Hi, '95 dodge van 3500 1 ton, 5.9 lt. We just recently put new front rotors and ceramic pads, outer wheel bearings(properly packed) also, outer tie rod ends and front shocks. All has been well for about 3 months now. We will be doing an alignment when we get the new tires shortly. We've only put 1K miles since we did the work. Now at slow speeds we hear a definite clunk of metal noise which seems to be in rythm with each revolution of the wheel. I figured brakes installation problem for sure, so I removed the entire caliper , cleaned everything well, and reassembled. the clunk remains. It goes away at faster than 20mph. It also goes away at slower speeds when I press on the brake pedal. I removed everything again to make sure the spindles were in good shape. They were. It began just on the front right when turning, but now does it on both wheels when turning and slow straight ahead speeds. Could this be an inner bearing problem? Thanks for any advice.

 

Tough to say. Are you sure you have torqued the axle nut properly ? If not, the entire rotor assembly could be loose on the spindle and would be held tight when you press the brake.

 

Should I torque the nuts to specs and then back them off again , leaving them only hand tight? THANKS.

 

Yes, and when you are finished, with the wheel back on, there should be only a very little bit of play when you tug back and forth on the wheel. If they are loose the wheel will feel loose.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll get a torque wrench today. and then I'll let you know. THANKS.

 

Sometimes the outer pad fits loosely in the caliper, and will make that sort of noise when slowly rolling down the road.. With the van on a jackstand, wheel off, slowly rotate the rotor by hand, and see if the outer pad is trying to follow the rotor...Usually there are "ears" on the pad that can be bent to make a tighter fit on the caliper....

 

Thanks DIY community. I made the mistake of originally not tightening the axle nut enough. I originally just snugged it up with channel locks, then backed of 90* and put the cotter pin back in. Today I tightened it to 300 ft lbs as instructed on the repair web site. This extra torque "set" the hub properly. Then I backed of 90* and inserted a new pin. Noise is gone and I am thankful for everyones advice.