Front left brake issue
 

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.

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

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....

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

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!

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?

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.

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.

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...

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!

Thanks everyone, rang the mechanic and told him so i'm dropping back tomorrow afternoon. I must admit, now i've stopped flapping about it, its more than likely the bearing and it'll be sorted then.
I just get impatient when i can't even throw it up on a jack and look at it, so all day at work, i'm itching to sort it.
Thanks for all the answers, and voices of reason!

Hi all.
Had a good look at the car last night, and its not the bearing.
I have a atf leak... looks like is coming from the cooler, but it was everywhere so have cleaned it off with the pressure washer and left it to dry last night. So we'll see today....

Just a update after being in and out the garage a few times....
As it was already said to me by ye, it was the new bearing that failed. Replacement popped in today, no noise all is well.
Thanks again everyone.

And the cooler leak??? It's was the grease everywhere. Duh