1995 Civic EX coupe, automatic, 1.6 liter. 200K miles.

Driving home from work tonight I heard a loud, disturbing squeal coming from the front area of the car:

- no squeal at all when stopped

- as I step on the gas, I hear a soft squeal (similar to a typical brake squeal)

- as the car begins to move, I hear a much louder squeal/screech. It definitely sounds like metal-on-metal. It's not exactly constant. More of a pulse, as if it's somehow related to the revolution of the wheels.

- when I tap the brakes it continues to make the squeal sound, but then it stops when the car stops.

- the engine sounds like it is running normally, and the brakes feel like normal as well.

One possible clue (which may or may not be related): as I was leaving work, I had to slam on the brakes to avoid a car that had swerved into my lane. This was probably the hardest I've ever hit the brakes before. I began to hear the squealing sound about 10 minutes after this happened.

I've only had this car for 3 months and it has had ZERO issues since I've got it. The previous owner told me that the brakes were done at 180K miles and that the car had no mechanical problems.

What do you guys think? Right now the car is parked on the side of the road and I'm trying to figure out if I should have it towed to the mechanic, the brake shop, or the junkyard.

Thanks in advance for your advice and help!!

 

My first thought is that the noise is the squealing of a brake pad wear indicator because the brake pads need to be replaced. Put the front end on stands, remove the wheels, and inspect the pads.

 

Thank you, RonJ. Do you think it's safe to drive? It's about a mile to the brake shop and about 10 miles to the mechanic. A friend offered to give me a tow but I'm concerned that the car will be damaged even if the engine is off.

 

If the squeal is indeed from the wear indicator of the brake pads, then you are safe to drive the car.

 

Maybe "squeal" is the wrong word. It sounds like metal scraping metal. Kind of like what you hear when a train is rolling down the track. It's definitely different from "fan belt squeal" or "brake squeal".

 

If the car is not too far away, drive it home, put the front end on stands, pull off the wheels, and inspect the brakes. Also check whether the shield indicated in the diagram is bent and rubbing on the wheel.

 

just a note the brake indicator is metal, which would be scraping on the rotor (which is also metal (not to be a jack *** or anything))