I just got back to Delaware from 1.5wks in Calif. My 99 GS4 sat on my private driveway while I was gone. I've been told there was one cold spell while I was away, but nothing serious.
Backing it out of the driveway today for it's first use in 1.5wks, I heard a squeaky/squishy/hissy/airy type noise while I was rolling. Sound was exacerbated when I applied the brakes at the end of the driveway entering the street. Tempo of the sound is a function of rolling speed. With windows up, the damned fantastic sound-proofing makes it hard to hear, but with the windows down, you can't miss it. My initial thinking was rust I needed to burn off the rotor. Sound has not gone away after 30miles. It is still audible with windows down, at lower rolling speeds, and louder under braking. No pulling under hard braking. Brake response is smooth. Car has 44Kmi, original brakes, new tires as of 6mo ago, original rims, 15K service was done ~42Kmi.
Any ideas about what's going on, or what I can check?
Pad at wear limit? Shouldn't the front's do that before the rears? Why would right rear go, but not left rear? Is this sound consistent with pad at limit? I'd think a pad at limit would only make a sound when the brakes were applied, not when I'm at a slow coast.
Hydraulics? Wouldn't there be a leak?
Rust? Wouldn't it have be cleared off after 30mi?
Thanks in advance.
-Frank

 

At 44k, it sounds like brake pad time to me. Check the 42k service report. Do they tell you how much thickness remains? If they were close to the limit it seems as if they would have told you so but ....

Anyway, get a little probe light and have a look. The wear limit is 1mm but I suggest replacement of anything under 1/8" (about 3mm).

George

 

Isn't it just a bit odd thought that the sound wasn't there when I left Delaware, and the car didn't move in the meantime?

 

Not really. Did it rain or sleet while you were gone? The rust builds up on the rotors pretty quickly. Sometimes when I haven't driven mine for a week or two during wet weather, it takes 20-30 miles of driving for all of the brake noise to go away. Check the pads and if they're not thin then write back and we'll worry about it some more. If they are thin, replace them. You might want to have the rotors turned while you're in there.

George

 

I have two other possibilities based on my experiences with my 99 RX. One that just occurred the other day.

1) Check the rubber supports on your front shocks. These can erode after time and make the squeaking you encountered. Try spraying some WD-40 up there. There is an upper one that you would need to spray with the hood open. Find the the three bolts.

2) I encountered a strange squeaking noise yesterday and just could not place it. I put some pressure down on the side I believed it was coming from. My mechanic looked underneath and found it was a square rubber piece close to the accordion like rubber piece on the boot of the right wheel well. It was by no means broken, but just being a little loose caused a lot of noise.

 

After a few more days driving around, I've decided it's pad time too. I can see the front pads, but I can't see the rears (obscured in housing). Sound definitely from the passenger side, likely from the rear wheel, but not 100% sure.
Checked pricing, per axle: Dealer wants ~290 for pads + rotor resurface + install. My long time mechanic for my Celica wants 100 for the install, if I provide my own pads. Presume OEM pads to cost ~50 per axle based on reading here.
I have the tools to do this myself, but haven't decided if I can do a better job than them; furthermore, I can't resurface the rotors, nor know how to tell if they are in need of anything (turning, etc).
Any feedback welcomed. Thanks.
-Frank