Alright, I've got an '02 LX I4 (No ABS), and I get this annoying "Metal-Sqeak" coming from the left front wheel area of the car. This ONLY happens when I'm returning the steering wheel to center-steer from right-steer (coming out of a right turn), while going slowly up or down inclines. It doesn't happen on the flat roads, neither does it happen when coming out of a left turn.It only happens when I'm coming out of right turns with slopes and dips.

It kind of sounds like the "metal squeak" that a swing makes, or like a see-saw on a playground. What's causing this?

Thanks,
LX4CYL.

 

Warning tabs for worn-out brake pads?

Brake splash-shield bent & rubbing on rotor?

Just dumb guesses, but each of these is easy to check.

 

well, that would create a constant noise right?

Anyways, the car only has a little over 6000 miles on it, so I'll be asking the dealer about this soon...

 

An '02 with only 6000 miles? Warranties are a good thing!

The knuckles, rotors, & stuff will flex a tiny bit, so maybe the splash shield is bent so it only touches when you steer a certain way.

 

yeah, I think you're on to something! :thumbup: Seeing how it only happens when the front suspension moves, what you said makes the most sense to me!

About the warranty, do you think they will try to blame it on my rims? The shop that installed them torqued the bolts to 75 ft.-lbs if that has anything to do with it. I don't have ANY other kinds of suspension mods done to the car, so I think I'll be OK. Should I slap on the stock rims before going in? Lager?

 

oh yeah, how can I check to see if the splash shield is bent? I've never looked at one before...

 

I don't have an '02, but 75 lbf-ft sounds just about right for every car I've owned. I think they have to 'prove' that your wheels caused it, in order to deny a warranty. But you know how that goes... Now if you bent it by hitting something in the road, that's different.

Take off the wheel. The splash shield is a thin stamping covering up the inboard side of the rotor. That's what prevents you from looking directly at the rotor when you're underneath the middle of the car. It's usually about 1/4" away from the rotor, but you can probably tell if it's bent or damaged.

 

hey thanks for your help! I guess they won't hold the rims against me, since they've sold '03 Accords with aftermarket rims before.

Even if they do, I could just go to another dealer. I think I'll check out the splash shield later on today...

 

oh yeah, I don't own a torque wrench, so when I take the wheel off and put it back on, I'm going to be using the tool that come with the car. How can I tell how tight I'm tightening? Agh, I'll just go straight to the dealer and play dumb...

 

All you need to do is wrench down the lugs to a good solid tightening. Don't stand on the tire iron, but give it some weight. Just remember to tighten in a criss-cross pattern to allow even distribution of the torque across the wheel.