Right, so I have a 2002 silver Honda Civic that I love... but I have one question. The past week, when I brake, there is a weird clunking noise near the bottom left tire. The brakes work fine it seems... but I'm just hoping this isn't a symptom for something more serious? Any thoughts? Excuse my ignorance on Car Tech, I'm merely a Civic fan

 

Doyou have the means to jack the car up and peek around underneath?

 

can you feel it in the brake pedal when braking, or just hear it outside the car?

Is it only noticeable when braking hard or soft, or both ?

 

Sounds like the drum brakes to me. I had a nasty squeak in one of mine, went away after I replaced the shoes, drums and springs(about $80 for all new parts). I would jack up the back end, spin the tire by hand and someone step on the brake and listen. Then pop off that tire, pull off the drum and check for broken or weak springs(they should be stiff as heck). If you do replace them, get a brake spring pliers, it will save you a lot of headaches for about $8.00. even if you dont replace anything its a good idea to clean the brake shoes(with brake cleaner) and the inside of the drums, be careful to only spray the braking surfaces and not the rest of the parts as it will wash away all the grease that you need in there. here is a great article with animations of how they work----> http://auto.howstuffworks.com/drum-brake.htm

 

I can only hear it outside the car. And I notice it only when braking soft.

And Freqncy thanks for the informative post, definetely helpful!