Winston and the Phantom Noise

[msinabottle]

Hello!

I'll do a full write-up on my trip in Winston to Estes Park, Colorado, soon, but as we arrived there, I heard a sort of scraping noise. which seemed to be loudest with the passenger's front window open. Driving home, the noise was loud, a sort of scrape-scrape-scraaaaaape that got louder the harder I braked.

Well, I checked the hoses, looked for scoring on the rotors, everything I could do with Winston intact in a parking lot. Everything looked fine, the rotors were clean and unscored. I decided to make the run home, which went well--if I touched the brake pedal softly, no noise at all, and he braked just fine with hard or soft pedal. When I got him home, I did some start-and-stops in the quiet street and there was no noise at all.

I suspect a worn pad, I've never done his front brakes, or it could have been some mud on the rotors. I've been searching, but I can't really find anything that matches--wheel bearing noise STOPS when you brake.

Ideas welcome!

Best!
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

[DAIZEE]

I was going to suggest creaky old bones as you've not been taking him to your summer job, but I see you were on a trip. Had he sat long before the trip? Looking forward to the pics.

[ThorAlex]

I'd guess a piece of gravel got in there and made the noise, and then as u used the brakes it got crushed or simply fell out. Nothing to worry about if the disks look fine. I've had it happen several times with different cars, it's not unusual but can in some cases cause scores and scratches in the disc or pads, although I've never herd of this damaging the brakes more than cosmetically.
_________________
1990 syncro 1.6TD "Smily"

Ex-vans:
1990 Caravelle coach 1.6TD
1986 Transporter Double cab syncro 2.1 112hp

"I'm wrong so often... It's great!" - Adam Savage