element_103

Okay, the past few days has been of some strange interest. I've had a strange sound coming from my driver-side tire well for a few weeks, which I knew wasn't my brakes since a friend and I had replaced my brake pads, rotors, and calipers within the past year and I'm not one to mash the brakes often (since I drive a stick shift and that makes loads of difference). Basic inspection returned no results that I could see, and I began to think perhaps it might have been my drive shafts, tie rods, or even the hub itself.

Then, a few days ago I tried to put my parking brake on whilst awaiting Coriander one night. The parking brake didn't work anymore! So, I found out that a local brake shop does free in-depth brake inspections and figured I might be able to swing two ill-luck birds by the feet against one stone. Turns out that for the parking brake, it was the emergency brake cable that had either broken, or that the drum brake gears that it attached to on my rear wheels was broken as well. Great!

LOL! One bird down, so one of the two inspectors followed up on my hunch and discovered that the sound was coming from my still-shiny new rotors (that is the shiny disc-like thing that some of you see through your greasy hubcaps...) which were unevenly rubbing up against my OUTER brake pad and barely on the top edge of the INNER brake pad (which was causing the noise). The deeper reason they were rubbing unevenly was because the bearings in the wheel hub assembly were shot and allowing the wheel to move outwards due to the weight of the vehicle (and my turning), hence leaning against the outer brake pad.

So, price-shopping around because I'll be damned if I pay premium shop price for inexpensive parts, I'll be getting the rear drum brake kit, an emergency brake cable, either the replacement bearings or the entire replacement hub (<$50 versus $50?), and I'll also get a new wheel mount stud and new lugnut because the old lugnut stripped the previous stud and was VERY difficult to remove. (hrm, women might like the idea of studs stripping et al...). AnyWho, I'm hoping the rest of the parts are available so I can get the whole shebang done this week. Once complete, four new tires and an alignment are in the works... And how was your week?