starting the thread the second mechanic was completing a more in depth inspection of the brakes. He again said things looked good. We let it sit for two hours after he finished - I couldn't get the click to reoccur immediately after he worked on it.

I am not sure if caliper mounting bolts are tightened during a brake inspection and could possibly loos en back up with use.

Does this provide you any additional insights?

Thank you again!

I have heard that sound before, im just having a hard time placing it.
im sure if I had the vehicle here in front of me, I could figure it out. much harder to do over the internet.

I hate to advocate just throwing parts at it, but if the noise if FOR SURE coming from the front brakes, you could try replacing them. and with that, resurface the rotors.

I have encountered brakes doing some strange things, and making weird noise, for no obvious reasons. sometimes I think the 2 materials(rotor and pad) just aren't compatible for whatever reason. sometimes a simple brake job is all that it takes to fix it.