Squealing noise from rear passenger area every tire revolution and when applying brakes

[JEDI]

2015 mazda3i automatic, 85k miles
rear brakes are drums (I think)

I hear a squealing noise from rear passenger area every time the tire turns a revolution and constant noise when applying brakes. (I have never changed the brakes yet.)
I was driving round trip from dc to ny (500miles). heard the noise leaving dc. figured I'd check it out when I got back to dc.
but when I got back to dc yesterday, the noise stopped.

then tomorrow im driving 200miles.

I figured premature wear on passenger rear drums and the noise is the brake wear indicator.
if so, what could cause it? sticky caliper? (car reverses fine on flat surface with no gas applied)

but if not, what is it??? (don't have time to take it to mechanic since today is Sun and im leaving tomorrow.)

 

[ondma]

2015 mazda3i automatic, 85k miles
rear brakes are drums (I think)

I hear a squealing noise from rear passenger area every time the tire turns a revolution and constant noise when applying brakes. (I have never changed the brakes yet.)
I was driving round trip from dc to ny (500miles). heard the noise leaving dc. figured I'd check it out when I got back to dc.
but when I got back to dc yesterday, the noise stopped.

then tomorrow im driving 200miles.

I figured premature wear on passenger rear drums and the noise is the brake wear indicator.
if so, what could cause it? sticky caliper? (car reverses fine on flat surface with no gas applied)

but if not, what is it??? (don't have time to take it to mechanic since today is Sun and im leaving tomorrow.)

If it is the brakes, not sure I would call it "premature" wear at 85k, although that is a bit early if they are drums. For the wear sensors, I thought the noise was supposed to go away when you applied the brakes.

 

[NutBucket]

I didn't think drums had wear indicators....

 

[Sgt. York]

I didn't think drums had wear indicators....

Of course they do, they're called rivets. They still use rivets, don't they?

 

[zinfamous]

Mazda3 has had all disc brakes since at least the line replaced the protege, I believe.

I'm a bit surprised that you've driven them 85k miles without ever replacing them. I think I replaced mine just shy of 50k miles. But it would be unusual for only one brake to fail, especially on a non-powered wheel?

Sounds like maybe the wheel is bent or maybe rubbing up against something on that side, or maybe that one caliper has something loose in it?

Oh if you were driving in DC, then you hit a pothole on that side and jacked your wheel or suspension or something. Around here, we have potholes that are surrounded by the occasional road.

 

[mindless1]

^ Agreed, it appears to have rotors not drums, and 85K doesn't seem all that premature, unless there is a large % of uncongested highway miles.

I'd want to check it myself before driving 200 mi, even if it's just jacking it up, pulling the wheel and looking at what's there. Brake pad wear indicator noise isn't that big a deal if it just started and you go easy on the brakes, but if it's something more, say a wheel hub bearing, you could end up stranded, or if your wheel is bent you could get bad tire wear... how bad depending on how badly it's bent, which could even cause sudden tire failure.

It probably is just the brake pad worn out, but better to know before driving very far.

 

[Paperdoc]

I'd agree with most above - with 85,000 miles you're very likely to have worn out brake pads, resulting in wear warning squeals. So definitely check for that. In doing so, be sure to check BOTH pads on EACH rear wheel. Of course you replace pads on BOTH wheels if you're doing that. But sometimes the wear on a pair of pads is uneven, and one is significantly more worn that the other on the same wheel, so look at them all. Uneven wear usually means the Caliper unit is not sliding freely on its mounting bolts.

Here's one other source of such a noise I ran into on a much older vehicle. Behind the rotor and mounted on the hub / hearing support shaft there is a circular plate of light-weight metal apparently acting as a shield to prevent too much water and mud from getting on the rotor. But if that is corroded or weak and bent, it can start rubbing on the turning rotor.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Yeah, I forget what they call that shield-plate, but that rusted on my last vehicle, and it started making a lot of noise, rubbing, etc., and it turned out that it was that item, and not the brakes proper that were going. I think that I had the brakes done anyways, just in case.

 

[ondma]

I'd agree with most above - with 85,000 miles you're very likely to have worn out brake pads, resulting in wear warning squeals. So definitely check for that. In doing so, be sure to check BOTH pads on EACH rear wheel. Of course you replace pads on BOTH wheels if you're doing that. But sometimes the wear on a pair of pads is uneven, and one is significantly more worn that the other on the same wheel, so look at them all. Uneven wear usually means the Caliper unit is not sliding freely on its mounting bolts.

Here's one other source of such a noise I ran into on a much older vehicle. Behind the rotor and mounted on the hub / hearing support shaft there is a circular plate of light-weight metal apparently acting as a shield to prevent too much water and mud from getting on the rotor. But if that is corroded or weak and bent, it can start rubbing on the turning rotor.

Yea, I have had an experience where the mechanic checked only one side of the car, and said the pads were OK, but the other side was very soon metal to metal. These were front discs on an early 90s Chevy Cavilair. Very basic car, but except for the brakes, very reliable for an american car of the vintage. It ate brake pads though, 10 to 12k replacement intervals, and one side always went first, but they could never find a reason for the premature wear on one side.

 

[ElFenix]

Mazda3 has had all disc brakes since at least the line replaced the protege, I believe.

I'm a bit surprised that you've driven them 85k miles without ever replacing them. I think I replaced mine just shy of 50k miles. But it would be unusual for only one brake to fail, especially on a non-powered wheel?

i just took off the original brakes on my mazda3 at 150k miles. front pads hadn't worn down through the groove yet. rears were basically mint. the only part that was worn was the front rotors, and at my wear rates they probably still had 25k miles of life left.

