Hi everyone, 

I own a 2009 (59) 1.8 TDCi Ford Focus Zetec S with 134000 miles. 

I have suddenly noticed a weird grinding sound which appears to be coming from the front end near/around the offside front wheel. The noise only seems to appear each time I take my foot off the accelerator at lower speeds, and then disappears under acceleration. It also disappears when the foot brake is applied but returns immediately once I remove my foot from the brake pedal. 

The grinding sound is set in time with the rotation of the wheels, so it's not a continuous grind as it slows down as the vehicle slows down. As I say, it disappears under acceleration and when applying the foot brake. The sound also remains if I roll up to a junction in neutral. I have no weird vibrations through the steering or pedals when this is happening and I can’t say I have noticed any difference with the steering when turning either left or right. 

I’m currently waiting for the garages to open so I can get it looked at asap, but I wondered if anyone here might know what the issue could be or whether anyone has experienced anything similar? 

Thanks  

I suspect they'll recommend a new set of brake pads.

Driveshaft is another potential cause.

Hi, 

Thanks for the reply 👍🏻

Would a failing drive shaft not cause any kind of vibration?

I phoned a couple of garages and it's 2-2.5 weeks before they can look at it. 🤦🏻‍♂️

I was advised that dirt could be trapped between the brake disk and shield.

I was going to jack the car up and have a little look, but they're resurfacing the road so I can't access my drive until 5pm this evening.  Will phone some more garages in the meantime and see if I can find someone who can fit me in earlier.  👍🏻

The mechanic asked if anyone had taken the wheel off recently.  I had the cambelt replaced a few weeks back (wet and dry belt), and I'm guessing they had the drivers side wheel off during installation. 🤔

Driveshafts do eventually cause a vibration, but not necessarily in the early stages.  The wheel would have been removed for the cambelt change.

As you mention the road resurfacing - Has the road been freshly chipped and have you driven on it since then?  If so, there's probably just a stone trapped between the disc and disc guard.  Will be an easy fix if it is that!

Well I drove the car to work yesterday morning - I work in construction for a housing developer just south of Leicester.  The car was absolutely fine with no issue.  I then drove back to Birmingham and it was not long after exiting the M6 that I noticed the sound.

The road isn't in that bad of condition in my opinion, but I don't drive down it that often as it's a relative's drive, not my own.

I still need to phone some garages, and I hope it's not a drive shaft issue because they seem fully booked and I need the car for work.  Surely someone will be available to look at it in the next day or two. 🤞🏻

I think I'll jack the car up later, have a look around and spin the wheels for anything obvious. 

It seems weird how the noise disappears when applying the brake pedal.

Try reversing the car at a moderate speed and pumping the brake pedal a few times, its a good way of clearing any trapped stones from the brake discs.

26 minutes ago, unofix said:

Try reversing the car at a moderate speed and pumping the brake pedal a few times, its a good way of clearing any trapped stones from the brake discs.

I'll give this a try later this evening and let you know how I get on 👍🏻

4 hours ago, unofix said:

 

I've had a look and spun the driver side front wheel and it's a very faint noise that appears at a certain point during rotation.  I've looked at the pads, and the drivers side looks a little worn compared to the near side wheel.  I've attached some pictures.

The pads are very nearly at the end of life, but from what I can see the discs look to be fine.

Do you think it's a case of the pads need replacing then?  I did think this when I had the opportunity to look properly.  Maybe I should have the discs done at the same time?

I've found a garage that can look at it on Thursday.  I'll keep you updated as to what the problem was.

Thanks for the help and advice.  Much appreciated 👍🏻

So just a little update as I forgot to post back.🤦🏻‍♂️

 

The car is going back to the garage tomorrow as the mechanic suspects that it's either the drive shaft (but he said everything looks fine visually from the outside), or the gearbox could be on its way out.