Henry

Hey all, hope someone can help. My story is a bit convoluted, so please bear with me.

Some background - I've had a persistent squeak in my rear driver's side brake for almost 2 years now, only when braking at low speed and only present during certain types of weather (raining, humid). About 1.5 years ago I took it to my dealership who claimed I got mud in the brake assembly, charged me $270 to disassemble and clean it. A week later, the squeak came back. I suspect that all they did was spray some WD-40 on it, which is consequently what I did any time I couldn't stand the sound anymore. This past summer I replaced the rear brake pads which were completely worn. After I replaced them, the squeak went away completely for about a month, but then it came back.

So about two weeks ago I got a new set of tires which were installed at a local shop. Then last week I noticed a very bad scraping sound every time I drove over bumps and when braking. I look underneath, and somehow the bottom bolt on the passenger rear brake assembly was completely missing, leaving the assembly to swing freely! I have no idea how this could've happened, but luckily I had an extra bolt from another project and was able to secure the brake. Scraping sound gone.

Later that same day, I notice that the original squeaking on the driver's side brake seems louder, and now a new scraping sound has appeared. Anytime I turn left sharply, a loud metallic scrapping sound emanates from that same driver's side rear brake. Left turn, left brake - doesn't make sense to me. I've read that scraping can often indicate worn wheel bearings, but wouldn't the sound occur under increased load in that case? I'm gonna take advantage of today's warm weather to pull the wheel off and inspect it, but I was hoping to get some pointers so I can hit the parts store beforehand if I have to.

Other notes - my rear axle has always been off center, to the right by about 1.5". Well I assume it's always been the case because I didn't notice it until I'd had my Jeep for over a year, and it hasn't changed since. Also, the Jeep seems to be tilting very slightly to the right (right side lower than left). Any advice would be greatly appreciated Thanks!

OverlandJKU

Mine makes a squeak when turning also. It's the brake dust shields. I bent one pretty good trying to get the rear rotors off.. You might want to check those also...

scotty6336

Also jack up your rear axle and (with the wheels on) let it idle in first gear, watch the wheel for a wobble...could be a bent flange on the axle shaft.

mjones

I had a similar issue. My emergency brake was rubbing inside the housing very lightly. Annoying sound of grinding and would go away at certain times. A smallest tilt is common on the stock jk. I would also be concerned with the axle centering if it is off by 1.5" that's significant. Either the wrong track bar or something was welded wrong. I can't stand mine off and its 3/8". I would shoot to center the axle then search for the sound again. And rear brakes on jks tend to wear faster than the fronts due to the esp control. Good luck.

Henry

Thanks, I probably should've mentioned that my e-brake assembly is shot, it's the known issue of the handle linkage snapping. Could the brake still be affecting the wheel somehow? Anyway I just pulled both wheels and checked both brakes. The passenger side dust shield did seem bent in a bit close to the bottom, so I bent it back. Also, I found that one of the little metal clips that slide between the brake pad and caliper was missing on the outside pad, so I swapped one from the inside pad to see if it made a difference. I also bent back both dust shields a bit. Now the squeak is gone, but the scraping sound is still present, although it does take a much sharper/harder turn for it to make the noise.

How do I go about centering the axle? From what I've read I need to put in an adjustable trackbar. Is this the only way? Sucks if there's no way to adjust it with stock components

mjones

Looks as though the jeep is stock from your pic.. First and foremost I would take a minute and measure from frame rail to rim/same location on tire both sides of the rear to confirm.
things to look for if it is off
1 Any lift on it ever?
2 accident on record?
3 any odd brackets around the track bar mounts - ie aftermarket frame bracket or axle bracket

if answers are no to the above then two options leave it as is or consider spending money for an adjustable rear bar. Out to the right would be easy to fix that way.

any pics would help diagnose this issue..

A thought about the grinding - lift the side of the axle you hear the grinding. jeep in neutral and opposite wheel on ground turn the wheel by hand and see if it spins free or hearing the grinding. possible for a bearing to make that noise as well. make sure to chock the opposite wheel of course.