Loud popping noise from driver's side wheel on 240

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cton - 21 Apr 2007 19:05 GMT

I've just started getting a loud metallic popping/knock noise (sounds
like one loud bang on a tin can with a metal hammer) coming from the
driver's side wheel area whenever I'm braking fairly hard within the
last few days. Sometimes it happens when braking not so hard, but it
mostly happens in hard stopping situations. It is a delayed pop and
happens as the car is in the end of the stop. I know it isn't
something in the trunk sliding forward and hitting the trunk's front
wall. It's definitely coming from the front wheel area. It's also
sounding as if the caliper is sticking because when I release the
brakes, I can hear a fairly quieter clicking/popping sound coming from
the same area. The caliper was recently serviced, and the backing
plate & wheel bearing was replaced, and virgo rims were installed (Mar.
22). Anyone have any ideas?

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Perry Noid - 22 Apr 2007 20:11 GMT

the brake pads slide along two metal rods, which are locked in place in the
caliper by little clips... perhaps when you had the service performed, they
either forgot to insert one or both of the clips, or they might have just
worked their way loose, and have allowed the rods to move around in the
caliper... I'd suggest pulling the wheel and looking at the brake hardware,
to be sure all is installed properly!

Same is true for the wheel bearings... they are tightened down with a castle
nut, which has a cotter pin thru it to lock it in place... they might have
left the pin off, and the nut is slowly working it's way loose

either way, pull the wheel and take a look, or have a friend do it...

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Mike F - 23 Apr 2007 13:57 GMT

> the brake pads slide along two metal rods, which are locked in place in the
> caliper by little clips... perhaps when you had the service performed, they
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> either way, pull the wheel and take a look, or have a friend do it...

Also look at the control arm bushings, ball joint and bushing for the
sway bar. Make sure the strut insert is not loose or failing. Also
make sure the spring is not broken. This may not be obvious if it's
broken near the top.

Signature

Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

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Randy G. - 24 Apr 2007 17:47 GMT

>> the brake pads slide along two metal rods, which are locked in place in the
>> caliper by little clips... perhaps when you had the service performed, they
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>make sure the spring is not broken. This may not be obvious if it's
>broken near the top.

Mike's and Perry's are both good places to start. In either case, any
sort of odd noise from that area is certainly a situation that should
be addressed ASAP.
__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"

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cton - 28 Apr 2007 20:10 GMT

Thanks for the advice everyone. I took it over to my mechanic who did
the work on it a month ago in that particular area (wheel bearing,
backing plate, caliper service, machined rotors, new pads) since the
labour and parts are covered under warranty still (parts 1 yr & labour
90 days). Figured if it was from his work, that he should have the
chance to fix it (on his time of course). We road tested it (noise
didn't happen at the frequency it had been occuring previous to that
day), and he took the wheel off for an inspection. When doing this he
looked for other things that could have caused the noise in and around
the area it was coming from. Suspension & steering links check out ok,
all the clips and components checked out on the calipers. Coil spring
was ok, and the struts are fine (they were replaced a few years back).
He then re-serviced the caliper and re-greased everything. He also
noted that there was a ridiculous amount of rust already formed on the
caliper, pads & rotor (the car only gets driven a couple days a week &
on weekend trips). Anyways, so far the popping noise hasn't returned
so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it its fixed.

Clayton
'88 240 DL Sedan 180,··· km

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cton - 06 Jun 2007 17:02 GMT

Ok, the damn popping noise is back.

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byrocat - 06 Jun 2007 19:15 GMT

> Ok, the damn popping noise is back.

Sounds like it's time for another trip to the shop.

"Inordinate amounts of rust" (if I remember a previous posting) is a
vital clue. The fact that the car is driven a couple days each week
should not cause large amounts of rust build-up.

Were the replacement pads Volvo or second-source?

How much is the car actually driven (#miles/kilometers, and under what
conditions) and where is the car located?

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