Front left brake issue

jt racing · #1 21st April 2016, 08:55 AM

Hi everyone.
Driving back from dublin last night, 5Hrs round trip, about 20 miles from home, the car started to change up and down randomly, put it into manual and it holds it gears no bother, about 5 miles later i get the abs light come on with the 3 bongs and a flashing brake warning.
Trundling home i can now hear a whoosh noise from the front left but no pull on the steering, brakes feel firm as normal. ( I had there bearing replaced 2 weeks ago on that side).
Drop my friend off, and head to my house about 2 miles away and again after about half a mile noise starts again and abs lights appears again.

Went out for a quick look before having to go to work tomorrow and it looks like something has leaked aroung the caliper? fluid all inside the wheel and up the back of the arch bit on the drive shaft but didin't get any higher than midway up the suspension.
So had to take the astra to work... Jeasus!

I'm off tomorrow so will pull the wheel off and suspect maybe a split hose? But any other ideas to look at would be a help too!
Thanks in advance.

ainarssems · #2 21st April 2016, 11:17 AM

Could be failed wheel bearing or split CV joint boot letting the grease out. Don't think brake fluid leak would make any noises.

jt racing · #3 21st April 2016, 11:41 AM

The boot looked ok this morning, and the fluid was kinda watery??
As for the noise, i thought maybe the bearing too... but wasn't a grumbling style noise more a woosh, woosh woosh, style....

ainarssems · #4 21st April 2016, 11:49 AM

Check the brake fluid level see if it's dropped. Easy to do and will give you a hint.

jt racing · #5 21st April 2016, 11:52 AM

Thats the thing. I did that this morn, and it hadn't, not by any noticable amount anyway! and by the mess thats in the arch and wheel, should be down alot.
Tis strange!

The_Laird · #6 21st April 2016, 12:43 PM

If it's a CV joint boot that's split, then the "mess" will be pretty black, quite thick and oily. can you post a photo?

jt racing · #7 21st April 2016, 12:45 PM

Boot does look intact, and its too watery in my mind for that.
I will post a pic tomorrow, just working till 10 tonight so kinda impatient that I can't even get at the car till tomorrow afternoon.

Dezzy · #8 21st April 2016, 02:07 PM

If the new bearing isn't 100% could it be getting hot and making the grease go to oil and then be flung out? If it was a CV boot i'd imagine to see lumps of flung grease in the arch.

jt racing · #9 21st April 2016, 02:54 PM

That might be it. It was 5hrs of driving and I wasn't hanging about. Fingers crossed its only that because then its the garages problem...

steamship · #10 21st April 2016, 04:09 PM

As others have said, a split CV joint makes a real mess, and you've already ruled out brake fluid. From your description of the sound and the ABS light, the likely culprit is the bearing, and since it was only replaced a few weeks ago, it looks like they didn't fit it correctly or damaged it. When you get a chance, jack the wheel up and try and move the wheel East-West and then North-South to see if there's any movement.

If it's really bad, you'll know as soon as it clears the ground. My father had a Ford Escort Mk 3 many years ago. We had just done around a 160 mile trip around the roads of Donegal and he took it to a mechanic because 'it didn't feel right'. The wheel fell off as it was jacked up!