A co-worker and I carpool, and today was my day to drive. We make our way to work and arrive with no problems. I walk with him into the office to pick some stuff up before I head to my site. I get in the car to head to my site and as I'm pulling out of the parking lot I hear this squealing sound. I think "are my brakes squealing?" So I pull out of the parking lot not thinking much of it and the squealing remains. I roll down my windows and the squealing is this terribly loud high pitched squeal like metal on metal. Once I come to a stop, the sound stops. The first thing I think is "is one of my brake pads warn down too much??" As I'm driving, the sound is a consistent squeal and does not change volume, pitch, or anything anywhere from rolling at idle to 40 MPH. After 40 MPH it starts to skip, but not by much.

I play with my brakes a little to see if I can make the sound change in any way and no matter what I do the sound doesn't change. I pull over to look at my car. I inspect the brakes, everywhere under the car, around the car, around the wheels, anywhere and everywhere I could possibly think to look to see if something was caught on the car. Is something missing lubrication? Suspension component? Something related to the axle shafts? Where is this sound coming from?! I couldn't see ANYTHING wrong! So, I call my co-worker and have him meet me in the parking lot so he can help me pinpoint where the sound was coming from. On my way back I started to get frustrated. At the last stop before the parking lot, I floor it. Guess what...as soon as I did that the sound went away! I called him back to let him know the sound went away, turned around, and drove to my site (where I am now).

I am so confused! I guess I'll find out if the sound comes back when I get lunch (like if whatever was squealing heated up enough to stop squealing). The weird thing was, the car didn't pull or drive any differently. Ahhh!

Any thoughts?

 

A belt maybe?

So let me get the facts right. Only happens when moving. Speed does not effect the sound until you're above 40 where it breaks up a bit. When you floored the car it went away and didn't come back.

You might want to check all your fluid levels. You could have got a bubble stuck in your power steering pump or maybe, though less likely, your power brake pump.

 

You are correct...

The sound only occurred when I was rolling. The sound did not change in pitch or volume in any condition between rolling at idle and 40 MPH. Turning, braking, or accelerating (until that final thrust-o-frustration) did not make any difference whatsoever.

When I was stopped (both in drive and in park), the sound went away. It was pretty consistent as far as when the sound would start and stop. It'd stop when the car stopped rolling, and would start when the car started rolling.

I had put the car in park when I inspected it, but I did not try driving in other gears (although in AT mode, the car shifted anyway). I can't remember if I backed up when turning around to head back to the office, but I think I did (yay turning raduis! lol)

I would think it if it was a fluid issue related to the engine that the sound would exist when the engine was running (regardless of if the car was in motion or not).

I would say the time between when I noticed the sound to the time the sound went away was about 15 minutes. I probably drove about a mile.

It won't hurt to check fluid levels, so I'll do that anyway (you never know!).

 

Maybe there was a pebble stuck between your caliper and rotor. And as soon as you floored it, the sudden acceleration of that wheel caused the pebble to fly out?

 

Sounds like your brake pads are worn. The squeal would be caused by a clip that rubs on the rotor. When you brake, you wear that clip down so that it doesn't rub any more. Then it comes back soon after.

 

I was thinking that. I've never heard it be so loud! In previous vehicles I've driven, it's been an annoying attention-getter, but nothing like "WTF is the car going to fall apart ahh?!?!"

Also, if it was the tab, I would think the sound would change a little as pressure is applied and removed from the brake pad?

The sound went away when I floored it...but I did not brake until a few seconds afterward (when reaching the driveway to the parking lot) and I wasn't going all that fast. Also, when I floored it, it was only for a quick second.

Is there any place on the rotor I can look that would so wear marks from the tab?

I think a dealer near my house does free brake checks...so I may swing by there and have them take a look. I'd check 'em myself, but I don't have a jack.

Hmmm....

 

The brake warning thing usually stops making racket within a few seconds of letting off the brake though. It also tends to come right back.

Could you tell generally where the sounds was coming from (front or back, under the hood)? If it happens again see what happens when you rev the engine a little bit in park.

 

In regards to the brake tab, that's what I was thinking as well.

From what I could tell, it sounded like it was coming from the passenger side of the car.

I had tried revving the car in park as one of my "redneck diagnostic checks", but that didn't reproduce the sound. It seemed to be directly liked to rolling.

I'll pay extremely close attention to the car when I get lunch (at 11 PM...only an hour away).

Would a wheel bearing make a sound like that if it was going bad?

 

I just got back from getting lunch...and nothing!

She was a perfect little TSX. So. I don't know! Maybe there was something caught somewhere that was just big enough to make noise but small enough for me to not notice very easily. I'll pay close attention on my way home and see if anything turns up.

Thanks for all the input so far! I'll post again when I get home.

 

At this point the idea of something being stuck in something else sounds pretty plausible. It could possibly have been a wheel bearing but there's usually some change in sound with speed. All the bad wheel bearings I've come across have sounded more like a grumbling/grinding sound, not so much a dry metal on metal sound. Nothing I would describe as a squeal.

I'd say don't worry too much about it yet but pay attention to anything your car might be trying to tell you.

 

So, the 18 mile commute home was fine. The car was perfect. I guess it was something caught somewhere that I couldn't easily see.

Freaky!

 

I had a piece of mulch get stuck between the rotor and the splash guard on the back of the rotor. It was being amplified by the large but thin piece of metal that is the splash guard. You want to talk about a terrible sound... man I was expecting to see all 4 pistons come through my hood before I figured it out.

 

i know this was posted a long time ago but are your brake pads factory acura pads?

 

at my job theres a gravel parking lot and gravel gets stuck in peoples brakes all the time. that could have been the problem. i think someone mentioned it above also...

 

The super loud high pitched consistent squealing occurred to me as well(hour ago?). The sound would be constant while moving at 20 mph or rolling at lower mphs. I was scared to move the car after hearing that, so walked home to google this issue. Good thing someone else had this same exp.

I wasn't ballsy enough to accelerate my car to 40 mph in hopes that it would go away. At first thought it was the brakes, so went in reverse and the sound was still there. Then continued to go forward again w/ minor acceleration and switched to reverse; continued that process for 3 -4 times and finally the sound went away. Whatever it was(rock?), it was probably stuck where it shouldn't be in my brake system and broke loose.

 

Yes, at the time of the problem I was using OEM pads.

The problem never came back...ever!

 

I've had 1million pebbles go in between my rotors and pads and make the loud and most obnoxious noises. As soon as I changed my brakes, I never heard it again (thanks racingbrake slotted rotors)


Hope that was the reason for your trouble!