Rotor Rubbing Caliber Bracket..losing my mind

[ProfessorOfFunkology]

Hey guys. Long time lurker, first time posting.

I've run into a problem with my 2012 GMC Terrain that is driving me nuts.

Earlier today I started hearing a loud grinding noise from my front passenger side wheel. Pulled over to find the rotor grinding up against the caliper bracket. Took the tire, caliper, and pads off (all fine). Checked for bearing play (there was none). The bracket looks unbent and there is no warping in the rotor. Also tried turning the rotor with not luck..they are really really close together.

Any idea where I should begin with this one? I'm pulling my hair out trying to figure this one out.

 

[Alpha One Seven]

It's probably the caliper bracket, not a caliber bracket that it's rubbing.
Start bu making sure all the bolts are in place and tightened down to the proper torque. If they are ok, rebuild the cylinders in that brake and use new pistons. It's possible the pistons are not going back into the bore correctly and need rebuilt or at least cleaned thoroughly and reassembled. It's a good time to flush and change the fluid too.

 

[jonivanart]

Hey guys. Long time lurker, first time posting.

I've run into a problem with my 2012 GMC Terrain that is driving me nuts.

Earlier today I started hearing a loud grinding noise from my front passenger side wheel. Pulled over to find the rotor grinding up against the caliper bracket. Took the tire, caliper, and pads off (all fine). Checked for bearing play (there was none). The bracket looks unbent and there is no warping in the rotor. Also tried turning the rotor with not luck..they are really really close together.

Any idea where I should begin with this one? I'm pulling my hair out trying to figure this one out.

I'm not sure what type of pins or sliding setup you have but usually there is pins that allow the rotor to move freely side to side when brake pressure is applied. Most of the time it is the bolt that holds the caliper on that has the pin made on it. If it doesn't move freely it can cause your issue. Sometimes the grease that is used from the factory gets hard and sticky causing this. Figure out what allows it to slide, clean it up and replace with some high temp grease. Be careful not to get grease on the rotor or pads in the process. Also when you pull the caliper off, check to see if the rotor(after installing a wheel nut to hold in place) is in the center area of the bracket. If it isn't, your wheel bearing or its mounting components may be an issue.

 

[boomerang]

This is not a problem related to your caliper in any way.

This has to be a hub and bearing assembly problem. There may not be any play in it that you can feel right now but the mounting flange for the wheel is not rotating in the same plane as the mounting flange that attaches to the steering knuckle. This would mean that the bearing failed in a rather massive way which I have never heard of but that means little. Usually you hear a rumbling/grinding kind of noise as the bearing slowly fails and the play increases.

Take the caliper and the caliper bracket off and secure the rotor to the hub with two lug nuts and check for play in the bearing. See if it will spin. I'll bet it's locked up or very difficult to spin but you couldn't tell because earlier, the rotor was jammed up against the caliper bracket.

Did this just start out of the blue or did something occur prior to the start of the noise? Was some work done on the car prior to the start of this noise?

 

[SabaII]

This is not a problem related to your caliper in any way.

This has to be a hub and bearing assembly problem. There may not be any play in it that you can feel right now but the mounting flange for the wheel is not rotating in the same plane as the mounting flange that attaches to the steering knuckle. This would mean that the bearing failed in a rather massive way which I have never heard of but that means little. Usually you hear a rumbling/grinding kind of noise as the bearing slowly fails and the play increases.

Take the caliper and the caliper bracket off and secure the rotor to the hub with two lug nuts and check for play in the bearing. See if it will spin. I'll bet it's locked up or very difficult to spin but you couldn't tell because earlier, the rotor was jammed up against the caliper bracket.

Did this just start out of the blue or did something occur prior to the start of the noise? Was some work done on the car prior to the start of this noise?

I agree with boomerang here. If it was something that just started out of the blue I would immediately be checking the hub/bearing assembly. If someone just did work on it I would be checking their work. Pictures would help a lot in this case so we can see exactly where the contact is being made but without them that is the route I would go.

 

[jonivanart]

This is not a problem related to your caliper in any way.

This has to be a hub and bearing assembly problem. There may not be any play in it that you can feel right now but the mounting flange for the wheel is not rotating in the same plane as the mounting flange that attaches to the steering knuckle. This would mean that the bearing failed in a rather massive way which I have never heard of but that means little. Usually you hear a rumbling/grinding kind of noise as the bearing slowly fails and the play increases.

Take the caliper and the caliper bracket off and secure the rotor to the hub with two lug nuts and check for play in the bearing. See if it will spin. I'll bet it's locked up or very difficult to spin but you couldn't tell because earlier, the rotor was jammed up against the caliper bracket.

Did this just start out of the blue or did something occur prior to the start of the noise? Was some work done on the car prior to the start of this noise?

I agree mostly but as he stated that he checked the wheel bearing so I was assuming at first that was ok. If the caliper doesn't float and is frozen it can cause one pad to wear and the pressure can pull the bracket toward the rotor causing it to rub once the pad has worn down. This would take both pins to be frozen. A first inspection of brake wear can make it easy to just say it needs a brake job which I think he also stated but the bearing check made me think outside the box. Commonly the wheel bearing is the issue though. I would reccomend these issues to be checked by a professional who can see what he is missing anyway. Since brakes are pretty important. Lol! Best wishes...

 

[JCH13]

Also check your axle nut. When I've seen this in the past it was because axle nuts were loose or missing.

 

[mindless1]

I vote bracket bolts loose or hub bearing shot. You should be able to take the rotor off, put the caliper back on, lay a straight edge against the hub to see if it is aligned with the space in the caliper for the rotor, or not.

 

[Raizinman]

Many of the parts on the left can be fitted to the right. Are you sure you or someone else didn't do a brake job or such and got components mixed up?