Rubbing/Creaking Noise •(FIXED)•

1991HondaCivicSi

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Hey all,

I have only found one forum that was relatively close to what i'm experiencing and it turned out to be his main shaft bearing. Anyways, here I am.

I have a 91 civic hatch with a B18B1 swap, YS1 GSR transmission with GSR axles. It's a manual transmission, shifter and linkage from the GSR (apparently it's the "rare" short geared tranny). I just replaced the driver side axle shaft oil seal (where half shaft enters the transmission), and all seems well there. I have also put on new front rotors/ pads, and wheels. So when I first bought the car about a month ago it had a quiet rubbing/squeaking noise coming from the front end (didn't seem like too big of a deal, brake pads were toast so i figured that was it). After changing transmission fluid/ seal, and everything else, the noise is even louder. It was worse yesterday, a little better today (almost sounds like when i first bought it, but its still fairly loud). The noise is coming from what seems to be the transmission, or at least passenger side wheel well (both windows down I can hear it only through passenger side). It makes the grinding/rubbing/squeaking sound while going forward, turning left/right etc, but never while going backwards or idling, clutch in/ out, doesn't matter, as long as I am moving forward it's making the noise. I suspected either rust from rear drums but its certainly not coming from the rear. Possibly my calipers are seized? but wouldn't that effect braking in some way? I also suspected wheel bearings but two things didn't happen when I jacked the car up, #1 there is zero play in both front wheels, and #2 while rotating it or accelerating (with car jacked up) it doesn't make the noise. It seems to only make the noise while it has pressure on the wheels (driving). I'm stumped and I really don't need a mechanic to tell me to get a new tranny/ brakes/ tie rod/ suspension etc... It's not a constant grinding, its like it keeps hitting a certain spot, so its squeak, squeak, squeak, as opposed to a constant squeeeeeeek.

ANY help would be MUCH appreciated,
thank you, thank you! in advance, I dont want to keep driving it like this but I have no other way to work/ school!

~side note~
Parking brake doesn't work, I have attempted to adjust the shoes on the rear driver side, as well as adjust it from the center console to no avail, stretched cables??
 

MotorMo

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Congrats on your new whip. Sounds like something may be bent?-maby your hub, or possible caliper bracket. If the noise changed after replacing the front brakes, then as the brakes wore in the noise went back to normal...I'd focus on that passenger side knuckle, hub, or brake equipment. Just my ideas.
 


1991HondaCivicSi

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Congrats on your new whip. Sounds like something may be bent?-maby your hub, or possible caliper bracket. If the noise changed after replacing the front brakes, then as the brakes wore in the noise went back to normal...I'd focus on that passenger side knuckle, hub, or brake equipment. Just my ideas.
Thanks for the ideas! I have a 90 dx sitting for parts so maybe I'll take the hub/ knuckle/ caliper off and swap em'. I'm praying for bent or brakes, I don't feel like messing with the tranny, I've got lots of other s**t to do, and would never have the time to pull it.
 

XpL0d3r

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You would know if your caliper was sticking because it and the rotor would get very hot after driving.When I had that issue, I could even hear the metal pinging after. Sounded like a radiator cooling down after a spirited drive lol. It was a short 1.5 mile drive to the shop. Ended up warping a rotor too.

If you're driving down the road, pop it in neutral and coast. If you still hear the noise, it's likely not transmission related unless something like a throw out bearing went bad, however it wouldn't make the noise you're desribing. If it's audible enough, take a video or sound clip of the noise and upload it.
 


1991HondaCivicSi

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You would know if your caliper was sticking because it and the rotor would get very hot after driving.When I had that issue, I could even hear the metal pinging after. Sounded like a radiator cooling down after a spirited drive lol. It was a short 1.5 mile drive to the shop. Ended up warping a rotor too.

If you're driving down the road, pop it in neutral and coast. If you still hear the noise, it's likely not transmission related unless something like a throw out bearing went bad, however it wouldn't make the noise you're desribing. If it's audible enough, take a video or sound clip of the noise and upload it.
I was able to get a buddy to roll it down a hill with the car off while i recorded, here's the video.

