Rhythmic squeak in right front wheel
My 2002 Honda Accord is making a noise that worries me.
When I'm puttering along with the radio off (and no kids in the car yammering), there is a slight tapping sound that speeds up as I accelerate. It started 6 or so months ago. That was the only unusual noise.
The last time I had service on the car, the front brake pads needed replacing. I think that after that, the noise (or another noise?) became more interesting.
When I put the brakes on very lightly, there is no change. When I put them on a little harder, the noise gets noticeably louder. It sounds like a rusty hinge going squeak squeak. It seems to be coming from the area of the left front wheel. When I put the brake on harder yet, the sound goes away all together. Making the sound louder with the brake can be real finicky. The brake pressure has to be just so.
I had the shop take a look-see and they couldn't see anything wrong with the brakes. They took them apart, inspected them and re-greased them. The sound continues. I had one person suggest that it could be the CV joint, but decided that since it didn’t make any extra noise while going around corners that that probably wasn’t it.
Any ideas (in layman's terms please)? Should I be worried about safety? I've had one person mention some sort of restraining clip that can tap, but this is a squeak, not a tap.