I'm selling my car and dont want the guy to low ball me because of this noise and was wondering if one of you could give me a concrete answer so this could finally be solved. Ive tried this question in the sc section with no help a while ago so i figure if i give some incentive for somebody with a quick answer i'll paypal you 5 bucks.

I have a 1993 SC400 that makes a bad Whining/Squealing sound when not depressing the brake. It stops as soon as I hit the brakes normally.

IT STARTED HAPPENING WHEN I WAS GOING VERY FAST DOWN THE HIGHWAY FOR A GOOD STRETCH. This was about 3-4 months ago. I was thinking this may have been pushing the serpentine belt to hard or something like that and it stretched it, the belt does have a good amount of slack.

Its very odd. When im on the gas it comes on, when i touch the brake it shuts off.I read a thread in the sc section where a guy messed up the whole serpentine belt area going 150. I was maybe going 120 for about 8-9 miles. (dumb, i know- i was rushing to the hospital)

Also, i was thinking maybe warped rotors or bad power steering pump possibly? Im not good with cars so i could be totally off. Somebody try to help me pleaseeee.

 

why dont u try replacing the belt

GoodYear Gatorback serpentine belts are pretty cheap and installs only like 15mins TOPS on a 1st gen LS (should be nearly identical on ur 1SC)

 

thats the one i bought, ill try another one. running to advance auto now

 

Did you check the brakes? Maybe you need new brake pads?

 

happens when hes NOT pressing the brakes so cant be the brake pads.

 

Yea I know, when my GS needed new pads it made a sound like that, even when I didn't press the brake so I figured maybe it could be that?

 

the guy at advance auto said it couldnt be the serpentine belt. 1 cause its newer 2 because it stops when i hit the brakes...I forgot to mention if i rev it while in park it doesnt do it..he said it was probably a suspension/brakes problem and to try spraying compressed air around the brake pads or maybe that there was a pad scraping a little bit of the rotor. i work in the summer at an auto repair shop so im gonna lift it up and try the compressed air thing tommorrow. he said it might also be a bearing somewhere. its coming from the front too FYI. anyone else got ideas?

 

def not a bearing, ive never heard of a bearing making noise like that under specific conditions, most bearings either fail completely, or work fine.

if it is a "whirring" type noise then it is possible ur brakes are sticking (either a broken/glazed pad OR a stuck caliper.)

 

ok, well im gonna check on that in the morning and i'll let you know.

thanks for all the quick help everyone!!

 

could be engine fan...

 

but when have u ever heard of a fan only making noise when the car is in motion

 

Ok Guys, educate me... Why would a brake make noise when he is in PARK?? Noise goes away when he revs, but the car is not moving so how could it be suspension??
My guess, your serpentine belt tensioner. My 2nd gen GS has the same problem, happens only when in park not reving.
Let me know when you're ready to paypal the $5 dollars, I could use it for air freshener. LOL. Good Luck, let us know how it turns out.

 

Just an FYI : Brakes are meant to squeel when not being depressed to notify you that they are in need of new pads. There is a metal tab that will run along the rotor. When you press in the brakes it pushes it up and the pads (whats left of them) will hit the rotor and then work and sound goes away. This is how most are made and initially designed.

However, if it is doing this when you are in park and not moving there are a couple things it could be...most likely it has to do with a belt or one of the tensioners. Here is the best idea...don't wait to put on a lift or anything just do the following...

1. turn on car and make sure it is making the noise in park
2. open the hood
3. listen close for the sound and find where it is making it...this could involve manually "bliping" the throttle to get it to go away and come back again
4. once you find where it is coming from (general location) look at what in that area could make noises like a squeeling....then you should find your problem

paypal is jeff@jefferino.com :-)

 

Guys, he said it DOESN'T do it when its in park. This is clearly a brake pad issue. I am betting you have worn pads or a cracked pad. possibly a caliper issue but most likely pads, especially if they haven't been replaced for a while. No way this has anything to do with the belt!

 

This is my first pick the alternator or power steering pump.