I am hearing a metal on metal grinding noise from my front brakes as of yesterday and it seems to be coming from the driver side. I installed new pads a few months ago from Napa so I wouldn't think they would need replacing already. I know I have deferred some maintenance on the car and really need to bleed and replace the brake fluid asap but could this cause my issue? I saw a video on youtube where a mechanic explained that the brake hose had frozen and was causing a stuck caliper. Could it be a frozen hose or stuck caliper causing the grinding sound?

 

How do the rotors look?

 

The rotors look pretty smooth and when I changed the pads there was not any abnormal wear. I am thinking I should just have it checked out at a local shop and go from there.

 

First thing you need to do is take off the wheel and inspect the pads and rotor. If you have a stuck caliper it could very well have wore down the pads. When you replaced the pads did you grease the slider pins and clean the slots that the pads slide in?

 

Yeah, jack up the front of the car and check the brakes. The backing plate may be causing the sound if it's rusted or distorted.

 

I will be taking the brake apart tonight. I know I had put the copper looking grease on the brake pad backing plates during the previous change. I know I didn't put any where the tabs of the brake pad slide in nor the slider pins. Which type of grease should go on the pins and pad slots?

 

Brake pad grease is sold in small packets at your local auto parts store usually by the check out area about a buck a piece.

When checking your brakes see if the metal rotor guard is rubbing on your rotor.

 

Yea I know which packs you are talking about, I will pick some up before starting. I will be checking the rotor shield as well. Thank you everyone for the help so far.

 

So it turns out I really overlooked the rear brakes last time I did the fronts. The rear driver side is the main culprit, but both rears are essentially done for. I found one front dust shield to have a very slight rub but it didn't cause any problems. Also, I did the wheel bearing shake test in the front and luckily no issues there. Thanks again for the quick tips.