When ever i hit the brakes hard in my 99 sunfire it makes like a popping noise. And it never happens unless i do brake hard. The car only has 34xxx miles on it any help will be great
Thanks
Tony

Could be a number of things. Where is the popping noise coming from? Front of car, back of car, just give us a little bit more info and we might be able to help ya bro.

The front left and today my friends said they saw sparks coming from that area while i was driving and i know its not the brakes

really hard to say, there arent enough miles on it to be a common problem, almost like an improper repair like a loose bolt or something, check for loose lug nuts , brake caliper bolts. and subframe bolts, the common one to tighten is the one above the axle shaft.
the common problems in the front are lower ball joints, loose rear lower control arm bushing, and wheel bearings, none of which should be a symptom at 34k.Possible steering shaft play down by your feet but thats it( this will happen if you start the car and slightly turn the steering from left to right quickly, also happens going over bumps) . So you have do some detective work.


01 cav w/01 3400 gam gt 4t45e

Tony wrote:The front left and today my friends said they saw sparks coming from that area while i was driving and i know its not the brakes

Actually, if you hit the brakes hard they will throw sparks. A lot more noticeable at night though.

Really well i think its a sticky caliper i guess i should re check the brakes even though i just replaced them like 4 months ago

Often while changing brakes people think that the brake hose is indestructible, however that isn't true , especially on older vehicles. If you twist the hose or let the caliper hang from it while you change the brakes you could cause the inside to crack and swell. from the outside it appears normal. What happens is that internal rupture will cause it to become a one way valve in most cases, allowing the fluid to enter the caliper but not to release, which causes premature brake pad wear out.. In some cases the wheel will lock up and pull the steering wheel to that side when the brakes are applied. Often the outer skin of the hose will show slight surface cracking or complete splits when this happens on older hoses.

Other brake problems would be a cocked piston , not a common thing on J's but it occasionally happens on some fords with shallow pistons. In this case the piston is pushed in as usual during a normal brake job but either from piston design, a foreign material on the pad or maybe some corrosion on one side of the piston or bore will cause drag on one side of the piston, this works like a ratchet effect, as the piston moves out , it catches and cannot release brake pressure. Resulting in brake pad to grind away.

One more thing, Rust on the piston or cylinder will cause the caliper to stick, most of the time if this is the case you will see a hole in the piston boot, which was caused by pinching it while changing the brakes, trying to push the boot flat to get the air out of it (you guys that change your own brakes know what I mean) or excessive heat melting a hole in it (a result of not removing the air from the boot). Remove the caliper, have a buddy push the brake slowly till the piston comes out about an inch, inspect the boot for holes, then slide the boot on the piston down and inspect for any traces of rust, either powder or pitting. do not push the piston all the way out or you will have a brake fluid mess, if that happens though, you can just put it back in , evenly and slowly so you don't tear any seals.

My guess would be , because of the age of the car, the hose is shot. if you end up changing it, change them both.


01 cav w/01 3400 gam gt 4t45e

could be the body in the trunk slamming against the back of the rear seats. Seriously though I had the same sounds on my van after changing breaks, turns out the pads didnt fit exactly perfect and would slap the bottom part of the claper and make a heck of a noise Found out this happens with some pads from discount auto stores, as the pad backings are cleaned up to look new and have new materiel added to them, after a while the backings get a sloppy fit to them. Try pads from the dealer and see if it helps, and changing the break hoses every few years is a great way to make sure your car is safe.
Also check your strut. sometimes when they get old they make noise

it probably is the rotor hitting the lug studs. take the wheel off and check the the holes in the rotor for impressions. if none might be a strut mount. while yo have the tire off the ground shake it up and down and front and back. just make sure you don't have any loose parts.

MRThompson (jrthompson) wrote:it probably is the rotor hitting the lug studs. take the wheel off and check the the holes in the rotor for impressions. if none might be a strut mount. while yo have the tire off the ground shake it up and down and front and back. just make sure you don't have any loose parts.

I'd think your wheel should be more than tight enough to hold the rotor from moving...

yet people have wheels come off everyday.

Is it a poping noise or a *tink tink* noise?