Wierd noise when braking from the rear tires

[Toyotauser08322]

Hello!
Model: 1997 Camry LE 3.0L V6
Make: Toyota
Mileage: 181k
State: Minnesota

There is something that is making a noise in my rear brakes not sure what it is. When I drive at low speeds it makes the noise, when I am driving at normal speed limits on the highway 55-70mph its normal. When I brake it makes a noise, like a metal to metal noise. When I took my car into the toyota techs in April, they had to replace my front brakes and the hole shabbang like the calipers, ohaul kit, something like that. They said I had about 15% of the rear brake pads left at 175k miles.

I am not sure what metal to metal sounds like so I'm just assuming that it is.

Does it cost more to repair the front brakes than the rear brakes?

If it is a rear brake problem, how much would the estimatated price to fix be?

Could it mess up my rear brakes permanently if it is indeed metal to metal?
That I don't understand, like could it damage my tires or mess up my engine.

I would say most of my car has fairly new parts now over the years. Bought it in 2003 with 96k miles. The only thing that isn't new is probably the engine and the tires.
Again I have no idea how to take off my wheels and what to look for, so If I get a flat tire on the highway I would have no clue how to put on the spare.

Thanks in advance!

[JCamry94]

Alright... well this is why we have the SEARCH function at the top left of the screen, but I'll help you out anyway.

This is how you change a spare, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwaNr...eature=related

The ONLY differences is that the camry's jack doesn't have a bolt on the back to make it go up, you have to turn it by putting a screwdriver or something to jack it upwards. Also, the camry has 5 lug nuts rather than 4 as displayed in the video.

This will help diagnose your brake problem. Brakes you can easily do yourself, or if you have a friend knowledgeable about brakes help you, it will save you a lot of money.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbdgjXhhv9E

Good luck

[BMR]

Without being able to hear the noise, it's hard to be sure. And yes, it quite possible to have metal-on-metal contact if the brakes are worn down too far.

First guess is your brake pads are worn out, and the noise you're hearing is from an audible wear indicator. It's a little metal clip on the pad's backing plate that starts touching the rotor when the pads are too thin. This usually makes a high pitched metallic squeaking sort of noise. (I'm presuming there are disk brakes on the rear, not drum brakes.)

Second guess is your brake pads are totally gone, and the noise is from the pad's backing plate rubbing on the rotor. This usually is a much lower pitch and sounds like a heavy grinding sort of noise.

Either way, get your brakes looked at soon!

The rear brakes might be a little cheaper to repair, just because they're smaller. The design is very similar. Again, I assume there are disks on the rear.

It can't possibly harm your engine or tires, but it could make repairs more expensive if the rotors get too damaged from metal on metal contact. Same goes if they're drums, going too long can make repairs more expensive.

Estimate? Well, assuming you need new pads AND rotors (or drums), the parts alone will run close to $300. Pads-only would be $60 or so. That's for Toyota OEM parts. If the rotors are not TOO damaged, it's possible to re-machine them instead of replacing them; that costs ~$15 each. Throw in another $150 for labor.

[Mike Gerber]

^ I agree with BMR. Either the rear pad wear indicators are contacting the rotors (most likely) or the pad braking material is completely worn down so the metal backing of the pads is now contacting the rotors. Remember, you said you only had 15% of the rear brake pads left 6000 miles ago. I would take the car in to have someone inspect the rear brakes. You can make the repair more expensive if you continue to drive the car this way. If the rear backing of the pads is not yet in contact with the rotors, you may be able to just resurface the rotors, instead of replacing them. This really depends upon how much meat (thickness) is left on the rotors. There is no way for us to tell if the rotors have been resurfaced before. Each time they are resurfaced on a brake lathe, they are made thinner and thinner. There is a minimum thickness that must be maintained to insure safe braking. The technician will inspect the thickness of the rotors with a micrometer to determine if there is enough meat left to resurface them.

One more thing to add; you can take your car to an independent mechanic. Independents are usually cheaper and brake work is not the most complicated repair.

Good luck.

Mike