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Was going to be: omg wheel is falling off!!! but no....

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by unkprius, Feb 22, 2011.

  1. unkprius

    unkprius Member

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    Was about three blocks from home when the front of the car started making a horrific metallic scraping sound as the front wheel turned. I mean LOUD. Did a quick look for something stuck in the wheels somewhere but nothing. It's not like a branch stuck in the wheel sound, but scraping a shovel on a steel beam kind of sound. Braking seems to change the makeup of the sound, but did not stop it. Parked it in the garage.

    I pulled the left wheel off, looked and looked, and looked. Nothing. Fear and sadness setting in. Everything looked normal....except....a faint line on the rotor very near the inside edge. Got a mirror and looked some more, and there, wedged on the inside edge of the pad's metal part and the rotor, was a rock the size of a bb. At most. Got a small screwdriver and hammer and popped it out. Done. Sheesh.

    Seriously it was so loud it was amazing. So store in file folder for future reference if needed.

    The line can be felt barely with a fingernail and is half the width of a pencil lead, and goes under the innermost 1/8" of the pad. I'm thinking do I want the dealer to pull and turn it, or is it going to affect my braking at all. Pretty much gonna leave it be I think.
     
    #1 unkprius, Feb 22, 2011
  2. direstraits71

    direstraits71 Member

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    Definitely the right answer!!
     
    #2 direstraits71, Feb 22, 2011
  3. ksstathead

    ksstathead Active Member

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    Friction brakes are passe' anyway. I'd leave it. But curious what more knowledgeable PCers will say.
     
    #3 ksstathead, Feb 22, 2011
  4. stream

    stream Senior Member

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    I had a similar experience with a previous car. Really scary sound, pulled over, couldn't find anything, so I went in reverse for a few feet, and whatever was in there fell out and sound went away. I wouldn't worry about the mark on the rotor.
     
    #4 stream, Feb 22, 2011
  5. noley580

    noley580 New Member

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    that happened to me i called toyota and they heard the noise and demanded me to get it towed to the dealer. why is it happening? does anyone know what casues it i have never had a car do it before
     
    #5 noley580, Feb 23, 2011
  6. twittel

    twittel Senior Member

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    I'm not an experienced PC user, but I sure wouldn't turn rotors if this happened to me. I'm more curious about what lack of shielding exists around the brakes that allowed a stone to get caught. I drive on stone all the time.
     
    #6 twittel, Feb 23, 2011
  7. TheSpoils

    TheSpoils Member

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    Was the rock a diamond?
     
    #7 TheSpoils, Feb 23, 2011
  8. unkprius

    unkprius Member

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    There is a really big shield around the brakes on the inside, but it could have come in from the outside too, obviously a billion to one chance it would bounce up in just the right place, but it did.

    I wish.
     
    #8 unkprius, Feb 28, 2011
  9. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    This happens from time to time with other vehicles as well. No harm done, just leave it and the pad will wear accordingly. If you ever need new pads you can turn or replace the rotors. It is a horrible noise and a little scary until you find the cause.
     
    #9 tumbleweed, Feb 28, 2011
  10. GSW

    GSW PRIUS POWER

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    Went to a high school reunion and the drive way to the school was 1 foot under water. I took a chance and crossed it, but ended up with some material in the brake pad. It made noise until I hit the car wash and all was well. Many times this is normal and I've even taken a few pebbles out of calipers in other cars i've owned. Should be just fine.
     
    #10 GSW, Mar 2, 2011
  11. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    My older car does this every few years, though not quite as loud as yours. The first event took several miles to figure out and clear, now I know what to do right away.
     
    #11 fuzzy1, Mar 2, 2011
  12. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    I would just leave it alone.

    Sometimes the pads themselves make noise. The 2007 FJ Cruiser has a TSB out for brakes that make a horrible squealing sound in reverse at low speeds

    Only happens at low speed in reverse, when brakes are damp. The "cure" is new rotors and pads, but I drove a friends FJ after this TSB and didn't like the new brakes

    The "cure" for me is to apply part of the TSB: new high temp brake grease to the slide pins and certain areas on the backside of the pad. That solves the problem for upwards of 6 months at a time
     
    #12 jayman, Mar 3, 2011
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