Unusual noise from rear brake, Honda Element AWD

[Paul Schmied]

After replacing both rear rotors and pads, of my 2008 Honda Element EX AWD, I started hearing a distinct scraping for part of a wheel rotation from the left rear when I make hard right turns while accelerating.

Thinking that the backing plate might be hitting the wheel, or the pads or parking brake might be dragging as part of the initial break-in, I drove for a few days to see if I could force the parts to lapmin by making right hand circles in parking lots.
It helped, but only for s short time. The new Bosch rotors have had no sign of overnight flash rust.

I took the rotor off, checked for signs of scraping on the backing plate and rotor. None. Rotating the wheel by hand doesn’t make the sound, which seems to be related to body roll or cornering force around the hub area.

The caliper, guide pins and pads all move freely and there’s plenty of clearance between rotor and caliper frame at the slots.

I adjusted the parking brake major and minor to spec, and exercised the brake to be sure it was centered and moving freely,. The noise lessened but was still present after 25 miles of mixed driving. Loosening the parking brake cable made no difference.

There is a known symptom of the rear differential groaning or humming when the dual pump fluid is low or worn, but this partial wheel rotational scraping doesn’t seem to match the character of those noises.

I’m planning to replace the fluid anyway, but wondered if there were other components in that area that could be making the noise. In particular, is there anything I can test without taking off the hub?

Any ideas?

Topic

[Andrew Phillips]

Go for a short drive where you can hear the scraping noise. Partially apply the parking brake and see if the noise disappears.

[Paul Schmied]

Thanks for the reply.

Is this a diagnostic test or a break-in procedure for the parking brake?

Hearing is tough with the brake engaged at all. If I lift the lever to the first click with the car moving, I get an annoying beeping, The brake doesn’t start to drag until the second click.

I didn’t see any scrape marks inside the hat (drum) or on the edges of the shoes when I did the teardown.

I’ll try it, but if the dragging only stops with the brake on, I’d rather hear occasional scraping than constant beeping.

[Andrew Phillips]

You asked for a test, I gave you a test to try. you can perhaps find the beeper module and unplug it during the test.

[Paul Schmied]

I appreciate your reply and I’m going to do the test while I’m away from home.

If the noise stops, what do I need to adjust or replace?

[Andrew Phillips]

If the noise stops, then there is an adjustment issue with the parking brake shoes in the rotor hat. If you haven’t worked on these types of brakes before, then I recommend following the reassembly and adjustment procedures found in the service manual.

If the noise doesn’t stop when the parking brake is applied, then if the noise disappears when the brake pedal is applied, the issue is with the pads/rotor. Or maybe a rust ridge contacting the new (thicker) rotor.

If the noise doesn’t stop with either the park brake or the pedal, then something else is rubbing during wheel rotation.

If the noise wasn’t there before the brake job, then something during the brake job is responsible for it.

[Author]

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