I tried searching but didn't come up with anything, but I'm also not that great with keywords.

I recently replaced the rotors and pads on my SC400 with el cheapo Ebay brand and bled the system. The problem is that my rear right wheel has a rhythmic metal rubbing sound while driving. It sounds like it goes along with the rotation of the wheel.

The braking feels just fine, but the sound is scaring me a bit. I put grease between the back of the pads and vented shim, and between that vented shim and the outer shim. Is there another place I need to grease?

I've checked for a bent dust shield, sanded the pads a little, made sure to torque everything to spec, and tried driving w/o the hub centric rings I put on at the same time, but the sound persists.

Could it be my bearings? It would be very coincidental because the sound started right when I pulled out of the driveway to bed in the brakes and it didn't exist in any form before that.

I did have a mechanic take a look at it and he simply told me it was the quality of the rotors and pads. I know they're not that great but they'll have to do until I can afford an LS setup with decent rotors and pads.

Any ideas are greatly appreciated!

 

If it happens while driving and no braking then it could possibly be your wheel bearings. If the sounds occurs while braking then you might need a new shim kit or the pads have a metallic compound.
Does the wheel/caliper get really hot after a short drive? Maybe you have a seized caliper.
Did you put everything back exactly how it was? Wondering because the rears have the ebrake lines back there.

 

It occurs any time the wheel spins, so it might be the bearings?

I think I put everything together as it should be, I had my mechanic take the rears apart to inspect it and he said everything seemed fine. I'll recheck the e-brake lines tomorrow morning and check the heat of the caliper.

Thanks for your reply.

 

I finally had a chance to take a look and the e-brake seems fine and the caliper didn't feel noticeably different than the other side in temperature after a 2 mile drive.

I'm leaning towards the bearings at this point and that doesn't seem like a job I want to take on...

Oh, I forgot to ask if there is no noticeable play when I try to wiggle the wheel, could it still possibly be the bearings?

 

Does it sound like a clicking noise? I have a similar issue and it only happens when I am cruising at low speeds. I was told it could be the bearings...

I thought it was my brakes but my mechanic said they were fine. I also have a howling noise on the freeway on the same side as the click noise...