 

[zinfamous]

i just took off the original brakes on my mazda3 at 150k miles. front pads hadn't worn down through the groove yet. rears were basically mint. the only part that was worn was the front rotors, and at my wear rates they probably still had 25k miles of life left.

what the hell, man? I guess I am still stuck on some of those old-hat standards or general maintenance:

--oil at 3k miles!
--brake pads at 35-40k miles!
--sugar goes in the ex's gas tank every other Tuesday!

etc.



....Also, I am a low mileage driver. Do brake pads have the similar "mileage or years" deal with most components? I changed my 2008 Mazda3...in 2015 @50k miles or so. It was feeling sloshy and slight, and the pre-move across the country guy (didn't know I was doing that) was like: "yeah, these things are broke." I mean, they were squealing, and I also lived on hills for about 6 years at that time, so there's that.

 

[ondma]

Well, I have a Honda Civic that is 14 years old with almost 150k miles, and it is still on the original rear brakes (drums, not discs). My new car has four wheel discs though, and I am expecting to replace both by 50k, unfortunately.

 

[ElFenix]

what the hell, man? I guess I am still stuck on some of those old-hat standards or general maintenance:

--oil at 3k miles!
--brake pads at 35-40k miles!
--sugar goes in the ex's gas tank every other Tuesday!

etc.



....Also, I am a low mileage driver. Do brake pads have the similar "mileage or years" deal with most components? I changed my 2008 Mazda3...in 2015 @50k miles or so. It was feeling sloshy and slight, and the pre-move across the country guy (didn't know I was doing that) was like: "yeah, these things are broke." I mean, they were squealing, and I also lived on hills for about 6 years at that time, so there's that.

the vast majority of my driving has been in houston, which is famously flat, so that contributes. i also lift and coast a lot when coming up to lights and generally gradually apply brakes (gasbuddy trips always rates me super efficient).

the OEM brakes did squeak when cold (and later, just cool) for years, but bringing that up at my dealer (when i did maintenance there), they told me i still had so many mm left and not to worry about it (kudos to them, they probably could have sold me $1,000 in brakes if they'd wanted).

i don't think brake pads/rotors have mileage or year requirements. they're worn down when they're worn down. brake fluid ages, i think.

 

[JEDI]

update:
premature wear caused by caliper sticking on driver's side rear.
they estimate $360 for new pads and caliper + labor. (parts not in yet)

the outside pad was fine. the inside pad was nearly gone

 

[mindless1]

what the hell, man? I guess I am still stuck on some of those old-hat standards or general maintenance:

--brake pads at 35-40k miles!
... Do brake pads have the similar "mileage or years" deal with most components?

Usually rear, rotor based brakes will last at least twice as long as the front due to front brake bias. Rear drums often last 3X as long as the front. The # of miles can vary widely depending on driving style, sport vs base model vehicle (if sport had larger wheels allowing upgraded larger rotors, or similarly a newer vehicle since over the decades they came stock with larger wheels to allow the larger rotors). Larger rotors tend to add to brake lifespan as long as you don't drive the sport model, harder, which can be the case for many owners, why they chose the sport model.

Rotors and pads don't degrade with age, directly. Indirectly, if a vehicle is left sitting a long time, through high humidity and rain the rotors will rust more and have a bit of less even wear until that rust is scrubbed off.

Over years, depending on the quality of the brake grease used on caliper slide pins or slide rails, the grease can break down and cause less smooth activation that wears pads and rotors more unevenly and quickly, and cause hard spots on the rotors, or just put the pad or caliper in a bind that causes wear or failure to achieve full brake force.

If it has been a few years since the brakes were done, it can be useful to take the brakes apart and lube the slide pins and clean and lube the rails the pads ride on, even if you don't replace the pads, though if they are not under a lifetime warranty (for example from Autozone) that won't be honored because they aren't worn down enough, a lot of people would just elect to replace the pads while they have it apart if they're DIY instead of waiting for a problem they take to a shop.

 

[JEDI]

update:
premature wear caused by caliper sticking on driver's side rear.
they estimate $360 for new pads and caliper + labor. (parts not in yet)

the outside pad was fine. the inside pad was nearly gone

BOTH drivers and passenger rear disc brakes had premature wear on the inside pad.
both were almost gone.

mechanic replaced both rear pads but said didn't need to replace the driver's side caliper.
he cleaned the slide pins of both calipers and said everything should be fine now.

$160 instead of $360.

 

[feralkid]

BOTH drivers and passenger rear disc brakes had premature wear on the inside pad.
both were almost gone.

mechanic replaced both rear pads but said didn't need to replace the driver's side caliper.
he cleaned the slide pins of both calipers and said everything should be fine now.

$160 instead of $360.

Excellent!

Often lubrication is all a sticky caliper needs; glad you found an honest mechanic.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

The "intelligence" I get from various repair shops goes like this. The rear brakes are supposed to wear at about 1/3 the rate for the front ones (disc brakes).

About every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, I run my Trooper through my local tire retailer, who does suspension work, alignments -- anything affecting tire and brake wear. I always inquire about brake wear. The rear pads seem to have lasted a phenomenal amount if time, and last year (3,000 miles ago), I restored the entire suspension substantially and they "threw in" (for "free") heavy-duty front brake pads, because they were already charging me $30 additional in markup over the tire reseller for the same make and model of parts, plus another $250 in labor charges over what the tire reseller would've asked. But the rear drum brake pads were still good.

It's my intention to replace them early in the next year. I'd really planned on doing it in August, but got sidetracked by my "Little repair shop of horrors and Mechanic-from Hell" experience.

I don't like to have discs and drums machined to correct damage from pads worn down to rivets and metal.