The Sound of my LS :-( Chirp Chirp Chirp chirp

E

EBK

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That is the sound my LS makes going down the road. Sound goes away when I apply the brakes and comes back as soon as I release the brakes. I just had the brake pads and rotors replaced with brand new ones even though the old ones were in spec and servicable according to my mechanic. At first it seemed much quieter however it seems the chirp comes back with a vengeance and louder than before after the brakes and rotors warm up.


Its driving me insane any body have some ideas on what it might be so I don't wind up assuming I have a bird in there and taking my 12 gauge to it or rebuilding the whole darn front end chasing this chirp.
 
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Sounds like maybe a bearing pack getting a little loose, and putting on the brakes forces it straight. Try jacking up one wheel at a time and spin it by hand right after a drive to see if you can isolate which wheel is causing it.
 
Telco said:
Sounds like maybe a bearing pack getting a little loose, and putting on the brakes forces it straight. Try jacking up one wheel at a time and spin it by hand right after a drive to see if you can isolate which wheel is causing it.
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To the best of my Knowledge it is coming from the driver side front. I am taking it back to the shop today and the owner (friend of mine) is going to personally take a look at it. I mentioned the bearing pack when I first brought it in and he stated they usually make a growling sound. However if I recall from my years as a kid my bike wheels would make this same sound when the bearing went bad. I am uploading a video of the sound I will post a link to it when it uploads.

I know its not the Mechanic just trying to milk me for money as all I have paid so far was the 130 bucks for the brake job, rotors were installed free of charge since the brakes did not fix the issue.

On the up side the new air filter and fuel filter has increased my MPG from 19.5 (mixed city and highway driving) to 19.8 lol
 
EBK said:
To the best of my Knowledge it is coming from the driver side front. I am taking it back to the shop today and the owner (friend of mine) is going to personally take a look at it. I mentioned the bearing pack when I first brought it in and he stated they usually make a growling sound. However if I recall from my years as a kid my bike wheels would make this same sound when the bearing went bad. I am uploading a video of the sound I will post a link to it when it uploads.

I know its not the Mechanic just trying to milk me for money as all I have paid so far was the 130 bucks for the brake job, rotors were installed free of charge since the brakes did not fix the issue.

On the up side the new air filter and fuel filter has increased my MPG from 19.5 (mixed city and highway driving) to 19.8 lol
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I wonder if it is a simple bend splash guard or mis-aligned anti-rattle clip on the pads. A few older posts seem to suggest those are some likely situations.
 
Yeah, my bearings were making a grinding noise when they went out. Since the brakes were replaced, and it's doubtful the clips would be misaligned by a shop provided they installed new ones (not outside the realm of possibility though) all that leaves is the bearing pack. Luckily they aren't expensive, and they aren't hard to replace. When your brakes were done, they were only about three bolts and a plug away from a hub replacement with the hard part being for some stupid reason Lincoln hid the ABS sensor plug behind the wheel well cover. Every other car maker uses the same sort of sealed plug on their ABS sensor and I've yet to see one that wasn't right there in the open, but Lincoln has to hide theirs behind the cover.
 
Just got back from the mechanic played the video for him and he said it is the U joint and he is going to rebuild the drive shaft (i think) all is covered under the warranty. That sound has been burned into my brain and i still have to wait a week for the parts and the warranty info to clear.
 
About 502 to replce the driveshaft and u joint. Out of pocket cost to me is 58 bucks thats the second time a warranty has saved me big bucks. First time was replacing a transmission in a 94 XR7
 
One would think the drive shaft is spinning faster than the sound produced at that speed in the video, sounds like something in one of the wheels and I'd be checking the brake work on that. Specially if this new sound originated after the brake work and specially if it comes and goes as you apply the brakes.

but yeah, I can see this mechanic now ... bend clip back, charge for new drive shaft. Happens everyday!
 
BigRigLS said:
One would think the drive shaft is spinning faster than the sound produced at that speed in the video, sounds like something in one of the wheels and I'd be checking the brake work on that. Specially if this new sound originated after the brake work and specially if it comes and goes as you apply the brakes.

but yeah, I can see this mechanic now ... bend clip back, charge for new drive shaft. Happens everyday!
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The sound is why I took it to the mechanic in the first place. I have known the guy for years and he has done the work on every car I ever owned. This is the first time he personally has not been the one working on my car it was his employees who are still green and thought the sound was from the brakes no problem I planned on putting new brakes on anyway. He listened to it for all of 10 seconds before he said u-joint. Even if its not the u joint its all being done under warranty so he gets paid full labor costs instead of cutting me a deal as he normally does and I get a new drive shaft out of the deal for 58 bucks. its hard to argue with that.

BTW that is at idle going down the road I did not press the accelerator except to get it rolling then lifted my foot completely off. It looks somewhat quick because I just hung my arm out of the window with my phone in my hand so the camera is close to the ground
 
Am I reading correctly that it was there before and it did not go away after a brake job?
I took the first post as a sound after recent brake job.


