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Rear Wheel Noise and Squeaks '07

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modtrtr

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I'm an idiot and can't figure this out. 2007 ZX3. I'm getting squeaks from the rear, I'll attach videos showing what I'm trying to figure out.

Also getting a repetitive clunk from the right rear area when hanging left turns. If anyone can help me shorten my learning curve with the causes of these noises, I'd sure appreciate it.

The second half of the second video catches the "clunk" I'm trying to describe.


 
#4 ·
+2 on rear wheel bearing. I would pull off the drum and have a look. Keep in mind that many times when the wheel bearing fails (and even when it hasnt) the inner race gets seized to the spindle making it difficult to remove the drum/bearing.

The rear wheel bearing is pressed into the brake drum. You can buy a new drum/bearing assembly with the bearing already installed and they are not that expensive but the bearings that come in many aftermarket drums are very cheap and do not last more that 20K miles - sometime less. You can buy quality wheel bearings (and in todays world of counterfeit bearings that can be challenging) that will last 100K miles but you need to have the right press tools to R/R the bearing from the drum or take it to a machine shop that has the right tools. After installing the new bearing torqueing the spindle nut to spec is critical.

Paul
 
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Discussion starter · #5 ·
Thank you for the responses.

The wheel spins free as can be and without a sound when on the jack, so I never considered the bearing a possible failure. But after a little reflection, I can see how loading it with a turn could highlight weakness. I replaced the opposite rear wheel drum/bearing last spring when I got the car, but it was howling big time- no doubt that it had failed.

This passenger side noise only started at the end of last summer (this is my warm weather car and has been parked since October). Hoping it won't be too difficult to remove. I do have the ability to press in higher quality bearings. I wish I knew about the cheap bearings before.

I will also look into the coil spring/insulator. On a smooth road, it is quiet, but really speaks up when the road is anything less than ideal.

Thanks again,
Matt
 
#6 ·
Okay. The squeak is EZPZ. It's the e-brake cable. I have an '07 ZX3, and I had this exact same problem. There's a pair of coiled of wires -- one on each side -- that are bolted to the body and they hold the e-brake cables. The e-brake cable has a covering that will rub away and expose the metal sleeve that covers the cable. The covering has rubbed off on your car and you are rubbing metal coil on metal cable housing.

There are insulated cable holders that you can buy from the local hardware store that will fix this problem.

Here is one of mine:
Image
 
#7 ·
ArimimochiTaku said:
Okay. The squeak is EZPZ. It's the e-brake cable. I have an '07 ZX3, and I had this exact same problem. There's a pair of coiled of wires -- one on each side -- that are bolted to the body and they hold the e-brake cables.
Click to expand...
How did you remove the old one from the cable itself? I know it bolts on unberbody but the thick steel holder is looped around the cable. Did you use some kind of wire wheel cut off tool to cut them off the cable?

What I did is use a thin layer of teflon sleeving from water sample tubing and slipped it between the brake cable and steel loop. It's worked it way loose a few times but works pretty good
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
Thank you, Ari. I'll check that out this weekend.

I did get a Motorcraft 98AZ-1A049-AC Wheel Bearing Kit ordered. Pretty spendy, so I'm hoping it's a quality bearing! Being Motorcraft, I suspect it is. Fingers crossed. I also got a new Motorcraft drum to press it into.

I'm looking forward to quieting down the squeakmobile. :)
 
#9 · (Edited)
The squeek can also be loose fuel tank shielding because the screws that hold it together tend to rust away. Also check for a missing screw on the lower wheel well linings as it has metal eye holes that can rub against the body and squeek.
 
#10 ·
WhatALemon said:
The squeek can also be loose fuel tank shielding because the screws that hold it together tend to rust away. Also check for a missing screw on the rear lower wheel well linings as it has metal eye holes that can rub against the body and squeek.
Click to expand...
Good call, mine had that going on too, had many squeaks going on at same time when I first got it. Inherited from my grandma 2018 with only 35k miles, it had bad motor mounts causing losts of vibration making noises inside car along with rusted heat shielding bolts and ebrake cable squeak. The ebrake squeak was worst, every single little bump, drove me nuts
 
#11 ·
GRIMland said:
How did you remove the old one from the cable itself? I know it bolts on unberbody but the thick steel holder is looped around the cable. Did you use some kind of wire wheel cut off tool to cut them off the cable?

What I did is use a thin layer of teflon sleeving from water sample tubing and slipped it between the brake cable and steel loop. It's worked it way loose a few times but works pretty good
Click to expand...
I saw the teflon solution, but I didn't want to be chasing that wedge if it fell out. So I thought of the cable clamp.

As for the wire loop, I unlooped it with two slip-jaw pliers. It wasn't that easy, but it wasn't that hard either.
 
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#12 ·
While Im not convinced that movement of the cable is the noise in the OPs video - here is Ford's TSB and recommended 'fix':


Its interesting that the TSB is only for 08-11 models. Its also should be noted that Ford changed the design of the underbody cable retainers several times - the metal 'eyelet' design was used 06+. Prior to that a metal/plastic bracket with a wide slot was used:

Paul
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
Ok, I got a look at the brake cable. It has not rubbed through the conduit, but I see what is being talked about. There is wear at the retainer area and it is something I will address in the future, but it is still rubber against the retaining bracket. I was doing mostly front end work today, but captured this video showing some squeaking in the garage.

At the present, I'm inclined to go with the coil spring insulator or maybe it's even related to the wheel bearing. I don't know. I'll investigate further and post back later.

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Discussion starter · #15 ·
WhatALemon said:
Check where the top of the shock is connected (shock mount?) for the squeak. Access it through the trunk.
Click to expand...
I did replace both rear shocks last year when I got the car. It squeaked before, and squeaked after. Unless I missed something -which is entirely possible- I was a little disappointed when the noise persisted, as both rear shocks were in pretty rough shape.
 
Discussion starter · #17 ·
I finally got the wheel bearing from Ford. I replaced and it stopped the clunking on the left turns. Thank you very much for that.

The squeaks remain and I'll follow the above advice/thoughts in trying to locate it. I'll post back with what I find.
 
#19 ·
machgo said:
I don't know if anyone mentioned this, but you can soak the top and bottom of the spring seats with silicone spray to see if the noise subsides any. Might eliminate the noise altogether.
Click to expand...
I was thinking the same but all over the suspension and only doing one area at a time until you ID the squeak by a process of elimination.
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
ArimimochiTaku said:
Okay. The squeak is EZPZ. It's the e-brake cable. I have an '07 ZX3, and I had this exact same problem. There's a pair of coiled of wires -- one on each side -- that are bolted to the body and they hold the e-brake cables. The e-brake cable has a covering that will rub away and expose the metal sleeve that covers the cable. The covering has rubbed off on your car and you are rubbing metal coil on metal cable housing.

There are insulated cable holders that you can buy from the local hardware store that will fix this problem.

Here is one of mine:
View attachment 313671
Click to expand...
Ari, I quote you with a red face and an apology. You were right, it was the brake cable. I initially gave it a quick look, a quick feel and a quick jiggle of the cable after your post, but it didn't seem to be the cause.

I was inspecting further today and after not finding the cause through any suspension related issues, I readdressed the brake cable. With further inspection I found it to be the cause as you suggested. Thank you!

The squeakmobile now is nearly silent. :)
 
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