Hello All,

Just got back from out of town late last night and my wife says to me that the wagon sounds like it's on it's last legs. (now there's a welcome back!)

So I jump in to drive to work this morning, first touch on the brakes and it's grinding a plenty. Doesn't seem to be anything you can hear outside. (no stares from passersby) It almost seems like more of a rumble in the car. I drive along, no noises as I drive, hit the brakes it grinds/rumbles again but as I pull away from the stop sign it sounds like a squealing (bearings?)as I drive. Stop at the next light, pull away no noise as I drive. What the hell?

I had quite a bit of pad left last fall when I checked. So I'm thinking not the pads, could be wrong though. It almost seems like some foreign objects rubbing but somehow I don't think I could be that lucky.

I'm sure someone on the board will have the exact answer I need or the likely source of the problem. I just want to troubleshoot before I get home and have a chance to poke and prod.

Thanks

It's almost certainly the pads. Even if they were good not too long ago, you could have a stuck caliper, and that can wear down one pad, or a pair, very quickly. It could be in the inside half of the caliper, wearing on the back side of the rotor, so pull your wheels and check all the pads for material thickness. Fortunately rotors are not too expensive for a 240. Be certain to get new pad shims and high-temp silicone brake grease (that's exactly what it says on the tube I've got) to coat the back side of the pads. Otherwise, they WILL squeal. Trust me.
--
Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: "Roterande Fläkt Och Drivremmar!"

You certainly should check your pads. If they are OK, you might pull
them out anyway and look things over. Susan got a small rock stuck in
her brake calipers once that made some weird noises.

Also make sure that all the hardware is in place and that brake pads
are not coming out and rubbing against the inside of the wheels.
(That happened to Susan also.)
--
George Downs, The "original" Walrus3, Bartlesville, Oklahoma