... it is only my opinion, when the brakes are being utilized, the sound ... comes and goes. I don't suspect anything related to the universal or driveshaft when the squeaking sound goes away as you apply the brakes lightly while still in a forward motion.
 
If its the driveshaft making the noise while its spinning, wouldnt it continue making the noise even when the brakes are applied? The car is still in motion. Its not like applying the brakes immediately stops the rotation of the wheel. But if it IS that, then youre getting off easy at $58.
 
I would personally jack up one rear wheel at a time and listen to it. Can be a little dangerous, I assume no responsibility if you try this.
 
BigRigLS said:
Am I reading correctly that it was there before and it did not go away after a brake job?
I took the first post as a sound after recent brake job.


... it is only my opinion, when the brakes are being utilized, the sound ... comes and goes. I don't suspect anything related to the universal or driveshaft when the squeaking sound goes away as you apply the brakes lightly while still in a forward motion.
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Yes you are reading that correctly the sound was there prior to and the reason for the initial trip to the shop. I asked him about the sound going away when I applied the brakes and he said that is because its taking pressure off the driveshaft. I am not a mechanic I can only turn wrenches and swap parts. so I honestly don't know
 
The drive-shaft wouldn't know when the breaks are on or not. It only knows if it's transmitting torque from transmission to axle or vice-versa. If the noise is only there when the engine is pushing the car, either at a cruise or accelerating, but not there when the car is pushing the engine, like coasting or engine braking, then it would be drive-shaft. The two load difference sides of the u-joint and it could just be worn out.

Another test is if the same noise going forward is not there when the car is going in reverse. If it's only there in one direction then that would leave me to believe it's something in the drive-train and not the brakes. If it's there in both directions then I'd think it's something else, like brakes.

Either way, $58 for a new drive-shaft is a deal. I'd let him do it for that price even if I didn't think it was the problem.
 
Kumba said:
The drive-shaft wouldn't know when the breaks are on or not. It only knows if it's transmitting torque from transmission to axle or vice-versa. If the noise is only there when the engine is pushing the car, either at a cruise or accelerating, but not there when the car is pushing the engine, like coasting or engine braking, then it would be drive-shaft. The two load difference sides of the u-joint and it could just be worn out.

Another test is if the same noise going forward is not there when the car is going in reverse. If it's only there in one direction then that would leave me to believe it's something in the drive-train and not the brakes. If it's there in both directions then I'd think it's something else, like brakes.

Either way, $58 for a new drive-shaft is a deal. I'd let him do it for that price even if I didn't think it was the problem.
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Correct the sound is not there when going in reverse. Only when the car is moving forward at idle speed or driving. As soon as brake is applied sound is gone. Let of brake and it comes back.
 
Wierdest thing. In suspense on the outcome. Keep us posted please.
 
Just picked up the LS from the Mechanic. New driveshaft did the trick no more chirping! I couldn't be happier and for all the negative Nancy's who thought the mechanic was taking me for a ride on repairs he didn't charge me a dime, warranty paid for the parts and labor he ate the costs for taxes and shop fees for my troubles.

So if your LS Chirps when moving forward but not backwards have the U joint checked.
 
EBK said:
Just picked up the LS from the Mechanic. New driveshaft did the trick no more chirping! I couldn't be happier and for all the negative Nancy's who thought the mechanic was taking me for a ride on repairs he didn't charge me a dime, warranty paid for the parts and labor he ate the costs for taxes and shop fees for my troubles.

So if your LS Chirps when moving forward but not backwards have the U joint checked.
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The "negative Nancy's" have a track record on their side. For all the independents that could not repair the car, you can count on the fingers of one finger the number of folks who have had good luck with an independent mechanic that didn't themselves own an LS. Your mechanic being able to fix the issue doesn't get us to the second hand either.

That being said, glad you both got your problem fixed and reported back with what the fix was.
 
U joint or whole driveshaft? did you get your old parts back?

Still doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, sound was not in sync with driveshaft, more so in sync with wheel rotation, also it was noted that the sound was coming from the front drivers side wheel BUT hey if it fixed the problem that's what counts.

Don't think for a second, no matter how well you might think you know any independent mechanic that they won't bend back a clip and sell a whole driveshaft. They have to answer to the warranty though but nonetheless, problem corrected with zero expense, can't beat that!
 
Did you see the old driveshaft after it was replaced?
 
M4rk said:
Did you see the old driveshaft after it was replaced?
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No I have never been in the habit of asking for old parts backs or inspecting the parts pulled off and replaced. I did watch him do most of the work while waiting for my ride to come and get me and he explained to me that the sound was coming from the middle section of the drive shaft where the two pieces are joined.
 
Ah, fair enough. I guess that's a first. While the sounddid appear to be in-sync with the brakes, to my ears it was a squeak rather than the typical brake chirp. I always thought the driveshaft would spin a bit faster :)
 
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