 

Szady

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That noise sounds like something rubber related. Bushing, axle boot, etc. It's not a grinding noise...more like a groaning sound... The fact that it makes the sound quicker as the wheel spins faster tells me it's something drivetrain related. Axle, brake, hub, etc. I would go through and THOROUGHLY check everything. Wheels, brakes (rotors b/c warped/unevenly worn pads WONT make that sound), axle, etc.

I can honestly say that in the 10+ years of working on Hondas, Ive NEVER heard a sound like that before...
 

1991HondaCivicSi

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That noise sounds like something rubber related. Bushing, axle boot, etc. It's not a grinding noise...more like a groaning sound... The fact that it makes the sound quicker as the wheel spins faster tells me it's something drivetrain related. Axle, brake, hub, etc. I would go through and THOROUGHLY check everything. Wheels, brakes (rotors b/c warped/unevenly worn pads WONT make that sound), axle, etc.

I can honestly say that in the 10+ years of working on Hondas, Ive NEVER heard a sound like that before...
Yeah, it's a hard sound to describe. I've pulled my known good hub off of my dx, so now I'll jack er up and check everything that's going on in there. Thanks for the post, it's nice to get some advice in where to look specifically before I get in there. I'll post results when I figure it out!
 

Jersey8

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+1 sounds like a rubber noise. Have you checked the condition of the output shaft seal? Have you check the condition of the intermediate shaft seal? What about taking out your axle and checking the cv joint? Since you have the car in the air can you pin point whether the noise is coming hub side of the axle or the differential side?
 

Ep3po

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If it's definitely not coming from the rear then the parking brake would have nothing to do with it at all. Try jacking it up and spinning the wheel by hand maybe you can narrow it down a bit to the general location of the noise. It is a strange noise I have owned a lot of hondas and never heard anything like that. Make sure you block off the back wheels good before jacking it up since your e brake doesn't work
 

1991HondaCivicSi

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Thank you to MotorMo, XpL0d3r, Szady, Jersey8, and Ep3po for the help! I have replace the the knuckle and voila! No more noise!

After I removed the rotor I found that the hub was quite loose, odd that neither I or a friend could wiggle the wheel at all. Nonetheless my *main* issue is gone! Add another odd sound that wheel bearings can make.

Now... if your all still with me, I've attempted adjusting my e-brake to no avail, shall I make another thread? Or does anyone have suggestions. I've tightened at the drum and at the centre console.

Thanks again for the help!!!
 

Szady

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Thank you to MotorMo, XpL0d3r, Szady, Jersey8, and Ep3po for the help! I have replace the the knuckle and voila! No more noise!

After I removed the rotor I found that the hub was quite loose, odd that neither I or a friend could wiggle the wheel at all. Nonetheless my *main* issue is gone! Add another odd sound that wheel bearings can make.

Now... if your all still with me, I've attempted adjusting my e-brake to no avail, shall I make another thread? Or does anyone have suggestions. I've tightened at the drum and at the centre console.

Thanks again for the help!!!
Have you tried pulling the eBrake, and backing up a little bit? IIRC, those eBrakes are auto-adjusting brakes. Pull the brake up, and back up some. It SHOULD self-adjust itself...
 

1991HondaCivicSi

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Have you tried pulling the eBrake, and backing up a little bit? IIRC, those eBrakes are auto-adjusting brakes. Pull the brake up, and back up some. It SHOULD self-adjust itself...
No I haven't, I will try that after work and let you know if it worked!
Thanks again for all the help!

Btw, what does IIRC stand for?
 

1991HondaCivicSi

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Have you tried pulling the eBrake, and backing up a little bit? IIRC, those eBrakes are auto-adjusting brakes. Pull the brake up, and back up some. It SHOULD self-adjust itself...
Hey, popped the e-brake up, let it roll back, nothing, put it in reverse, still nothing. I'm leaning towards stretched cables or bad rear drums, the pads looked pretty worn when I was in there anyways. I'm just going to swap out the good internals from my dx and check the cable while I'm at it.
 


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