• Mustang Forums
  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech

Grinding Sound At Low Speeds

  • Thread starter Thread starter bhuff30
  • Start date Start date Feb 11, 2012

bhuff30

Founding Member
Dec 11, 2001
6,037
35
129
Olathe KS
Feb 11, 2012
#1
  • Feb 11, 2012
  • #1
I am looking for some ideas of what to look for when I put the car in the air tomorrow.

I occasionally hear a grinding sound from the rear of my 97 GT at low speeds. I can't tell if there is a specific side it is coming from, but if I had to guess, I would say the left. To me, it sounds like a rotor with a brake pad that was worn out a long time ago. It is a purely grinding sound that makes me cringe, but has no squeak or squeal to it at all. So far, I have only noticed it at slow speeds, under 20mph. It never occurs while turning left, often occurs when turning right and occasionally occurs while going straight. The noise seems to be completely unrelated to the brakes. On a downhill slope, I released the brakes and heard the noise as the car started rolling forward.

I am a bit baffled as to what the sound would be. My experience with wheel bearings has been that they squeak instead of make grinding noise.
 

trombonedemon

Well-Known Member
Jun 25, 2009
1,962
39
59
U.S.A, U.S.A., U.S.A.!
Feb 12, 2012
#2
  • Feb 12, 2012
  • #2
Any suspension mods, lower control arms can cause a lot of road noise, so can tires with hard rubber-compounds, and or an un-balanced tire.
 

bhuff30

Founding Member
Dec 11, 2001
6,037
35
129
Olathe KS
Feb 12, 2012
#3
  • Feb 12, 2012
  • #3
Yup, there is a good reason I don't have aftermarket suspension components. The factory stuff is still working well.

The cause was obvious when I got the wheel off. The inside pad on the drivers side was worn through and contacting the rotor. I guess these pads didn't have sqeakers to indicate when the pads were shot. I got 95k out of the pads, so that's not too bad.
 

apats77

Member
May 2, 2011
178
1
18
Watertown, MA
Feb 13, 2012
#4
  • Feb 13, 2012
  • #4
my rear left axle bearing is going right now and its more of a grind then a squeak. But it does sorta sound like the brakes are touching a warped rotor. It picks up with speed and does not change under a load or with breaks applied.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
'03 GT Fuel Pump/Pressure/Delivery Issue
  • Brodach
  • Oct 21, 2025
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech
Replies
8
Views
884
SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech Oct 31, 2025
gkomo
S
65 Coupe I6 Auto to 302 EFI 5 Speed Swap
  • Scuderia
  • Feb 3, 2025
  • 1965 - 1973 Classic Mustangs -General/Talk-
Replies
14
Views
1K
1965 - 1973 Classic Mustangs -General/Talk- Sep 9, 2025
Noobz347
Resolved Tapping sound on passenger side of engine
  • sav22rem22
  • Jun 21, 2024
  • Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech
  • 2
Replies
22
Views
2K
Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech Sep 22, 2024
sav22rem22
A
1995 5.0 Issues
  • Andre6
  • Nov 24, 2021
  • 1994 - 1995 Specific Tech
  • 2
Replies
26
Views
3K
1994 - 1995 Specific Tech Jan 9, 2022
90sickfox
F
Inconsistent Car Tapping/Rattling After Header Install
  • Flash_The_Stang
  • Sep 29, 2021
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech
Replies
3
Views
2K
SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech Oct 20, 2021
Flash_The_Stang
F
Share:
Bluesky Email Share Link
  • Mustang Forums
  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech
Menu
Log in

Register

  • Forums
  • What's new
  • Media
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Sponsor
X

Privacy & Transparency

We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

  • Personalized ads and content
  • Content measurement and audience insights

Do you accept cookies and these technologies?

X

Privacy & Transparency

We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

  • Personalized ads and content
  • Content measurement and audience insights

Do you accept cookies and these technologies?